Kristin Chenoweth Talks Nom Nom Partnership, ‘Wicked' Cameo

Forbes

2 days ago

Kristin Chenoweth | Nom Nom
'Squeaky voice,' 'Too short,' and 'Not going to make it.' Those were the constant criticisms that were supposed to keep Kristin Chenoweth from landing a decent role, and certainly prohibit her from becoming an iconically bewitching performer and household name.
'All those things that I was told about myself that were going to hurt me, are the things that helped me get parts,' Chenoweth told me over Zoom.
The 1999 Tony Award winner was adopted at a young age by loving parents in Oklahoma that worked as engineers and found creatively affordable ways to nurture her undeniable talent.
'We didn't have a ton of money, growing up, but I loved music, and I wanted to play the piano, so they worked out where I could practice at the church for a while until we could afford to get a piano,' Kristin recalled.
Through her supportive upbringing and her unrivaled stage and screen success, Chenoweth regularly provides theater parents with sage advice.
'I believe the best thing a parent can do is just to let them blossom,' she shared. 'If you see your child as having a passion towards something, encourage without pushing. My mother would say things to me like, 'I know you love it, but if you want it to stop tomorrow, that's fine too. But since you love it, let's do what we can to get better.''
Kristin has a Broadway Boot Camp for 13 to 18 year olds, which is closing in on its tenth year. During the camp's parenting workshop, the importance of parents listening to kids who present a strong desire to perform is highlighted.
'And listen to your child, too. I tell kids, and adults, and even my friends, I'll say, do it as long as you love it," she added. "If you can see yourself doing anything else in this life and being happy, please go do that other thing. But if you can't see yourself doing anything else and being happy, then go for it. And don't let anybody hold you back. Don't let anybody tell you no. I didn't. I knew I wanted to do it. And I had to get grants and scholarships to go to college, but I did it."
Kristin Chenoweth and Thunder | Nom Nom
Because Chenoweth was adopted, she wanted to adopt a pet and later rescued Thunder, who's a cockapoo mix.
Kristin's desire to help keep Thunder's nutrition and energy up to speed helped her land her newest role… Nom Nom's 'Enrichment Witch'. The Glinda actress is partnering with Nom Nom, known for their tasty and nutritious dog food, to launch their 'Enrichment Magic' campaign.
'I'm very good at witches. It's where I really score,' Chenoweth said with a smile regarding her latest part. "We want to focus on what truly benefits dogs. And for me, (my focus) is to make her happy at mealtime.
"When I feed Thunder Nom Nom, and this is a true story, I was unaware of Nom Nom. And then they sent me… I always have to have food to see if I want to do it. Cause if it doesn't work for my dog, how can I talk about it? Right?
"So they have this new Lamb Pilaf. I think Thunder eats better than me, but I gave it to her. And she's so happy. And she does the happy dance. And then it kind of leads into playtime. She kind of gets the zoomies and then walks. And those are the things that, as a dog mom, I really want to do while I can.
'We talk about our dogs like they're our children, and I know that I don't have children, but I have a lot of kids I take care of and I love animals. And somebody said to me the other day, dogs are only here, let's say they're here 16 years, that's 16 winters, 16 summers. It's such a short time.
"And when it just seemed like the right way to pamper her. It's a new way of pampering instead of spoiling. It's good for her. It makes her happy. It leads into other things that we do together. I like anything that stimulates activities and I feel like Nom Nom does. That's just what I've noticed. I adore it. I adore it for her and it makes me really happy.'
Before she picked up her wand and cast a permanent spell on Broadway in October of 2003, Kristin won a Tony for 'Best Featured Actress in a Musical' for her portrayal of Sally Brown in 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown' in 1999.
With the 78th annual Tony Awards coming up Sunday, Chenoweth looked back at winning the prestigious award and what the honor means to her over 25 years later.
NEW YORK CITY - JUNE 6: Actress Swoosie Kurtz, actress Kristin Chenoweth and actor Ben Stiller ... More attend the 53rd Annual Tony Awards on June 6, 1999 at the Gershwin Theatre in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
'The reason I, (look back) at it and I have a sense of gratefulness is that award opened up other ways for me to work and with great people. And so therefore you get better," Kristin stated. "And I'm still looking even today… The reason I know I love it still so much, whether I'm doing a TV show or a movie or Broadway or a concert, is I still want to be great and I want to improve. I want to be better and better and better.
"The day that I don't want to do that anymore, don't want to be better, then I'll quit. But I still want to evolve and challenge myself. People are like, 'Aren't you about (done), you know, you've done so much. What else is there to do?' I'm like, 'What are you kidding? I'm just getting started.'
"There's so much more to do. I doubt anyone's saying that to, maybe they do say it to Meryl Streep. Look at what all she's done. She's not going anywhere.
"So that role and that Tony Award, it just opened up more doors for me to play all kinds of parts, not get stuck in one type."
One door the 1999 Tony opened presented Chenoweth and her Wicked co-star Idina Menzel the opportunity to help make Glinda and Elphaba even more iconic characters beyond The Wizard of Oz. Their legendary performances opened more doors for other stage actors, and recently Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in the 2024 film adaptation, to portray the famed witches.
(From L) US actress and singer Idina Menzel, British actress and singer Cynthia Erivo, US ... More singer-songwriter and actress Ariana Grande and US actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth attend the Los Angeles premiere of Universal Pictures' "Wicked" at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillon, in Los Angeles, November 9, 2024. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
The OG Wicked actresses were unsure if doing a cameo for the movie was the right move.
'Idina and I talked about it,' Chenoweth recalled. "We were like, is this right? It's really their turn. We did it, nobody can take what we did, but it's now their turn. And we love those girls so much, we knew they were going to be amazing. Was it weird?
"It was really Marc Platt and David Stone, the producers, who said people will kill us if y'all weren't in it and we (don't) pay homage to you. Everybody wants to see you in it and the director John Chu was like, 'You all just have to do it.'
"And then when we showed up on set, talk about surreal. It was very surreal and very layered, but I think we ended up both being very glad we did it. Can you imagine if we had said no or didn't feel right about it?
"What a thing that we would have missed out on because they did pay homage to us and we did get to be a part of something that's so big, that we started. And I know we're both proud of Cynthia and Ariana. We got to watch them work and that was also cool.
'I mean, I've known Ariana since she was 10, so this was a full-circle moment. And I don't think they could have cast it better. And we were actually kind of emotional. And look what they made. So yeah, I'm glad we did it.'
Kristin returns to Broadway on Oct. 8 in The Queen of Versailles at the St. James Theatre. Chenoweth will play TV personality Jacqueline 'Jackie' Siegel.