Pop Culturalist Chats with Hannah Elless

Hannah Elless makes her return to Broadway in the sweet, tuneful Bright Star, an original musical by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. (We loved it, by the way.) Set in the 1920s and 1940s, Bright Star tells two parallel stories and connects them in astonishing ways. Elless plays Margo Crawford, an intelligent and optimistic bookstore owner whose feelings for her childhood friend Billy Cane (A.J. Shively) are awakened when he returns to North Carolina after serving in World War II. Pop Culturalist got to chat with Elless last week, and we discovered that she is a natural fit for Margo– like her character, she exudes warmth, positivity, and thoughtfulness. We also found out a little more about Bright Star, Broadway, and what makes her “nerd out.”

Bright Star, Theater, and Everything in Between

PC: First of all, congratulations on opening! Bright Star, like most original musicals, has had a long road to Broadway. You’ve been with the show since 2014, correct?

HANNAH: That’s correct. I joined for the San Diego out-of-town, at the Old Globe Theatre.

PC: Considering you’ve been with the show for so long, I can imagine that opening night felt all the sweeter. So I was curious as to what the out-of-town process was like for this show. How has the show evolved since you started in San Diego?

HANNAH: It’s changed so much, actually, which I guess isn’t a surprise for new musicals. I think that’s pretty typical for any new musical that’s working its way to Broadway. I really got the chance to see this character through, which is pretty special, because sometimes you’re joining at the end of the process or in the middle of the process. And because I got to be there from the beginning, the character I created is truly and fully me—and I got to take her from page to stage, as I love to say, which is really an honor to get to do that. Also, this is our third opening, because we opened in San Diego, and then we opened in DC [at the Kennedy Center] last December. And we open[ed] here in New York City—so third time’s the charm, huh?

PC: Yeah, absolutely! Speaking of Margo, I was rooting for her throughout the show. I know she must be a special character to you. So I’m interested in how you prepared for this role, since she is a 1940s character. What kind of research did you do for the role? 

HANNAH: Well, she lives in North Carolina in 1945, so there’s a graciousness of that culture that’s really refreshing to explore. And Steve has written an ingénue that’s funny and smart and honest. She is incredibly hopeful and really good at seeing the best in people. So it’s been really fun to explore a person that is purposefully making positive choices in her life. She really knows who she is, which is really great, too. She’s really secure about who she is, which I think makes her infectious because we all long to be as knowing as she is about herself. She’s sort of an “old soul.” But preparing, I really went to the time period—the 1940s. Honestly, my grandmother lived in that time, so it was fun to see how she grew up and to talk with people who lived in that time.

PC: So you got the opportunity to not just read books, but actually to talk to people to get a sense of that era; and then you could bring that personal authenticity to your character.

HANNAH: Absolutely! And Steve Martin gives really great insight, too, since he was born around that time. Just talking to him about his own stories– about his mother and the way that the culture felt then to him– it’s really exciting to hear stories—just about how there wasn’t much cynicism. There was a lot of hope for the future. People were really looking to make a new start and, in a lot of ways, that’s so opposite from the political season that we’re going through right now. So I think it’s a really refreshing story and refreshing energy to have on Broadway right now. You kind of come in from this cynical, cold outside, and sit down, and hear a story about people who are good at fighting for hope and believe in a future where the “sun is going to shine again.” It’s really nice as an actress to experience that on stage every night.

PC: I saw the show in its last week of previews and I was blown away just by how sincere it was—and in the best way possible. It was just so sure of who it was and what it wanted to do to the audience. I left the Cort Theatre feeling absolutely elated after sitting through that show, so I think it’s very successful in doing that.

HANNAH: That’s the best thing you could tell me. Honestly, how often do we get to do a piece of theater where people leave feeling hopeful and better about themselves, and hopeful for tomorrow? It’s such a privilege that we get to tell this story every night.

PC: I think that you’re right on the mark there. Not only does it just uplift the audience so completely, but it also captures that post-war optimism. So it’s doing a lot of really interesting and good things. So congratulations on all of that.

HANNAH: Thank you! I’ll pass it along to Mr. Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. I wish I could take full credit for it.

PC: [Laughs] Well, the performers are the real heart and flesh of the show. So take credit where it’s due! 

HANNAH: Yeah, and we really got to create in the room, you know. When I listen back to the cast album or as I read the script, I see all of our choices that we made along the way. And you’re right, it’s because of who was in the roles. It’s because of the actors that they cast.

PC: Absolutely—and for being a show that’s so centered on people and personal relationships. There is this earthy authenticity that comes with this show. So the actors in the roles are important.

HANNAH: Now on the flip side, I think that as this show has another life beyond New York City, any community could do this show and it would work, because, like you said: it’s about people, it’s about family, it’s about relationships, it’s about things that everybody can relate to. And I think that is a really successful piece of theater—if you can put this story on any community and it still works.

PC: Another aspect that I love about the show is that storytelling and books are so central to it. For example, you play a full-time bookstore owner and a part-time editor. Your character has a wonderful bookstore set, and I was dying to walk onto the stage and just check out your books! So this is something that I was wondering the entire show: what kind of books might we expect to find on Margo’s bookshelf?

HANNAH: Our crafts team has done such a good job. Everything on my bookshelf is period appropriate so when I pick up a book, I’m thinking of authors of that time and things that we would have been reading in 1945. We actually got to choose some specific books that we get to play with—and one of those is Human Comedy. We picked that for the character Max. And I’m holding the Human Comedy for some of the show. It is by William Saroyan. It’s a novel that we got to pick specifically. So that was fun to kind of get to collaborate with my actors on stage and say, “What do we want on this bookshelf? What stories do we want to be holding?” So, yeah, we have a Miss Lonelyhearts up there. I hold that a lot actually when [Billy is] rejecting me. [Laugh]

PC: [Laugh] Oh, that’s perfect!

HANNAH: I always pick the Miss Lonelyhearts book.

PC: So the books that you’re using on stage are actually telling a story, too.

H: Yes. That’s right.

PC: Steve Martin and Edie Brickell have written really lovely music for this show. In fact, I think it’s some of the prettiest music that I’ve heard on Broadway since Bridges of Madison County. So part of what makes this show so special is the fact that we get to hear the story told in a musical style that’s not often heard on Broadway—bluegrass, Americana, that type of style. Does singing in this style come naturally for you, or did it present a challenge that you had to meet?

HANNAH: I grew up with bluegrass and folk music. I come from a family that has instruments lying around the living room so that a jam session can spontaneously happen at any moment.

PC: That’s awesome!

HANNAH: That’s truly the way that I grew up! So for me, this style of music feels like home. And like you said, Bright Star isn’t fully bluegrass. It mixes other styles—Americana, folk, chamber music. We have a full quartet on stage really because we have a violin, viola, cello, bass—so a lot of it sounds like chamber music, I think, which does remind people of scores like Once and Bridges of Madison County. Ultimately, it’s good storytelling so I think it fits really well into the musical theater canon. Even though it is such a different sound on Broadway, it centers on storytelling, which is the most important thing.

PC: That’s very true. I’m eagerly awaiting the digital release of the album [on April 29, 2016].

HANNAH: I can’t wait. You have no idea! Our whole cast is so excited to hear this album. It’s Peter Asher producing it– he’s a legend! So it’s going to be thrilling what they put together, I’m sure. And they really made it sound appropriate for the style of music. I think everyone is going to be surprised when they listen. I don’t think the first thought will be, “This is a music theater album!” I think their first thought will be, “Wow! This is really gorgeous storytelling; really beautiful melodies; the lyrics are warm and heartfelt.”

PC: Absolutely.

HANNAH: People always ask me, “How is it working with Steve Martin?” and I’ve gotten around to joking, saying, “It’s terrible!” [Laughs] But I’m saying, “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! It’s wonderful!” But in a lot of ways, if you see the show, you know what it’s like to work with him, because Bright Star reflects [Steve and Edie’s] personalities so directly. Edie’s a lot like her lyrics— she’s easy-going and heartfelt. And Steve is a lot like the script he wrote—he’s warm and wry. And so, if you’ve seen the show, you’ve experienced a large part of who they are and how it is to work with them.

PC: That’s a really lovely thought. If you think about art, it’s so much of the artist, and the person who’s creating the art. So, what you’re saying doesn’t surprise me necessarily, but it’s a really important point to make. 

HANNAH: Yeah, it reflects them so directly. Like you said, art can feel so personal because it’s so much of who you are. But even more so when you’re creating original work. We’re the only fully original musical in this Broadway season. So there’s no book, no film that you can sit back on and say, “Well, you know, that’s the source material, so it reflects on that.” That’s not true when it’s completely original. It’s out of your own heart and your own head. So I think it does feel more personal in a lot of ways. I know it does for me.

PC: Yeah, absolutely! I think that’s partly what makes the show extra special: it is completely original and, going back to talking about the music, the fact that the music is so unexpected on Broadway. I love whenever a show comes along and shifts our expectations a little bit for what Broadway music sounds like; or when it produces such an original, refreshing, and warm show that just sinks into you. So yeah, I think Bright Star is doing a lot of things right.

HANNAH: Yeah, Violet was one of my favorite scores growing up. [Jeanine] Tesori, you know, scored Violet, and someone reminded me the other day– he said, “You know, one of your all-time favorite musical theater scores is Violet, and now, you get to debut Bright Star on Broadway, which is in the same family. It’s in the same genre of sound in a lot of ways.” So someone reminded me of that—and I sort of just smiled from ear to ear.

PC: This show is really rooted in a time and a place– and especially in notions about home. There’s a great line in the show that I’m going to paraphrase– probably poorly!– but it really reminds me of something that you might read in a Faulkner or Truman Capote novel: Southern writers are always writing about home, even as they’re trying to escape it. So I’m interested in your relationship to your home. I know that you grew up in the Midwest. How do you think growing up in Michigan has shaped who you are personally and professionally? 

HANNAH: That’s a great question. I think a lot of it is that I grew up with a fair amount of normalcy. As a kid, I didn’t grow up seeing Broadway shows, and living in the city, and having this expectation of what music[al] theater is. I grew up in a small town. You know, on acres of land with animals and neighbors. I grew up in a way that I got to experience a lot of the outdoors and music and family. And so those things translated to my career and to New York City. I never thought I’d be doing a show where I was singing bluegrass on stage and there would be a Broadway softball league to play in on Thursdays. [Laughs] That was my life! I played softball all up into college and played bluegrass music with my family. If someone had told me you would be using both of those things on Broadway, I would have laughed so much. And yet—here I am! So life has a funny way of preparing you and giving you a toolbox that you’re going to need down the road. But I like what you said about the show being about home—and I think one of my favorite things is that my character, Margo, sings about home a lot. And one of her big lyrics [in the song “Asheville”] is, “You can come on home to me.” And when she says that, she’s really talking about home as the heart. And that resonates with me because my home is far away from where I live. But when you think about your home as your heart—you’re always home. And the people you love can always be home, too—and I think that’s really special and beautiful and something that I love sharing every day.

PC: Yeah. That’s a really lovely thought because I can relate– I’m from the Midwest, too. My family’s all in the Chicago area—and that’s so true! Home is where the heart is.

HANNAH: You’re from Chicago! Where in Chicago?

PC: The western suburbs.

HANNAH: Oh, great—yeah! I lived in Lakeview.

PC: Oh! Awesome! That’s a great part of the city.

HANNAH: When I got out of school [Western Michigan University], I went to Chicago first thinking this would be a great fit. It’s a great theater town. It’s close to where I grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. And I worked at Chicago Shakespeare Theater for probably a year and a half, and then I went on the road, and then I came to New York City and did Godspell on Broadway. So I’ve spent a couple of years in Chicago, and loved it! I mean, is anything better than Lake Michigan in the summer?

PC: Oh, my gosh. Yes.

HANNAH: I mean, c’mon!

PC: Yeah! I always describe it like this: It’s a lake that thinks it’s an ocean, and no one has broken the news to it that it’s not quite an ocean– so it keeps on believing. [Laughs]

HANNAH: [Laughs] Yes! It’s true!

PC: Yeah, and in June, the lake gets that lovely blue color that you don’t see anywhere else. It’s a special city, definitely. Well, I’m glad that you had such a great experience there.

HANNAH: I’d ride my bike along Lake Shore Drive, and ride the four miles to work at Navy Pier.

PC: Oh, that’s great!

HANNAH: I mean—that’s the dream! [Laughs] I was working on new musicals there, too, actually. New musicals have always kind of followed me around. I’ve been destined for them.

PC: Well, there are worse things in life! [Laughs] That’s quite special.

HANNAH: I know! They’ve just taken such a long time to come to fruition!

PC: But you know—that’s the process, though. There is a joy and excitement involved with it, I imagine. So we’ve just wrapped up Women’s History Month, and Broadway has a rich tradition of featuring strong actresses. So I’m curious: what leading ladies have inspired you the most?

HANNAH: You know what? Celia Keenan-Bolger is someone who I’ve always looked up to because she’s done the impossible thing that we all dream of doing, which is comedy in musicals, and then she also switches over and does plays. So her career has been something I’ve really admired and looked up to. She’s really been able to cross over—and I think that’s my heart, too. I grew up doing a lot of classical theater; I grew up doing Shakespeare and film; and then switched over into musical theater and did Godspell, which was playing instruments and comedy and some improv. And so being able to do both is sort of an unusual thing. And the fact that she has made a career doing that is impressive and something that I really look up to.

PC: That’s a really good choice.

HANNAH: Yeah—in theater for sure. I mean, Meryl Streep obviously is someone that defines me as an actor—watching her—her films—knowing that she came from theater—her story—the way she handles herself in public—the graciousness that she shows. I mean, I don’t get star-struck very easily, but I feel like the day I meet Meryl Streep, I might turn into a puddle! [Laughs]

PC: [Laughs] I saw on Instagram that she was recently at The King and I. So, who knows? Maybe she’ll stop by Bright Star soon!

HANNAH: I mean—that—I don’t even have words. You can see I’m already stuttering—I’m panicking!

PC: [Laughs] I think everyone has that person. So as an artist and as a performer—your creativity is kind of a currency. How do you stay inspired and creative when you’re doing the same show eight times a week?

HANNAH: Listening. I’m always reminding myself to listen because live theater is different every day. And if you truly turn on your ears—if you’re really listening to what’s going on—it’s a new show for us, too, honestly. Especially because the way Steve Martin writes is so present. You know, he was a stand-up comedian and so the way he writes is very intuitive and depends on the audience. So whoever is there at the show that day is a huge part of our timing and the way the story is told. And so, if I stay present and I continue to be a good listener and respond truthfully, it’s really easy to do this show eight times a week. It just flies by and it’s really fun and new for us every day. Every day is sort of a different day with every audience that comes in.

PC: And that’s good life advice in general—”just listen”! That goes a long way.

HANNAH: Yeah. It really can. And having great team partners—working with A.J. Shively, who plays Billy—it’s so much fun. His physical humor is so good. He’s so funny! So offstage, we really connect and laugh and make sure to have a good time before we head out on stage and tell the story of Billy and Margo. So I think it really helps to enjoy the people you are working with, too.

PC: I read in your Playbill credits that you play six instruments.

HANNAH: Yeah!

PC: That’s crazy! But, crazy in the best way possible. So what do you play and what is your favorite of the instruments?

HANNAH: I joke that I didn’t have enough friends growing up. [Laughs] How do you end up playing that many instruments? Honestly, I grew up between two brothers and they both played in bands. So occasionally they would need– desperately need, I should say– an extra band member if one of their buddies didn’t pull through. So I learned how to play things like the drums. And I was a bass player in their band for a while because they needed a bass. So I picked that up. I started on guitar and piano, and that kind of led to other things like mandolin, and that easily leads into ukulele. [I] played some harmonica. We also passed instruments in our real family band that we had. We’d do a gag where we would all pass an instrument to the left and so you became competent enough to play that song—and then it made you want to learn more so that you could play even more things! So once you’d learn a few, I feel like the others played themselves. But my main ones are: piano, guitar, drums. I have a fun little video that’s coming out that will have a lot of instruments included in it. Things like mandolin and fun hand percussion—and things like that. Accordion—you know what I mean?! Sometimes you pick up an accordion and you’re like, “Oh! I can play the piano, I can play drums– I can play accordion!” There’s a line that the main character Alice says—it says, “I gotta believe in myself—don’t I?!” [Laughs] I think it’s such a funny line because we’re so much more capable than we believe we are most of the time. So a lot of people actually could play many instruments. They’re like, “No, I could never learn to play that!” You could! You really could! I could teach you a song right now on guitar and you could play a whole song by the time I was done with you in fifteen minutes, you honestly could. So, I say that line jokingly a lot in my life—”I gotta believe in myself, don’t I?!” [Laughs] Just try new things!

PC: Well, you’re inspiring me here! I play piano—so maybe I should pick up the accordion! [Laughs]

HANNAH: You should! You can play piano, you can play accordion—you don’t even know it! Once you play drums, you play so many things. You can play xylophone—so much stuff that you never thought you could. And having a sense of musicianship, too. My family really, really brought me up in a way where musicianship was important, and we all took a bunch of music theory classes. And music’s a lot like math, too. Once you learn the basics, you can do a lot. So that was always a fun part of growing up. And as we speak right now, I’ve got– I was actually songwriting this morning– so I’m sitting by a piano and a guitar and a mandolin, and I’ve got a harmonica. [Laughs]

PC: Awesome!

HANNAH: Because that’s just a part of my life, I guess. It’s a part of who I am.

PC: So basically, you’re a one-woman band! [Laughs] 

HANNAH: I mean, kind of, which is sort of nice when you’re song-writing, because you don’t have to wait on somebody else, or ask somebody else to lay down a drum track for you– you can do it yourself! I can create all kinds of songs and genres of music just by myself. And one of the new musicals I did in New York City was called The Other Josh Collins, and it did an out-of-town at Paper Mill Playhouse— I guess that was February 2014– and the actors were the band. I drummed that entire show! There was a drum set on stage and I drummed the entire show; and played some guitar and some mandolin and things like that. And that was a really exciting new challenge: “Can you drum an entire show? Can you play? Can you be the pit orchestra—and the actor?!” That was a fun, new challenge. It’s nice not to play anything in Bright Star, I will say that. It’s nice just to be an actor.

PC: Well, I think the word we keep coming back to in this interview is “authenticity.” And so I think having that sense of mastery over multiple instruments lets you know those instruments, get a feel for them, and know their sound. So in songwriting, I think that could be an asset when you know what the guitar is capable of doing, for example. If you know the guitar in a certain way, you’ll be able to use it in a certain way while you’re songwriting.

HANNAH: Yeah. Every instrument has a voice and, like you said, when you’re putting a song together, you are putting together combinations of voices to share the feeling or the emotion, or tell the story you want to tell. So it is really helpful to know all those voices. And you can put them together in an easier, more efficient way—to say exactly what you want to say and have people feel exactly what you want them to feel.

PC: Absolutely. So, if you weren’t an actress, what would you be doing?

HANNAH: [Laughs] Honestly?… Don’t laugh!

PC: [Laughs] Okay!

HANNAH: Geology.

PC: Really?!

HANNAH: I studied geology in college as well as theater, and I just loved it. I could talk to you about shale for days.

PC: Interesting!

HANNAH: It’s so nerdy! But I tell you what, this is great advice for all upcoming theater students: You have to threaten your parents with a degree like geology and then they get scared—and they will get really excited about your fallback plan, which is acting.

PC: [Laughs] Too funny– my brother was a theater major in college and my mom kept telling him, “You know, don’t you want to do restaurant management as a fallback?” and he was like, “No, no. I’ll do theater.” [Laughs] But that’s a good point!

HANNAH: Right! What he should have said is: “You know, I’m thinking about majoring in geology.” And then they could get scared and say “Well, what are you going to do with that?” And then you say, “Ugh, you’re right. I’ll do theater instead.” And then they breathe a sigh of relief and are excited that you’re doing something so practical as acting! [Laughs] Actually, it’s really great because I live by Central Park and it’s fabulous because, living by the park, they have all these rock formations. The park is put together in a really beautiful way. So I’m sort of “nerding out” because I get to live my theater life, but then also go take a long walk and identify rocks on my down time.

PC: So on your days off, we can find you in Central Park with a little geology kit. [Laughs]

HANNAH: [Laughs] Yeah! “What is she doing over there? What is she doing, looking at that big rock?!”

PC: Well, I’m a historian, so I totally understand following your passion and your interests. So, do you have any pre- or post-show rituals that you do?

HANNAH: My biggest thing is checking in with everyone. I don’t like to start the show “cold.” I like to have said “hi” to my fellow cast-mates, and check in with my scene partners and sort of have a good laugh, and check in with each other as “humans” before we go out and play other people and tell our story. And then, during the show, we have sort of “fun” backstage traffic—and you see the same people every day, and some people I do the same things with every day. We just sort of switch it up and make it fun backstage to have fun, tease each other, and keep it fresh.

PC: It sounds like you have a very fun and supportive network of people behind the scenes.

HANNAH: Yeah, we really do. It’s a fabulous group of people and we really like each other. I think that really comes through on stage. It’s important.

PC: Oh, absolutely! I think getting along and having kind of a good “jive” with everyone definitely goes a long way. So the last couple of questions here are kind of quick, rapid-fire questions. We call it the Pop Culturalist Speed Round.

HANNAH: Oh no! [Laughs]

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: [Laughs] Don’t worry– these are fun questions. Let’s get started. What is your favorite book? 

HANNAH: Well, the first thing I’m going to say is—I’m so bad with favorites. So, I call them my “today favorites,” because tomorrow it might be different– it’s probably a deep personality flaw that I have! But I’m going to give you my TODAY favorites. My today favorite is To Kill a Mockingbird, because I love Scout and we have the same middle name: Louise.

PC: Favorite show, a play or a musical.

HANNAH: We talked about this before, but Violet. Tesori is my favorite composer—I love her so much—and Violet changed my life. So I have to say Violet.

PC: That’s a great choice. I’m sure you were pleased when [Tesori] won the Tony in June [for Fun Home].

HANNAH: Oh! I was losing my mind!

PC: Guilty pleasure movie and television show.

HANNAH: Oh, “Top Chef”– so easy! I am a huge “Top Chef” fan. I just love it. They are so talented and I think I just love watching talented people do what they’re really good at– I think that’s part of it. I love it so much—I’m obsessed. You can ask my husband. He knows on Friday mornings not to get in between me and my “Top Chef” watching.

PC: Do you pick up cooking tips while watching it?

HANNAH: I really like to cook—so yes, actually. I’m the oldest girl in a family of eleven children, so I did a lot of cooking growing up and that has translated to my tiny apartment in New York City. I really like it. So that’s part of it, because I like seeing what they do—and seeing if I can copy it.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie.

HANNAH: Bridesmaids. [Laughs]

PC: That’s a great choice.

HANNAH: That movie can be on any time of the day and I stop and watch it. I love it so.

PC: Yeah, it’s guaranteed to make me laugh.

HANNAH: Yeah, I like the “lady power.” I like a good story based on girls. I think it’s really funny and interesting and we need more of it.

PC: I couldn’t agree more. What would people be surprised to find on your iPod?

HANNAH: Probably all the classical music that’s on there. I grew up with a family that played– in addition to bluegrass music– musical instruments that were classical, too. So we listened to a lot of classical music growing up. I have the full Handel’s “Messiah” that I was listening to, even though it’s not Christmas time. [Laughs] I listen to quite a bit of opera. I think there’s something about storytelling—I keep coming back to that for me. I love storytelling, and no one does that better than opera and classical music. Mozart was the king of storytelling through his writing, and I really connect with that. So there’s a lot of classical music on my iPod.

PC: Well, that’s excellent! I wish more people had classical music on their iPods.

HANAH: Yeah.

PC: So—final question: What is your bucket list role?

HANNAH: Okay. Two things here: 1) Create a character in an original Broadway musical—and I’m doing that! I’m going to do that tonight at 7:00 p.m.! And so that’s my bucket list that I’ve checked. 2) If I could be in a revival, it would be Carrie in Carousel, because there are some roles that you see or read on a page and you “get” them, you know—you understand that person. And she is one of those characters that I think has sort of been misunderstood, or can easily be misunderstood, and I have this burning desire to play her and to put my own twist on it that I think would make her really human and lovely. And Carousel is one of the best written musicals of all time in my mind—so that’s my dream revival role.

PC: I would love to see you in that. “You’re a Queer One, Julie Jordan” is one of the catchiest things ever written. Without fail, it always gets stuck in my head. So I imagine that would be fun to sing on stage.

HANNAH: Right– and who picks that word? Why is she picking that word? She could say so many other things. And I just really love that show and I love that role.

PC: Well, that wraps up the questions that I had for you. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to talk with me. I had a delightful conversation!

HANNAH: Yeah, it’s so good being able to talk—and thank you for taking the time for me! Your questions are so much fun, too! Now everyone’s going to know my obsession with rocks. Oh, no! [Laughs]

PC: [Laughs] You’re welcome!

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Photo Credits: Dirty Sugar Photography; Sarah Krulwich/The New York Times