Olivia Valli on Keeping Jersey Boys in the Family, Her Time in Wicked & More

Olivia Valli grew up singing the songs of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Not only because her family are fans of the chart-topping group, but because her family is Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Now, she's making her off-Broadway debut as Mary Delgado in Jersey Boys and wants everyone to know that it's her talent, not her last name, that landed her the gig. "I've been auditioning for Jersey Boys for six years," Valli told Beth Stevens in a recent interview on Broadway.com's #LiveAtFive. "I've always gone into every room being like, 'I'm Olivia Valli. I am who I am and my grandpa is my grandpa. I've worked hard and I continue to work hard, so please don't treat me any different.' People see that and respect it."

Portraying her late-grandmother on stage every night has allowed Valli to learn even more about the woman she grew up with. "At first when I called my grandpa I was like, 'I'm playing your ex-wife,'" she said. "Then we got really sentimental and really serious and cried. I grew up with my nana, and when she passed I was able to sit down with my mom and learn more. I'm a lot like my grandma to begin with, she's really tough, but it's to protect a mushy interior. For me, going in for these scenes and having a four-hour call back process was challenging emotionally. It feels the most organic for me to just tell her story through me knowing her."

Valli is fresh to the cast (she joined just one month ago), but her family has already visited New World Stages to show their support. "Everybody played it really cool in front of me when [Frankie Valli] came to visit," she said. "They've all met him, and he loves this show and is so happy that it's still running. I still remember seeing it for the first time two weeks after it opened on Broadway. The whole family was crying, especially during the Francine parts because that's my mom's sister; she lost her at 22. That was a really emotional moment for all of us because I never knew my aunt, but I know the pain that my mom and grandpa felt. Watching that all on stage is an amazing, emotional experience."

While Jersey Boys marks Valli's New York stage debut, she is no stranger to the spotlight. "I did Wicked on the road and covered Elphaba," Valli said. "It was the greatest experience I could ask for, it was my first professional job out of school. I developed a fight-or-flight mentality while doing the show, because going on last-minute you have to be ready or anything. I was at the Boston Opera House the first time I went on as Elphaba, and my last performance was at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. I knew my final date, so my family came out and watched me fly."

Be sure to catch Valli in Jersey Boys, now playing at New World Stages.

Watch the full #LiveAtFive interview below!