‘Dear Evan Hansen’: Kaitlyn Dever Says Amy Adams Was ‘Such a Light on Set’ of the Film
The star-studded cast of Dear Evan Hansen has turned the film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical into a movie that is an emotional rollercoaster for audiences. Actors Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, and Danny Pino joined Ben Platt in the newly released movie. Dever had nothing but praise for her fellow co-stars, saying that Adams was “a light on set” of the film.
Amy Adams tears up talking about ‘Dear Evan Hansen’
The musical stage production of Dear Evan Hansen won a total of six Tony Awards. At 23, Platt became the youngest performer to receive a Tony for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
The Pitch Perfect actor reprised his role as the titular character for the film adaptation, which debuted on September 24, 2021. The highly-anticipated movie follows the story of Evan Hansen, a troubled high school student who has social anxiety and depression. The lead character writes a letter mistaken as someone else’s suicide note, resulting in unexpected relationships. Amy Adams plays the role of Cynthia Murphy, the grieving mother of the teen, Connor, that loses his life.
Adams explained to People the emotional toll the role took on her, as she explained how her character was not ready to process the loss of a child. Adams said, “She’s just not ready. And that is another way of grieving, you know? And I think that’s something that’s not shown often.” Tearing up, the 47-year-old actor explained, “This is what I look like on set all the time. So Ben [Platt] only knows me as weepy Amy.”
What Kaitlyn Dever said about working with Amy Adams
Dever, best known for her role as Eve on the television series Last Man Standing, played the role of Zoe Murphy in Dear Evan Hansen.
As the sister of a teen that dies by suicide, she plays a pivotal role in the film’s success. The Booksmart actor explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly available on YouTube that working with such a talented cast was “the coolest thing ever.”
Calling the experience life-changing, she said Adams is “such a light on set. She is so kind and sweet, and she literally just really felt like my mom.” Dever explained, “Getting to watch Amy Adams is like a full on master class. It’s insane.”
Ben Platt enjoyed working with Julianne Moore
Moore stars as Heidi, Hansen’s mom, in the heartfelt movie. Despite being in hundreds of films, this is the first time the Still Alice actor sings. She impressed audiences, leaving not a dry eye in the house, with her touching rendition of “So Big/So Small.”
The Academy Award winner told E! News, she was terrified to take on such an emotional solo for the film. Moore said, “Ben was so wonderful to be with. He’s so committed. He’s just a beautiful performer, so I just enjoyed being with him every day.”
Platt felt the same way about working with Moore, saying in his interview with Entertainment Weekly, “She jumped right in and really made me feel that we had known each other for a really long time.” He explained she made it “incredibly easy” to develop the characters by creating a “real kind of familiar rapport, quite quickly.”
The Dear Evan Hansen star was taken aback by the veteran actor, saying for Moore “to still have so much joy in the work and be so excited to be there and have so much silliness,” was inspiring. He expressed, “I just can only hope that if I’m ever to reach that point in my career that I still feel that way.”
How to get help: In the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
