McDonald Comments On PORGY & Family Life

Five-time Tony Award-winning actress Audra McDonald offered insightful opinions and illuminating insights in her appearance on PBS NewsHour last night and an expanded portion of the conversation pertaining to PORGY & BESS and her home life has now been released.

McDonald generously shares thoughts about her experience performing in the recent revival of The Gershwin's PORGY & BESS directed by Diane Paulus and recounts the toll that the titanic role took on her life, personally and professionally.

McDonald candidly reveals that her partnership with actor Will Swenson is a continual source of inspiration and comfort, though her young daughter has a harder time accepting some of the perceivably eccentric behavior necessitated for an actor in order to perform eight shows a week, she relates - particularly a role as significant and tortured as Bess.

"Just emotionally what that character goes through... drug addiction, physical abuse, redemption... it took its toll; it really did," McDonald shares.

"All told I think I played it 256, 257 times," McDonald said of her run in the show on Broadway and beyond.

The recently crowned reigning host of Live From Lincoln Center also qualifies the former statement and adds, "But... there's that famous quote, 'a performer's never satisfied.'"

Also, check out my recent InDepth InterView with Audra McDonald available here.

View the expanded interview portion of McDonald and Jeffrey Brown in conversation below.