It was a sweet moment when Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth — Broadway’s original Elphaba and Glinda, respectively — walked the red carpet together at the LA premiere of Wicked. But then I fell in love with Kristin even more when I saw that she had showed up earlier at the NY premiere, and posed for photos standing smack between new stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande at a separate NY screening. Do you get it?? They wouldn’t be there without her, LOL!! I’m not even being sarcastic when I say I love Kristin for it; she is the OG, after all, with classically trained pipes that have always been a) seemingly destined to voice Glinda, and b) kind of incomprehensible to come out of such a pint-sized frame. Anyway, I say get it, girl! But Kristin hasn’t only been stalking haunting following the yellow-bricked Wicked promo trail; she also has a new holiday partnership with HomeGoods. She helped the retailer launch their “Deck the Everything Day” on November 1, and just spoke to Us Weekly about her holiday (and other) rituals:
Not normally one to decorate before Thanksgiving, Chenoweth tells Us she made an exception this year. “I want a reason to smile. So, I will be getting out my tree November 1 and start decorating it and make myself feel better and I’m not going to feel bad about it,” she shares. “And I want to encourage [fans], don’t feel guilty. Get out there, go to HomeGoods, get all your crap and come home and decorate.”
Us: When was the last time you did laundry?
Chenoweth: A few days ago… [Laughs] Maybe a couple months ago!
Us: What time do you wake up in the morning?
Chenoweth: I don’t like to get up before 11, and I don’t like to speak before noon. I’m a night owl. I entertain at night.
Us: What’s your favorite song to sing in the shower?
Chenoweth: Bette Midler’s “The Rose.” [Singing] “Some say love, it is a river …” It’s not that challenging. It’s, like, five notes.
Us: What was the last show you streamed?
Chenoweth: Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. I’ve binged the whole thing. I met Chloe [Sevigny] one time. She’s amazing. Javier Bardem is amazing, and the two boys [Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez] are amazing. I don’t even know who they are.
Us: What’s your go-to DoorDash order?
Chenoweth: Olive Garden. Stars are just like us in this instance! I had it two nights ago. I had the endless salad and the spaghetti.
Us: What’s one task that you keep putting off?
Chenoweth: Getting my nails done. I hate it. It’s so time-consuming. But look at these nubs. I got to go.
Preferring not to wake up before 11am? Oh, bless you Kristin! And #JusticeForNightOwls! Seriously, we night owls can get such a bad rap, but it’s just sliding the hours of operation until later. And of course Kristin adds an extra layer with the not-talking until 12pm. I’m sure she’s arrived at that rule after decades of working as a professional singer (and yes, I am now imagining Kristin in the shower belting out “The Rose.”). It reminds me of Bryan Cranston when he was playing LBJ in All The Way on Broadway; the show was so demanding vocally that he didn’t speak at all on Mondays, his one day off a week. Though I may not be an artist of the vocal arts like Kristin or Bryan, I’m still planning on adopting a practice of not speaking for at least an hour after getting up. But mainly because I’m a night owl operating in an early bird world and am perennially startled/disgruntled/bitter when the alarm goes off in the morning. It’s best for everyone if I refrain from verbalizing any thoughts in those deeply emotional first moments of alertness.
Photos credit: IMAGO/Barbara Hine/Avalon, Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon, Patricia Schlein/Wenn/Avalon, Jennifer Graylock-Graylock.com/Avalon