Jessica Keenan Wynn on Her Beautiful Debut, Golden Girls Cameo & Playing a 'Terrible Person' in Heathers

Age: 28

Hometown: Valley Village, CA, “which is essentially Studio City. I am a Valley Girl.”

Current Role: A Broadway debut in Beautiful as Cynthia Weil, the whip-smart, wisecracking lyricist who befriends Carole King while penning pop classics such as “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.”

Stage Cred: Wynn jumped from the national tour of Les Miserables to lead mean girl in off-Broadway's Heathers. She’s the fifth generation in a prominent show business family, including great-great-grandfather Frank Keenan, great-grandfather Ed Wynn, grandfather Keenan Wynn and uncle Tracy Keenan Wynn.

“I did a Golden Girls episode when I was six months old, which is a great conversation starter at auditions! My mom put me in performing arts camp when I was six, and I knew right away that I wanted to sing and act. I liked the idea of putting on different clothes and showing different aspects of my personality.”

“Judy Garland was my idol growing up and I have a framed lobby card of her, Gene Kelly and my grandfather, Keenan Wynn, in For Me and My Gal. My legal last name is Armstrong, but I changed it because I wanted to carry on the [Wynn] name. I feel the force of my family around me, and it’s calming.”

“It’s such a treat to play Cynthia. She has a stunning wardrobe, gets great one-liners, and her relationship with Barry [Mann, her husband and writing partner] is everything you could want. I got called in initially to audition for Carole and I told a friend, ‘I don’t do vulnerability well.’ When they said, ‘You’re a Cynthia,’ I said, ‘I know!’”

“The highlight of Heathers was the reaction of young fans. The material wasn’t necessarily moving—I played a terrible person!—but we met so many girls who told us we inspired them to pursue their musical theater dreams. I sang songs from Avenue Q and Wicked when I was their age, and now they’re belting ‘Candy Store.’”

“I’m vegan and gluten free and I love to cook and post pictures and recipes on social media. It’s wild that I can hear from someone in Australia or get 500 ‘likes’ for a post on Instagram. It’s fun to connect with people.”

“As a kid, I hated my red hair but now I love it. When someone stares at me on the subway, I realize it’s probably because I have this vibrant orange hair. But when I look at Julianne Moore or Jessica Chastain, I think back to my nine-year-old self and say, ‘See, it is pretty to be yourself.' It’s OK to be proud and embrace the diversity.”