Interviews

Brittany O'Grady, Sean Teale, and Colton Ryan Preview New TV Series Little Voice

The Apple TV Plus show is created by Jessie Nelson, with songs by Sara Bareilles.

More than five years after creating the Broadway musical Waitress, writers Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson have teamed up again to debut the new musical television series Little Voice for Apple TV Plus. Little Voice, created by Nelson and featuring original music by Bareilles, is about the universal struggle of finding your voice when you're in your early 20s.

Here, stars Brittany O'Grady, Sean Teale, and Colton Ryan give us a sneak peek of the show, which debuted July 10.

Colton Ryan and Brittany O'Grady in Little Voice.
Colton Ryan and Brittany O'Grady in Little Voice.
(© Apple TV Plus)

Who do you play?
Brittany O'Grady: My character, Bess, is a young woman who is looking to find validation for her musical gifts and talents, and what she feels she is genuinely meant to do. She's breaking out to find independence from her familial relationships, while still feeling responsible for her family. She's also navigating the love that she feels she deserves. And drinking a lot of bourbon.

Sean Teale: I play Ethan, an English-born aspiring film director who moves to New York, meets Bess, and falls for her. Together, they find a real connection, but it's not without its complications.

Colton Ryan: I play Samuel. He's a guitarist who's also figuring out New York City and gigging around when he meets Bess and discovers his muse. He goes all in and says, "Let's find out how to give you your voice" and we make music together.

What is it like to sing the music of Sara Bareilles in front of Sara Bareilles?
Brittany: She is such a warm person and very approachable. Her spirit is so comforting. But then we'd be together at the microphone and I couldn't look at her. Sometimes it would hit me that I was singing her music and she was right next to me. It was a lot.

What interested you in the project?
Colton: I was in a rehearsal for Alice by Heart, which Jessie Nelson was directing, when I got an email that said, like, "Sign an NDA and you can find out about this show called Little Voice." I always want to work with Jessie, forever. And then seeing Sara's name, and getting to audition in front of Sara, I was like "Come on!"

Sean: I second that notion, and then you add producers J.J. Abrams and Ben Stephenson. It's a ridiculous roster of names. But the story read so real and lovely, and it seemed simple and honest and charming and authentic. That doesn't always come across every time you do a job. This was its own pure, lovely, human story. It was a no-brainer.

What do you hope viewers will get out of it?
Sean: To find hope and light even in the darkest of places. The show isn't always easy to watch. It's sad to see what these people go through and you can envisage these things happening to you. But what the show also does is find the joys in that journey, and the little moments of love and support that the world demonstrates to you and your friends, and the sheer joy of living in a place as eclectic and wonderful as New York City. It's about optimism and inspiration and duress, which are always going to be important lessons for anyone.

Colton: Seeing someone go through very relatable difficulty and struggle, and then transform into something that's completely new and full of hope, is really inspiring. You can take a mess and make it into something utterly new, and it can be terrifying, but also quite liberating.

Brittany: A lot of us performers or musical artists, or people in the arts, think we need to feel validated in a certain way to express their art. That's a very vulnerable position to be in when you're expressing something so raw and so close to you. I hope people find honesty and truth and validation within themselves when it comes to expressing their artistic gifts and beliefs. even if they don't feel it's their gift, just being able to express themselves is really important.

Sean Teale and Brittany O'Grady in Little Voice.
Sean Teale and Brittany O'Grady in Little Voice.
(© Apple TV Plus)