ET spoke with the Tony Award winner at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday.
Audra McDonald has several projects in the works that fans can get excited about, but there's one role announcement that she has to refute before anyone gets too eager.
Despite rumors to the contrary, McDonald tells ET's Nischelle Turner that she will not be returning to Broadway to take on the iconic role of Mama Rose in a revival of Gypsy premiering during the 2024-2025 season.
"Oh no, that was a rumor. I read about that many in the New York Post too," McDonald reveals to ET on the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards red carpet Saturday night. "You know, people talk, people talk."
Gypsy was last seen on Broadway in 2008, with a star-studded cast featuring Patti LuPone as Mama Rose, Laura Benanti as Louise, Leigh Ann Larkin as Dainty June, Boyd Gaines as Herbie, Tony Yazbeck as Tulsa, and many more. The production won Tony Awards for LuPone, Gaines and Benanti.
McDonald -- a 6-time Tony Award winner who made history by becoming the third person to receive the most-ever acting noms at the Tony Awards with her tenth nod last year -- tells ET that despite not having any knowledge of how that rumor started, she is "hoping" to be back on Broadway soon.
"I've been very very lucky, but I've been very lucky to be in some great projects this season," the actress humbly notes. "I was in Rustin, I was in Origin and [I'm] so happy to be a part of what's going on with The Gilded Age. Life is good."
Speaking of The Gilded Age, the HBO hit series was renewed for a third season just days after its season 2, Dec. 17, 2023 finale.
According to Deadline, HBO reported that total premiere-night viewing for the season grew for six consecutive weeks, culminating in a series high for the finale.
"We're so proud of what Julian Fellowes and The Gilded Age family have achieved, said Francesca Orsi, EVP, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films at the time. "From the costumes to the production design and performances, the show has captivated so many week after week. Along with our partners at Universal Television, we are thrilled to continue this grand tale for a third season."
McDonald co-starred on season 2 of the series alongside Denée Benton, Cynthia Nixon, Christine Baranski, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Ben Ahlers, Michael Cerveris, Kelley Curran, Taissa Farmiga, Jack Gilpin, Simon Jones, Sullivan Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Debra Monk, Donna Murphy, Kristine Nielsen, Kelli O’Hara, Patrick Page, Harry Richardson, Taylor Richardson, Blake Ritson, Douglas Sills, Erin Wilhelmi, John Douglas Thompson, Ashlie Atkinson, Laura Benanti, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Christopher Denham, David Furr, Ward Horton, Matilda Lawler and Robert Sean Leonard.
McDonald plays Dorothy Scott, the mother of the headstrong, aspiring writer Peggy Scott (Benton) and wife to Arthur Scott, a formerly enslaved man from the South who is now a successful pharmacist and business owner.
When asked what she hopes to see in the upcoming installment, the actress notes how the Scott family is currently "the sole representation" of the era's enterprising and evolving Black elite, which McDonald wants to see more of.
"I'm hoping we delve into more of what happens with the Black community in New York City and beyond during that time, so I would love to see some more Black historical characters from that time," she adds. "I know that Peggy is sort of modeled off of Ida B. Wells but wouldn't it be cool if Peggy actually met Ida B. Wells, you know?"
The Rustin star went on to applaud series creator Julian Fellowes for depicting "a bit of history that absolutely can [get] sort of buried and not talked about."
"I'm like, 'Yeah, we existed, we've always been here," McDonald quips, adding that it's "wonderful" that the period drama has drawn attention to the "thriving community" that was the Black bourgeoisie.
Although she reveals that the cast hasn't seen any scripts for the upcoming season yet, she says they're "gearing up" to start production in "a couple of months."
The 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards is on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET and is streaming live on Netflix from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles. Follow along at ETonline.com for full coverage from the awards show, including red carpet arrivals, the complete winners list and more.
RELATED CONTENT:
