"When I look back at the things I've done so far, I realized that the through line is characters that go through really transformative arcs. I wanted to make this person almost unrecognizable by the end of the show, because that's really what happens to him. He accesses this real rage that has been living in him his whole life but can now be channeled into something tangible and real and hopefully positive."
"There was a bizarre moment where a few of us went to an ICE Out protest downtown. We were standing next to each other at a rally in the snow, and I was like, 'The parallels are getting a little heavy-handed. This is crazy.' We're standing here screaming, 'Strike, strike, strike,' and then I'm going in an hour to do a show where I scream... 'Strike, strike, strike.'"
Ben Levi Ross, whose parents were unsuccessful actors who met auditioning for a Woody Allen film, has become a successful Broadway performer. He made his Broadway debut in 2019 in Dear Evan Hansen as Jared, later playing the titular role. Currently starring in the Broadway revival of Ragtime as Mother's Younger Brother, Ross deliberately chooses roles featuring transformative character arcs. His character evolves from a naive frat boy into a social-justice activist, driven by rage over the mistreatment of Harlem's Black community. The 1920s setting parallels contemporary political issues, creating striking resonance with current events.
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