At the 2025 Tony Awards Nominee Luncheon, George Clooney, Audra McDonald, Sarah Snook, Jonathan Groff, and More Mixed and Mingled High Above Midtown

As a veteran now vying for her seventh trophy, McDonald had some tips for the first-time nominees this season: “Remember, it’s just a night. Stay present and, no matter what happens, you are enough. Because once that day is over, you still have to go back to being you. So make sure that you’re settled and happy with who you are. And bring a fan—it gets hot—and some snacks. Some people bring flasks... but you didn’t hear that from me!”

Socializing together near the bar were Andrew Durand, nominated for Dead Outlaw, and Cole Escola, a double nominee for best play and leading actor for Oh, Mary!. Numerous nominees approached Escola to congratulate them for their ridiculous reimagining of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, who, in Escola’s madcap show, is desperately yearning to become a cabaret star. For the writer-performer, however, Oh, Mary! is deeply personal. “The play is about having a dream that no one else around you understands, or wanting things you’re not supposed to want. This is something that I have felt in my life and I still feel,” they said, wearing a vintage thrifted suit (with two Tony nominee buttons on their lapel). “There is heart in the play for people that want to see it—and if they aren’t in the mood for that, I hope they can laugh.”

A veteran of New York’s alt-comedy scene, Escola is still processing being a Tony nominee. “I can’t believe that my big break came from doing this,” they said. “We were a little afraid the show would fail, but we only wanted to run it for eight weeks off-Broadway. If we were aiming for Broadway, we would have been a lot more afraid—but because the bar felt a little lower for us, we were less scared. We just wanted to make a great play.”

Across the room, meanwhile, Sarah Snook chatted with Francis and Jasmine Amy Rogers of Boop! The Musical. The Succession star earned her first Tony nod for playing all 26 characters in The Picture of Dorian Gray. “It’s certainly a project that I couldn’t pass up, even though the challenge of it is enormously immense,” Snook said. “I have always wanted to go back to the stage as soon as I could. After doing TV and being lucky enough to be a part of an amazing show like Succession, what’s going to top that?”

She went on, “It means so much to be nominated. I’m from Australia, and you don’t really ever think about getting to this point and being able to do a show on Broadway—let alone be nominated for a Tony. I’m feeling incredibly proud and blessed.”

Soon, Snook huddled in a group chat with Daniel Dae Kim, who became the first Asian actor ever nominated for best leading actor in a play for his role in Yellow Face, ending a 77-year absence from one of Broadway’s top categories. “What took so long?” quipped Kim when asked about the shocking stat. “I’m just happy and grateful that I can represent the Asian community onstage. I was talking to other folks like [nominees] Justina Machado and Francis Jue about how many of us have always dreamed of being here. I never thought that we could, in a practical sense. The fact that we are all here—it's a really joyous moment.”

This year also marks a record high—seven acting nominations—for actors of Asian descent. In addition to Kim and Jue, Nicole Scherzinger, Criss, Tala Ashe, Marjan Neshat, and Oh, Mary! actor Conrad Ricamora were recognized. “It definitely feels long overdue,” said Ricamora. (Busier than ever these days, he was downing a Coke to stay awake after an 8 a.m. call time for an interview.) “I never thought a nomination would come from playing Abraham Lincoln, because I’m half-Filipino. It’s a testament to Cole and [director] Sam [Pinkleton] that they cast me and thought I was the best person for the role. Not a lot of people would think outside the box in that way.”

He continued, “I just hope that continues to be the trend, because there’s so much untapped talent in the Asian American acting population. There are Asian boys in high school who come to the stage door and think, I can do this. I could play Abraham Lincoln and not just be in Miss Saigon for the rest of my life. To be able to show that range and inspire other people feels necessary.”

In his Broadway debut, Louis McCartney received a Tony Award nomination for best leading actor in a play for his role as Henry Creel in Stranger Things: The First Shadow. The breakout 21-year-old Irish star is the youngest actor to be nominated in his category since Peter Firth, who won the Tony at the same age for Equus in 1975.

“To be tied as the youngest Tony nominee is insane. It’s otherworldly,” said McCartney, who plays a high school teen struggling to understand his psychokinetic powers. “My agent and I joked that two years ago, if he asked me if I would be [a Tony nominee], I’d tell him, ‘Fuck off, no way!’ It’s taken a lot of hard work, ambition, and people that shouldered me up and really looked out for me. Anybody can accomplish anything. That’s the brilliant thing about life. A great quote that I follow says, ‘A man has two lives. He starts living the second one when he realizes he only has one.’ It’s powerful. I’m trying to do that—and do things right, and work hard, and play hard.”

As the clock struck 12:30 p.m., nominees were ushered into the Rainbow Room’s dining room for a lunch of pan-seared branzino and wild mushroom bolognese. Jonathan Groff, a winner last year for his leading performance in Merrily We Roll Along, could add another Tony to his mantle after receiving a nod for Just in Time. Groff was the last to leave the cocktail hour and reminisced about his love for the stage.

“Theater is my biggest passion. If anything, I want to do this my whole life,” he said. “The show that I’m currently doing is a celebration of the performer and the audience, and at the end of the show I get to say ‘I love you’ to the audience. It’s so spiritual and so special—and that’s the reason I’m here. I’m proud to be a member of the theater community and to celebrate with my peers. Today is one of the best days.”