Hello! His Name Is Diego Enrico and He's Continuing The Book of Mormon Legacy

Age: 24

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Current role: Diego Enrico says "Hello!" to Broadway in his debut as Elder Cunningham in The Book of Mormon.

Previous roles: Enrico played the role of Elder Cunningham in The Book of Mormon North American tour from 2024–25.

Be Prepared
The Peruvian American performer was born in Houston, Texas to immigrant parents, but spent most of his childhood in Lima, Peru. Musical theater wasn't a big part of his upbringing, though singing was always something he enjoyed. "I grew up on a lot of 2000s rock, like Linkin Park and The All-American Rejects. But also strangely enough, opera was weirdly intertwined into a lot of the music that I listened to growing up," Enrico says. "I think just by osmosis of constantly singing and wanting to sing, I developed the voice I have now." It wasn't until moving back to the United States for middle school that Enrico discovered his love for musicals. "My brother had taken the theater elective class in middle school, and I didn't really know what kind of elective I wanted to take, so I asked him. I ended up joining and falling in love with the actual act of performing," he says. "My first musical ever was The Lion King, and I played Scar. Ever since then I was just obsessed with being able to sing and perform and tell stories like that. That's really where the bug bit me."

Finding His Voice
Heading into high school, Enrico found inspiration in the big shows at the time, including Dear Evan Hansen, The Book of Mormon and Hamilton. "That era really solidified my love for musical theater," he says. "Ben Platt was a big, big inspiration—he played Elder Cunningham and I got to see him in Dear Evan Hansen. Obviously Josh Gad was also huge for me growing up," he gushes. "Those people were really big, fundamental parts of finding my own voice." Enrico applied for BroadwayEvolved, a summer intensive musical theater training program co-founded by Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. "It was really my first time dipping my toe into thinking about doing musical theater professionally, because for a while I was just doing it as a hobby I really liked." While he initially felt "far behind the curve" compared to other kids who had grown up around musical theater, Enrico learned in masterclasses led by Wolfe, Jeremy Jordan and other Broadway veterans. "Seeing the love of the craft and the artistry and the culture of Broadway in students my age was really, really formative for me."

Honing The Craft
The summer of his junior year of high school, Enrico decided he wanted to pursue musical theater in college. "I really had to scramble and find what my voice was," he explains. "Again, I didn't know much about musical theater. So it was like, 'What songs do you want to sing for your auditions?' And I was like, 'I want to sing Waving Through a Window.' They always tell you when you're auditioning, you can't do what's on Broadway." Luckily, he says, "I had a lot of great mentors during that time to really help guide me through that process." Enrico attended Molly University's CAP21 Theatre Arts Conservatory, where he spent four years honing his craft and learning from mentors who helped show him the ropes. Going to school in New York City meant he was able to see shows running on Broadway, and he frequented the New York Public Library to watch filmed versions of classic musicals and brush up on his knowledge of the industry. "The modern hits were really what formed me. And then finding my love of classical musical theater, finding my love of megamusicals, all of that really came in college and formed how my voice and my artistry functions now."

A Happy Accident
In 2024, as Enrico was graduating college and doing his senior showcase, he was also in callbacks for The Book of Mormon tour. "I shifted my times around for everything and was able to go and do the audition and then take the subway down to my classes and do my final showcase," he says. "It was a crazy, crazy day, but it was a dream come true. I ended up getting the job. And now I'm here!" He recalls the moment on tour when he got the call to transfer to Broadway. "It was surreal. I hadn't really thought of that as a possibility. I had sent some emails and showed interest about potentially being a replacement on Broadway for Elder Cunningham, if that ever came up, and I didn't hear anything really," he says. "We were in Atlanta with the tour. I was sitting there playing video games or something," he laughs, "and I got this call and they were like, 'Hey, Diego, just wanted to ask if you'd be interested in coming to Broadway and being the next Elder Cunningham.' And I, of course, said, 'Yes, please. I would love to.' It was just a dream." When he broke the news to his loved ones, he remembers trying to capture their reactions. "I called everyone I knew. I called my girlfriend, my mom, my dad, my brother, my best friend. You can screen record on your phone, but if you FaceTime, it doesn't record audio. So it's just like a video of my girlfriend crying, my mom like, 'What? What?' It was such a wonderful, silly moment that I cherish very deeply and that I will never forget."

Creating Cunningham
"Making a character your own is always really difficult, especially when you're jumping into a show that's been running for as long as The Book of Mormon has," Enrico says of shaping his Elder Cunningham. "But I think what's so special about this show is the creative team, the directors, everybody is so nurturing of natural instincts, of things that you want to do." He was able to mold his Cunningham simply by trying what came to mind, and having the creative team run with those ideas and work cooperatively to bring them to life. "That's really the magic of the writing of this musical: Cunningham is a character that can find himself in anyone." It's an ongoing process, but Enrico is especially grateful for the opportunity to observe Broadway's former Elder Cunningham, Cody Jamison Strand in the role. "Getting to take the reins from somebody like Cody is magical. When I think of Cody, I think of freedom. He is a free individual. Anything he does is uniquely himself, and he does not apologize for it. I find that incredibly inspiring and something that I've tried to bring into myself," he continues. "Seeing him doing things really gave me the freedom to express how I felt in the character. Finding your way into a character that way is infinitely more interesting than forcing yourself to be some way. So I think that's really what I learned from Cody."

I Believe
"I got to join the cast with three incredible new actors," Enrico says of castmates Sydney Quildon (Nabulungi), Charlie Franklin (Elder McKinley) and Jay Wilkison (Joseph Smith/Mission President). When asked whether he has a favorite moment in the show, he says: "Sydney and I, when we do 'Baptize Me,' it's magic. I love that girl so much, and I love getting to work with her and goof off. If ever I'm having a bad day, that song always picks me up, no matter what. It's wonderful." Looking to the future, Enrico is anxiously awaiting a revival of The Hunchback of Notre Dame: "Put me in coach! I want to play Quasimodo so bad." He also notes that playing King George in Hamilton "would be great. Sing three songs, be everyone's favorite and leave," he jokes. Still, tomorrow is a latter day, and today he's overjoyed to be playing Elder Cunningham. "I love this role more than anything. That's where I'm at right now. I'm happy to do this for as long as they want me there."

Cheers to 15 Years
Enrico joining the Broadway company coincides with The Book of Mormon's 15th anniversary in 2026. "Seeing the legacy that the show has had is something that I never take for granted," he says of the significance of being a part of this milestone. "The very walls of the Eugene O'Neill are seeping with that legacy of so many greats. Being a part of this hilarious, ridiculous, fun story is something that I am eternally grateful for." Even on the toughest days, Enrico says, "I am just thankful to be here. To be in this room. To be on this stage. It is beyond anything I could have imagined, and I'm just so excited to be along for the ride. It's so cool, so scary, so fun. I stand on the shoulders of giants."

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