by tony reverditto
Ben Platt was born on September 24th, 1993, in Los Angeles, the fourth of five children of Julie and Marc Platt. His father is a film, television, and theater producer whose credits include the likes of Legally Blonde, Into the Woods, La La Land, Mary Poppins Returns, and the musical version of Wicked.
Platt began his acting career in musical theater as a child and appeared in a production of The Sound of Music at the age of 13. Fast forward: at the age of 19, he would take on the role of a missionary, Elder Cunningham, in The Book of Mormon from 2012 to 2015. This gave him the chops to land and take on the title role in the Broadway coming-of-age musical Dear Evan Hansen from 2015 to 2017. His performance would take his career to the next level, earning him the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, a Daytime Emmy for a cast performance of “You Will Be Found” on The Today Show in 2017, and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album.
He would pass the baton of Evan Hansen’s role to Noah Galvin, who, through unique circumstances, would eventually become his fiancé. Platt revisited the role of Evan Hansen in the 2021 film adaptation of the musical. In 2022, he would play Leo Frank in Parade, which would catapult to Broadway the next year and earn him a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Musical and a Grammy award for Best Musical Theatre Album.
In addition to his stage success, Platt dabbled in film and television, which included his breakthrough roles in the first and second Pitch Perfect films. Other credits include Ricki and the Flash with Meryl Streep, Run This Town, Broken Diamonds, The People We Hate at Weddings, Theater Camp, which he co-wrote, and many more. He has starred in the Netflix comedy-drama series The Politician since 2019, for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination.
Platt signed with Atlantic Records in 2017 and released his debut studio album, Sing to Me Instead, in March 2019. In May 2020, the concert film Ben Platt Live from Radio City Music Hall debuted on Netflix. On August 13, 2021, Platt released his second studio album, Reverie. His current release, Honeymind, debuted alongside Ben Platt: Live at the Palace from May 28 to June 15, 2024, and he is currently embarking on a national tour.
The Rage Monthly caught up with Platt amidst his national tour.
Congratulations on your new LP, Honeymind. What was your inspiration for this collection of songs?
Very much inspired by my relationship with Noah, my fiancé, soon-to-be husband and the experience of being in a long-term relationship. That, combined with the experience of turning thirty and sort of settling into yourself and becoming more comfortable with who you are.
I know it’s similar to the concept of picking a favorite child, but which is your favorite song, and why?
My favorite song on Honeymind is probably “Before I Knew You.” I write a lot of love songs to Noah and love songs are just my favorite type to write. This one in particular encapsulates something that I was trying really hard to express and I just love to sing it. That’s my favorite!
You’re now on a national tour sharing your newly released album; what can audiences expect at your concert?
Audiences can expect a lot of songs from my new album, Honeymind, as well as songs from my first two records. I also share stories and tidbits about myself. Plus some covers from the Americana genre of icons like James Taylor and Joni Mitchell, and of course, a musical theatre moment as well.
I have seen some teasers of your concerts on social media; can you give a sneak peek at who you may be performing some duets with on the West Coast?
My guest on this tour is Brandy Clark. She is coming around with me everywhere and we are getting the opportunity to sing our duet that is on my album that we wrote together called “Treehouse.”
Finally, you’re a Grammy, Emmy and Tony award-winning actor. What do you think will be your next goal to become a member of the prestigious EGOT family?
You know, I sort of let the opportunities arise as they come. I certainly don’t seek out things like that. If that comes, that would be wonderful, but regardless of that, I am interested in doing more films, writing more films, and writing songs for films. So, if it comes someday, great!
The Honeymind Tour
July 20 at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles Tickets: 844.524.7335 or lagreektheatre.com
July 21 at San Diego Civic Theatre Tickets: 619.615.4000 or sandiegotheatres.org