Stephen Kunken Screams Quietly Over His Enron Tony Nomination

The morning the Tony nominations are announced, phones start ringing off the hook for the happy few who get nods. As usual, Broadway.com is among the callers offering congratulations and getting responses. Here are the first reactions from 2010 Tony nominees. Congrats to all!

Stephen Kunken
Nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Play, Enron
"I started watching the nomination broadcast on TV and then switched to the live feed on my laptop. When it finally came up they were on design categories and I thought I missed my category! It was sort of a tease at first because they announced Stephen McKinley Henderson and I thought, ‘Oh no, they’re never going to nominate two Stephens!’ When they said my name I couldn’t believe it! My wife and I just adopted a little girl so we couldn’t scream too loudly because she’s a late sleeper. So it was a quiet scream. My eyes bulged out of my head, though, so that compensated. It’s the complete embodiment of a dream, a marker that you’ve made the right choice in your life. There are so many moments as an artist where you question your value to society and your self-worth, then something comes along like this and it’s just quite a thrill. It really is the thing you dream about in the shower. I have so few days off so this is the first good day I’ll get to spend with the family, just walking around the neighborhood.

For reactions from more of this year's Tony nominees, click here!