Jaquel Spivey has recalled being on stage for the entire 100 minutes of the stage musical A Strange Loop.
During a recent interview with W Magazine, the actor, who plays Damian Hubbard in the new Mean Girls film, has opened up his time starring in the award-winning Broadway musical.
Jaquel told the publication that acting in the show had been difficult as he was required to be on stage for the entirety of the 100-minute runtime.
“It was a battle only because that story is heavy enough, but then for your voice to be like, ‘I’m tired today and there’s no intermission to go back and regroup, there’s no bathroom breaks, there aren’t things that humans need to survive,'” the 25-year-old actor shared.
Jaquel added, “And then on top of that, I am in a show that is putting trauma on display at every turn.”
The play, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2020, follows Usher, a Black queer man writing a musical about a Black queer man writing a musical.
Jaquel, who played Usher, was nominated for the Best Actor in a Musical Tony Award in 2022 for his starring role in the Broadway show.
He recently made his movie debut as Damian, who was previously played by Daniel Franzese, in Tina Fey’s new musical version of her iconic 2004 film, Mean Girls.
“I’m very grateful for Damian, because he showed me that this body and my existence can still exude joy,” he said.
Mean Girls is in cinemas now.