I didn't know I was going to go into musical theater necessarily. It was never planned. I just kind of fell into it because I knew I wanted to act, and yet I had this opera training... I knew I had a voice.

Carmen Cusack

Categorized in : Know Never Voice Training

I think I've gotten to the point in my life where I have to do everything that I'm scared of because you're not going to learn anything if you don't, so you just have to dive in the deep end and see if you can swim.

deep my-life you life

You have to laugh through hard things, right? How else do you cope?

laugh things you hard

I'm not a fan of musicals. Never have been.

musicals fan been never

If you looked at my music collection and saw an album that was a soundtrack to a musical, it's probably because I had bought it to learn the music so I could go and audition.

learn go you music

My mother had people lay hands on me to cast demons out of me when I was 8. Then two or three times when I was in college.

demons me mother people

I like my cheese, I like my milk in my coffee, and nobody's gonna tell me any different.

nobody me milk coffee

It's nice to be able to go do what I love and come home - and get in my own bed.

my-own nice home love

Going to Broadway - then to be invited to the Tonys - I really tap into what that feels like now to fulfill lifetime goals.

going goals now like

Just stay present in the moment, and what will come will come.

present stay will moment

We had to grow up very fast. There never was a day when there wasn't shouting about the bills.

fast grow never day

Originating something is what every actor waits for. Usually, those opportunities are offered to people who already have a name.

opportunities name something people

It's hard for some parents to give their children compliments.

parents some hard children

I wasn't ready for 'Bright Star' to end when it did.

bright end star ready

I'm just going to do things that I like to do, sing songs that I like to sing.

sing just things like

I got married way too young.

too got young way

I grew up in the church. My mother was highly religious. I was singing at the age of five for big congregations.

singing church age mother

The first music that came to my ear was gospel... I used to sing 'Amazing Grace' with a very strong southern accent and a vibrato already at five years old.

amazing music strong grace

My mother had me when she was 16, and that was an issue that had to be dealt with. She grew up in a very religious background, and there was a lot of discussion of what they should do with this unborn child. But here I am, and thank goodness.

i-am child me mother

Alongside the iconic 'South Pacific,' I absolutely loved working on 'Bright Star' with Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.

bright loved star iconic

I believe there's no reason why we couldn't be entering a new age of musical theater if we continue to nurture young talent, take risks, and give them a playing field.

risks talent age believe