Ariana DeBose began her acting and hosting careers in theatre.
The Tony Award-winning actress Ariana DeBose is scheduled to host the ceremony for the third time on Sunday, but she is keen to take a break from hosting to work on other creative projects.
DeBose expressed her wish to go back to her Broadway beginnings in a recent People magazine interview, teasing a possible new project in the works.
“I am truly craving being back on stage, in a bigger way than just hosting the Tonys,” she declared.
“And so someone else can hold the ropes, thus this will probably be one of the last times I host for a while.”
DeBose began her theatrical career with productions of Hamilton and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, the latter of which brought her a Tony nomination for her role as Disco Donna.
Later on, she entered the film industry, where she won an Oscar for her role in West Side Story in 2021.
Oh, I want to throw up every year, she added. “I’ll tell you straight out. Waiting in the wings is a garbage can.
I had no idea that I would be hosting the Tony Awards. That had no place in whatever plan I had for myself. And I had such anxiety the previous year. I paced for thirty minutes straight by myself, DeBose said.
In all the years of my performance career, I have never done it.
DeBose understands, too, that it is her responsibility as the presenter to bring in new audience members.
She said, “The Tony Awards are a very important moment for the Broadway community and a night that has a real economic impact on how this industry functions.”
Being present to showcase what they have to offer feels like a holy duty, and I don’t take that lightly.