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My dad sings, and my mom is the funniest person you'll ever meet. You put them together, and out comes the Feldstein children.
Beanie Feldstein
I feel really lucky in that all of the projects I worked on I've been comfortable saying, 'I don't want to wear this.' No one has forced me into being anything I don't want to be. On 'Neighbors', being chubbier than the other two actresses, I was like, 'Am I gonna get the chubby girl wardrobe?' But I ended up liking my wardrobe the best.
As far as theater goes, Sarah DeLappe's 'The Wolves' is one of my favorite things I've ever seen.
The expression that friends are the family you choose, is so powerful, because most people are close with their families, and when you add people into that level of trust, love, and loyalty, it's a really meaningful thing. The fact you're actively choosing each other is so beautiful at its core.
I'll remember my life as pre-'Lady Bird' and post-'Lady Bird.'
I'm such a goody-goody.
You can be really romantic and put a lot of effort into friendship.
I grew up in musicals, and if you looked like me and sounded like me, you were the character; you were never at the center of the story.
When I think about filming 'Lady Bird', I think about, dancing, eating, and laughing, which are three of my favorite things, so it's great.
I wake up every morning to 'Take a Chance on Me' as my iPhone alarm - it really gets you going.
I saw 'Brooklyn' so many times.
Because I am the biggest musical theater nerd, I worship Sondheim.
It's very special to be in something that you genuinely think would be your favorite thing if you weren't in it.
The way other kids would watch 'The Little Mermaid' or 'Sesame Street', I would watch 'Fiddler on the Roof.'
I did my first little kids' musical, 'The Sound of Music', at 5, in a jungle gym, essentially. I was a made-up Von Trapp child, Ingrid Von Trapp.
I could talk about 'Lady Bird' for literally the rest of my life! It never gets old.
It took time, and it happened gradually, but by the time I started college, I felt truly comfortable with my body.
My singing voice has sort of an Ethel Merman-type quality: just, like, loud and strong and full.
My real name is Elizabeth, but I had a nanny growing up who called me 'Elizabeanie.' So from 4 months old, my brothers were, like, 'Let's call her Beanie.' To show people the validity of it, I always say that if I met the president, I would say, 'Hi, my name is Beanie.'
People yell at me because I often say that everyone's my best friend, but it's true! I think that's why I like playing the best friend so much, is because I love best friends.
My family, doctors, and society at large were constantly telling me that I was too heavy, that I needed to exercise more, that I should be smaller.
There's nothing that makes me sad about being a supporter.
My favorite thing about 'Superbad' is it values male friendship.
Broadway is such a beautiful community, both with the people who do it and the people who go see it.
There's something so beautiful in playing a character that supports another character's success.
My 3rd birthday party was 'Funny Girl' themed.
'Elizabeth' doesn't feel related to me at all.
A person's body changing is simply not clearance for you to talk about it.
My whole life, not just in my professional career but in community theater, I played the supporting role.
I feel extremely lucky in that I have a very tight-knit group of friends.
I have always been short, and most people want to be taller. That's sort of a thing, but I love being short.
My parents were really encouraging of me doing theater, but the one thing they did do was say, 'You're not allowed to do film or television in high school.'
I was pushed into trying Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig... and I absolutely hated it. It affected me deeply.
I only ever want to be a part of something that feels good to me, because I'm such a feminist and a believer in the power of women and the stories we have to tell.
Everyone always said, 'When you're 10, you'll want to be Elizabeth, or when you're in college.' And every time, I was was just like, 'No, I'm Beanie. That's who I am.' So I love my name because I think it really suits me.
I've never met anyone that I feel is like me or looks like me. There's just one of Beanie Feldstein.
You never know where someone else is coming from. Even within best friendships or within mother- daughter relationships, you never fully know what's behind someone's eyes.
My roommate and best friend from college had the picture of 'Frances Ha' as her Facebook cover photo. That movie meant a lot to us.
I've always been totally obsessed with theater - especially musicals.
I rely way too much on Seamless, and I really need to learn how to feed myself.
I have this saying: They either want The Bean or they don't want The Bean. I just am my own thing. It works or it doesn't work.
I have always wanted to do Broadway, my whole life, but I never knew I'd actually make it - it's a dream; it's never been in the realm of possibility. So to be doing 'Hello Dolly!', it's not just Broadway, but it's the most joyful, sort of classic Broadway experience with the most extraordinary company.
If I were to talk to my younger self, I would say, 'Girl, you're gonna be on Broadway one day.' I sometimes think about my younger self knowing that and how ridiculously she's sobbing somewhere, so I would love to tell her that it's all going to happen.
I despised trying to lose weight, and I resented everyone that made me feel like I had to.
My greatest role model is my mom because she's a Renaissance woman. She has had many careers over the course of her life because she really is just an extremely creative, passionate person and is very involved in many different things.
I'm Beanie, and I'm terrible in the kitchen, so I just need so much help. And I'm allergic to dairy, so vegan food is a love of mine.
Sometimes I introduce myself to people, and their reaction reminds me that it's insane that my name is Beanie.
When you have two people who are the smart girls, then the 'smart' ceases to exist; they're just women who are smart.
I love to be the best friend. It's like my dream in life to be everybody's best friend.
I'm the most scaredy-cat, goody-goody. Not much of a partier.