DRAFTING W/ DENÉE BENTON
Denée Benton has steadily become one of the most compelling performers of her generation — an actor whose instrument is unmistakable, with The Gilded Age’s third season giving her room to wield it fully as she shapes Peggy Scott.
She broke out on Broadway in 2016 with her Tony-nominated turn as Natasha in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, and has since redefined classic roles with standout runs as Eliza in Hamilton and Cinderella in Into the Woods. Benton continues expanding her screen work with equal intention, most recently starring in Shatara Michelle Ford’s sophomore feature Dreams in Nightmares, which had its international premiere at the 2025 Berlinale.
Already preparing for what’s next, Benton brings us inside that creative process for DRAFTING, sharing her favorite jeans, her morning reading ritual and the relatable place she unlocks her imagination: the bathtub.
I’m preparing for my first concert in NYC next year and I always love singing songs I love in the tub to begin. The steam relaxes my voice and the setting reminds me that, before I was performing and trying to be “good enough,” singing was just for me because it felt really good. It always helps my imagination and I’m surprised at what I discover in the tub from that place of calm.
It has become more and more clear that my dreams of becoming a movie star and someone who puts their laundry away within two business weeks is not a goal that can coexist. I was glad to see that I’m not alone.
Nature is the way I ground immediately when I’m feeling burnt out artistically, physically, mentally and spiritually. I’m a literal tree hugger. Like, I actually hug them and feel their vibration against my spine. It’s a gentle breath, sometimes just my left hand. I feel centered in seconds — my most trusted meditation, warm up before performing or just getting started for my day.
I took myself on an afternoon date to see Bugonia. I’m obsessed with all things absurdism, surrealism and magical realism in all art mediums. Yorgos Lanthimos is my white whale of dream directors to work with. Olivia Colman’s performance in The Favourite is one of my all-time favorite performances.
I’d live in these Citizens of Humanity barrel jeans every day, tbh. It’s time to just buy seven of them and make it my uniform.
Recent Notes app to-do list for a role I’m preparing for. I love what my job homework can look like, never boring.
My new mission statement after a few chaotic years, it’s nice to simplify the goals, lol.
Glam chair BTS. I got custom fronts made for a recent cover shoot and unlocked a new personality.
I try my best to start my day with this book instead of Instagram in order to get my mind right.
