Audra McDonald: Trusting Your Own Power

What It Takes®

Academy of Achievement

Film, Politics, Arts, Self-help, Sports, Society & Culture, Success, Literature, Humanitarian, Military, Social Justice, Technology, Podcast, Achievement, Music, Science

4.6 • 943 Ratings

🗓️ 15 February 2021

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

From the time she was nine years old, she knew she wanted to be on Broadway, but Audra McDonald has succeeded beyond her wildest dreams. She has earned six Tony Awards, more than any other actor. She stars in movies and television shows and operas. She tours as a singer, and has a recording career. She may be the most versatile performer of her generation. But McDonald has had her struggles. She talks here about her incredible career, and about she's always carved a path forward by choosing the projects that scare her the most. (c ) American Academy of Achievement 2021

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hi, this is Alice.
0:05.0	Winning.
0:07.0	Winning A Tony completely surpassed my dreams. I just wanted to be on Broadway. That's all I wanted.
0:18.0	So winning one Tony, I thought I was done, you know.
0:22.0	But she wasn't anywhere near done.
0:25.0	Aodra McDonald has won six Tony Awards as an actor more than anyone else,
0:31.0	and she's won in all four possible categories.
0:34.4	Two for plays, two for musicals.
0:37.0	Daddy played piano, played it very well.
0:43.0	Music from those hands could catch you like a spell.
0:49.0	He couldn't make you love him for the tune was done.
0:57.0	You have your daddy's hands.
1:02.0	You are your... house.
1:03.0	You are your daddy's son.
1:10.0	Ara McDonald may be about to win her seventh Tony Award.
1:14.4	She's been nominated for her starring role in Frankie and Johnny in the Claire
1:19.0	Deloon. The 2020 Tony Awards just haven't been scheduled yet on account of, well, you know.
1:26.3	But either way, Audrey McDonald is already undeniably Broadway's leading light, and yet yet she says that collection of Tony's crowding the
1:36.2	shelf has not really changed her life on the inside. No it doesn't change my life
1:42.4	all that much because I'm still me and I'm still
1:49.8	an artist who's searching trying to evolve an artist who's who nine times out of
1:58.0	ten is dissatisfied with her work and you know it beats yourself up and goes out there and tries again and again and falls
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Academy of Achievement, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Academy of Achievement and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.