Broadway and film star Andrew Rannells is returning to the small screen. Per The Hollywood Reporter, “The Book of Mormon star” has joined the cast of Tina Fey’s new series “Girls5eva” in the role of Kev, a former boy band member who is married to the character of Summer, played by Busy Philipps, a girl band star. The series is set to premiere on the Peacock network on May 6.
Rannells, 42, is best known for originating the role of Elder Price in “The Book of Mormon,” which earned him a Tony nomination for Best Actor (via Playbill). You may also recognize him from his recurring role as Elijah Krantz, Hannah’s college boyfriend, on the TV series “Girls” (via IMDb).
The actor was born and raised in Ohama, Nebraska, and published a memoir titled “Too Much Is Not Enough” in 2019. Just three days after coming out as gay, Rannells moved to New York City to pursue his dream of becoming a Broadway star (via Vanity Fair).
Andrew Rannells didn't find overnight success in New York
Success didn’t happen overnight for Andrew Rannells upon his arrival in New York. He even decided to leave the business at one point and took a job doing voice-overs for cartoons (via Vanity Fair). But he decided to resume auditioning and, almost seven years before landing his role in “The Book of Mormon,” Rannells was cast in “Hairspray.” Most recently, Rannells appeared in the star-studded Netflix film “Prom” alongside Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and James Corden.
According to CheatSheet, Rannells starred in both the stage and Netflix versions of “The Boys in the Band.” He met his boyfriend, Tuc Watkins, while working on the stage version and the two have been dating since 2019. “The first time that we kissed was for work … but it was weird. I was like ‘Oh, we’re getting paid to do this,'” Rannells later recalled during an appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show” (via YouTube).
Rannells continues to expand his resume by working as a producer on the TV series “Black Monday,” as reported by The Sioux City Journal. “I find myself active in ways I wish I got to be as an actor,” Rannells told the outlet. “I love the extra work to it, the challenge of it. I feel like I’ve been learning a lot.”
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