Nicole Scherzinger wins 2025 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in "Sunset Blvd"

CBS News

3 days ago

Nicole Scherzinger won the 2025 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as Norma Desmond in "Sunset Blvd."
The pop star has conquered the bright lights and wowed audiences with her Broadway debut.
"I'm very blessed. I'm blessed, because my prayers have been answered," Scherzinger told CBS News New York's Kristine Johnson in a recent interview ahead of the award show. "I feel like I'm living that dream right now with this remarkable, life-changing opportunity."
Scherzinger said she had a successful career before this role came her way, but it wasn't quite what she wanted.
"I'm so grateful for my time with all my groups. I was in a rock group called Days of the New, I was in a pop group called Eden's Crush, and then my group The Pussycat Dolls, that whole whirlwind. I'm so proud of the music that we created and the work that we did touring around the world," she said.
"A lot of people don't realize I grew up a lover of theater and musical theater and I went to a youth performing arts high school. So this was my safe space that I found my kind, as I call it, where I felt like I belonged," she continued.
"I've never experienced a love like that before"
Scherzinger plays Norma Desmond, an actress coming face-to-face with fading fame.
"One of the biggest connections, I think, is something that goes through my mind quite often when I'm on stage as Norma is saying, 'Where did the time go?' And I feel like we can all relate to that," she told Johnson. "You blink, and a day goes by. You blink, a year goes by. You blink, a decade goes by. And that is real... And you wake up and you're 46, and you are not 26 anymore. So having to deal with the reality of time -- fleeting and it waits for no one."
She said she never expected to star on Broadway and has nothing but praise for the theater community that welcomed her to the stage.
"I feel like there's no competition. There's just room for everyone and to celebrate everyone, and it's so inclusive and it is so beautiful. And I feel like the people in this community, they champion you and lift you up, and I've never experienced a love like that before," she said.
"Sunset Blvd" wins Best Revival of a Musical
This is a new look for "Sunset Blvd." Unlike the original 1994 production and the 1997 revival starring Glenn Close, in this version, Scherzinger is barefoot and wears only a black slip dress.
"That's why working with Jamie Lloyd is such a dream for me, because what Jamie does and the brilliance about him is that he puts no boundaries on you. And even though it seems so empty, the stage with no distractions, it's that much fuller," said Scherzinger.
The production had seven Tony nominations, including Lloyd for Best Director of a Musical. It took home top honors for Best Revival of a Musical and Best Lighting Design.
When asked what's next for her, Scherzinger replied, "8 p.m. tonight is what's next."
"I've got to live in the moment -- these performances. It's important for me to make every performance like it's my opening night and my closing night," she said. "This role has changed my life."
She's also looking forward to her performance at Carnegie Hall in October, and before that, she's getting married.