Zachary Levi’s public image has taken a few hits lately, bouncing from beloved to questionably problematic. While not all of his co-stars have openly criticized him, some aren’t exactly rushing to his defense either.
Case in point, Broadway star Laura Benanti didn’t hold back during an interview on That’s a Gay A-s Podcast, where she admitted she “never liked” Levi when they worked together on stage, and after his remarks about the late Gavin Creel, she likes him even less.
Why Laura Benanti never liked Zachary Levi and still doesn’t!
Even before any of Zachary Levi’s more recent controversies, Laura Benanti wasn’t buying what he was selling. Laura Benanti and Zachary Levi worked together in the 2016 Broadway revival of She Loves Me.
At the time, Levi was best known for his role on NBC’s Chuck and was making a name for himself in the theater world, while Benanti was already a Broadway veteran with multiple Tony nominations.
Despite the show’s success, Benanti recently revealed that she never liked Levi. In That’s a Gay Ass Podcast, she revealed,
I never liked him, Everyone was like, ‘He’s so great!’ And I was like, ‘No, he’s not. He’s sucking up all the f–king energy in this room. He wants to mansplain everybody’s part to them.’
Levi tried to win everyone over with his over-the-top dance party energy. Benanti, however, wanted no part of it. The musical was about two feuding shop clerks who unknowingly fall in love through anonymous letters. The production, staged at Studio 54 by the Roundabout Theatre Company, was a hit, earning critical praise and a Tony Award for Best Scenic Design. But these two feuding stars never reconciled, in fact, their feud only got worse!
Laura Benanti slams Zachary Levi for exploiting Gavin Creel’s death!
Gavin Creel, Laura Benanti, and Zachary Levi all shared the stage in the 2016 Broadway revival of She Loves Me. Creel, a Tony-winning Broadway veteran known for his work in Hello, Dolly! and Thoroughly Modern Millie, played the role of Steven Kodaly.
Fast forward to 2023, and the Broadway community was hit with devastating news, Creel had passed away at 48 after a short but fierce battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. His death sent shockwaves through the theater world, leading to an outpouring of love and tributes from fans and fellow performers across the country.
But then came Zachary Levi’s controversial remarks. During an Instagram Live session titled “Trump, Triage, Corruption, Covid and the Potential End of the World“, he speculated, without evidence, that Creel’s death was caused by the COVID-19 vaccine, blaming vaccine mandates in the theater industry. He claimed (via THR),
You better believe that, with everything in me, I believe that if these COVID vaccinations were not forced on the American public, that the theaters weren’t being pushed and leveraged…
His comments quickly drew fierce backlash, with many in the Broadway and entertainment communities calling him out for spreading harmful misinformation. Benanti included the same podcast conversation, she revealed,
To use his memory for his political agenda and to watch him try to make himself cry until he had one single tear, which he did not wipe away, I was like, ‘F–k you forever,’
She was appalled that he would use Creel’s death to push a political agenda. According to her, Levi appeared to be trying to force himself to cry. For Benanti, this was the final straw. She made her feelings crystal clear, bluntly stating that she was done with Levi for good.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
