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Celia Rose Gooding
Gooding after a performance of Jagged Little Pill in 2019
Born	(2000-02-22) February 22, 2000 (age 24) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupations	Actor singer
Years active	2017–present
Known for	Jagged Little Pill Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Mother	LaChanze
Awards	Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album (2021) Antonyo Award (2020)

Celia Rose Gooding (/ˈsɛliə/; born February 22, 2000) is an American actor and singer. Born to actress LaChanze and Calvin Gooding. They rose to prominence for their Broadway debut as Mary Frances "Frankie" Healy in the rock musical Jagged Little Pill for which they won a 2021 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and received a nomination for a 2020 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical, becoming one of the youngest nominees in the category at age 20. Gooding plays the role of Nyota Uhura in the Paramount+ original series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022–present).

Early life and education

Gooding was raised in New York, New York. They were born to actress, singer and dancer LaChanze, and Calvin Gooding, who died in the September 11th attacks. They have one sister, Zaya.

Gooding attended the Hackley School in Tarrytown, New York, with their sister and graduated with honors in performing arts. They occasionally took leaves of absence from high school to do readings for the musical Jagged Little Pill, which they were also involved in developing. In the workshop during their junior year, they had three hours of tutoring in the morning before rehearsals, to replace regular schooling. Their senior project revolved around their participation in the show's out-of-town tryout at the end of their senior year. Their other training included studying dance at the Alvin Ailey Institute and studying acting and film with a concentration in Shakespeare at the Berridge Conservatory in Normandy.

In 2018, Gooding began attending Pace University. Initially double majoring in musical theatre and child psychology, they dropped the latter major during their second and final semester. They left Pace after their freshman year, as rehearsals for the Broadway run of Jagged Little Pill started in September 2019.

Acting career

Gooding was inspired to become an actor when they watched their mother win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for The Color Purple in 2006 on TV. However, they only started participating in musical theatre productions in ninth grade. Throughout their high school experience, Gooding played various roles such as Carmen in the Rosetta LeNoire Musical Theatre Academy's production of Fame.

In 2017, at age 17, Gooding was cast in the first 29-hour reading of Jagged Little Pill, an original musical written by Diablo Cody based on the music of Grammy Award-winning artist Alanis Morissette, that included stars such as Idina Menzel. They originated one of the lead roles of the show, Frankie Healy: a 17-year-old Black, bisexual activist who was adopted into an affluent white family in a suburb in Connecticut. They participated in the 2018 lab and later the world premiere of the show at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts in May 2018.

Gooding reprised their role as Frankie when the show transferred to Broadway in November 2019 at the Broadhurst Theatre. They received accolades including Broadway World's Debut of the Month a Clives Barnes Award nomination, and Broadway.com's Debut of the Year. They were also honored as one of BET's Future 40. They also performed on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, and Good Morning America.

In 2019, Gooding and their mother, LaChanze, performed on Broadway at the same time, with LaChanze starring in A Christmas Carol and Gooding starring in Jagged Little Pill—a rare event previously accomplished by Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher.

Gooding received accolades for their performance in Jagged Little Pill, which closed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They received the award for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical at the inaugural Antonyo Awards and were nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical. They also participated in the 2020 Playbill Pride Spectacular along with co-star Lauren Patten.

Gooding was cast as Nyota Uhura in the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

On September 24, 2021, Gooding announced that they would not be returning to Jagged Little Pill due to alleged transphobic and abusive treatment of the show's non-binary cast members.

Personal life

Gooding is bisexual and gray asexual. They also have two cats named Pongo and Sushi. Gooding goes by she and they pronouns.

Activism

Gooding has been particularly vocal about the issues surrounding being Black on Broadway. They participated in the New York Times' "Offstage" program in June 2020 that discussed racial justice on Broadway, a panel on ABC about the realities of being Black on Broadway for Black History Month, and a Black Theatre Matters benefit panel hosted by Samantha Williams.

Because of their participation in the show Jagged Little Pill, Gooding has also been vocal about justice for the LGBTQ+ community and the interracial adoption adoptee community.

Gooding has participated in a panel for normalizing consent and advocacy for sexual assault victims for the summer 2020 series, Transformation 2020: Popular Democracy Defined with co-star Kathryn Gallagher.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Web series

Discography

Cast recordings

Accolades and honors

Notes

1. Gooding uses they/them and she/her pronouns. This article uses they/them pronouns for consistency.

References

1. "Meet the Cast of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | Paramount+". YouTube. 8 September 2021.
2. ^ Clement, Olivia (31 August 2017). "Ever Wondered What It's Like to Grow Up the Child of a Tony-Winning Star?". Playbill. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
3. "The Lives Left Behind". nymag.com. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
4. "Jagged Little Pill - Celia Gooding '18". Hackley School. 2019-05-27. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
5. "Blog Posts". Broadway By JuJu. Archived from the original on 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
6. "Celia Rose Gooding Biography | Broadway Buzz | Broadway.com". www.broadway.com. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
7. Culwell-Block, Logan (5 December 2019). "Schools of the Stars: Where the Jagged Little Pill Cast and Creative Team Studied Before Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
8. DresslikeBway (2019-02-28). "Celia Gooding". DresslikeBway. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
9. ^ Robbins, Caryn. "Debut of the Month: You Oughta Know About JAGGED LITTLE PILL's Celia Rose Gooding". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
10. "Listen to LaChanze! Jagged Little Pill's Celia Rose Gooding Reveals Her Mom's Best Advice". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
11. Green, Jesse (2018-05-30). "Review: 'Jagged Little Pill' Breaks the Jukebox Musical Mold (Published 2018)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
12. Green, Jesse (2019-12-10). "Review: With 'Jagged Little Pill,' They Finally Fixed the Jukebox". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
13. Libbey, Peter (2020-03-03). "Finalists for Clive Barnes Awards Announced". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
14. "Future 40: Broadway Baby Celia Rose Gooding Is One To Watch". BET.com. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
15. "Got It All Figured Out: Watch Jagged Little Pill's Celia Rose Gooding, Lauren Patten & More Perform 'Hand in My Pocket'". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
16. Meyer, Dan (3 January 2020). "Watch the Uncensored New Year's Eve Performance From Alanis Morissette and Jagged Little Pill Cast". Playbill. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
17. "See the Cast of Jagged Little Pill Perform Alanis Morissette's 'You Learn'". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
18. "Black Mother And Daughter Make Broadway History Together". BET.com. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
19. Haun, Harry (2020-04-01). ""From the Archives: When Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Simultaneously Starred on Broadway"". Playbill. Retrieved 2023-09-13. Now that Raquel Welch has left Woman of the Year, the part has passed along—with Einstein-like logic—to the ever-peppy Debbie Reynolds, who arrived in that title role last month almost by divine right. … her daughter, Carrie Fisher, is appearing on the other side of Broadway, at the Music Box in Agnes of God, which, like her mom's, is a Tony-winning role. … 'The two of us on Broadway at the same time—it's a whole new thought for me,' Debbie admits.
20. "Agnes of God – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2023-09-13. Cast: Carrie Fisher; Agnes; Jan 03, 1983 - Apr 10, 1983
21. "Woman of the Year – Broadway Musical – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2023-09-13. Cast: Debbie Reynolds; Tess Harding; Feb 13, 1983 - Mar 13, 1983
22. Appler, Michael (2020-06-20). "Audra McDonald, LaChanze & Celia Rose Gooding Win at Broadway Black's Inaugural Antonyo Awards". Variety. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
23. Rooney, Hilary Lewis (15 October 2020). "Tony Awards: 'Jagged Little Pill,' 'Slave Play' Lead Nominations | Hollywood Reporter". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
24. Staff, Playbill (21 June 2020). "Meet the Full Cast of Stars for Playbill's Upcoming Pride Spectacular Concert". Playbill. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
25. "BREAKING: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Begins Production". Star Trek. 12 March 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
26. @celiargooding (24 September 2021). "💙" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
27. Moore, Camille (2021-09-11). "10 Things You Didn't Know about Celia Rose Gooding". TVOvermind. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
28. @celiargooding (24 August 2022). "I can feel the greyace leaving my body when Virgo's Groove comes on what did Beyoncé put in that mf SONG" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
29. Fierberg, Ruthie (12 December 2019). "Like Mother Like Daughter: Jagged Little Pill's Celia Rose Gooding and A Christmas Carol's LaChanze Get Real About Life on Broadway, Emotionally Taxing Roles, Billie Eilish, and More". Playbill. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
30. "Celia rose gooding (@celiargooding) • Instagram photos and videos".
31. Celia Rose Gooding (Sep 5, 2022). "I use both she and they pronouns. I refer to myself as a Black woman occasionally bc that's the easiest way to make it through conversation but I am incredibly complex. …" (Tweet). Retrieved May 12, 2023 – via Twitter.
32. BWW News Desk. "Celia Rose Gooding, Kenny Leon, Adrienne Warren and More to Take Part in New York Times Panel Discussion". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
33. Coleman, Nancy (2020-06-11). "A Forum to Discuss Race and Broadway". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
34. "Broadway superstars reflect on shared experiences, hope for future generations for Black History Month". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
35. Clement, Olivia (15 June 2020). "Samantha Williams to Host Black Theatre Matters Benefit Panel". Playbill. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
36. BWW News Desk. "Adrienne Warren, Ali Stroker, Heidi Schreck & More Join TRANSFORMATION 2020: POPULAR DEMOCRACY DEFINED". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
37. "Sisgendered-Feinstein's/54 Below". November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
38. Brathwaite, Lester Fabian (January 14, 2024). "Oppenheimer, Barbie, The Bear lead 2024 Critics Choice Awards: See the full winners list". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
39. Hipes, Patrick (December 6, 2023). "'Avatar: The Way Of Water', 'Oppenheimer', 'Star Trek' Series Lead Nominations For Genre-Focused Saturn Awards". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.

External links

• Celia Rose Gooding at IMDb 
• Celia Rose Gooding at the Internet Broadway Database

• 2000 births
• Living people
• Broadway theatre people
• American musical theatre actresses
• American stage actresses
• African-American actresses
• Grammy Award winners
• African-American LGBTQ people
• 21st-century African-American women singers
• 21st-century American women singers
• 21st-century American LGBTQ people
• American bisexual actresses
• Asexual women