Debut of the Month: Amalia Yoo on Examining Belief Systems in JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN

Amalia Yoo is currently making her Broadway debut as Raelynn Nix in John Proctor Is the Villain! On stage, Yoo recently played Luna in Grief Camp at the Atlantic Theater, and starred in SLUT: The Play at NPR’s Greene Space.  Her on-screen credits include No Hard Feelings and Netflix’s “Grand Army.” BroadwayWorld spoke with Yoo about what she remembers most from opening night, what it's like working alongside her cast members and more. Read the full interview here and  check out photography by BroadwayWorld's own Jennifer Broski!

How did it feel when you learned that you’d landed the role of Raelynn in the show?

Oh my God, I was sitting on my couch, and I was just speechless when my agent called. I couldn’t believe it. Broadway has always been a dream. Getting to act in any capacity has always been my dream, and to get to be on Broadway is something out of my wildest dreams. To hear the news that it was going to happen was so surreal. For a very long time I almost couldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe it. I was like, ‘Did they make a mistake? This can’t be real. Someone is going to call me like, ‘just kidding!’’ [laughs]. It was so exciting.  

What do you remember most from opening night?

Opening night was so wild. It felt like a blur of excitement and nervousness. But also we had done so many previews, and we felt so strongly about the work that we had done throughout all of previews, it felt like we ready to open. But I was still so, so nervous, and excited to get to celebrate all of the hard work that we had done. It was nerve-wracking because I am quite protective of Raelynn, and all of these characters, and this story. So, to share it with a wide audience was daunting at first, but now it’s become the best thing ever to share it with 750 people at the Booth Theatre every night.

And how has it been working with this amazing cast?

Our ensemble is so hardworking, and so immensely talented, and I’m so grateful to get to learn from all of them. Aside from our understudies I’m the only person making their Broadway debut, so I’m just like a sponge, taking in all of other people’s advice, and taking in what they do, and all of their hard work. And it’s also amazing because there is so much care and love for one another in the cast. Everyone takes such good care of each other, which is vital when you’re doing a piece like this. It’s fun and it’s funny, but it’s also heart wrenching, so the support from castmates is everything, and it’s a very special group of people.

Do you have a favorite onstage moment?

I mean, I love getting to dance at the end of the show every night, because it feels like a relief, and it’s fun. Even though it’s exhausting, it’s like, ‘Okay, we got to the end, we did it, we made it through, now we get to listen to Lorde on stage and dance.’ It’s really fun.

What would you say that you’ve learned from the character of Raelynn?

She’s taught me so many things. I think something so beautiful about her is that throughout the play she has a huge personal awakening, and she begins to challenge the beliefs she’s been taught her whole life. It’s really inspiring to get to play this person who’s so brave, and trying to be there for everyone in her community, and also be there for herself. She lets herself change her mind, and I think that personal belief systems can change, and she’s open to that change. She doesn’t judge herself, and she doesn’t always say the right thing, but she’s human, and she’s trying, and that’s the most beautiful, important thing. It’s taught me to examine belief systems that I grew up with, and that I assumed to be true, to start questioning those things.

What do you hope that audience members take away from the show?

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