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"I used to love Christmas. But I grew up and got jaded," admits RENT's Daphne Rubin-Vega. "When I was little, about nine years old, my mother married my step-father. He had rented a flat on West 44th Street, between the two actors studios. That's probably where I got bitten by the freakin' bug."
"It was the first Christmas I had a papa, and and he went ballistic on stuff. I got The Four Seasons - Glazunov's ballet, not Vivaldi. And I remember the smells. I remember smelling cinnamon and cider and fruitcakes. It was a whole new world." Daphne pauses before adding, " And my mom died the next year. After that, it was never going to be the same."
One of my new faces of 1996, the Tony nominee seems more mature since we first spoke in May, but she's still warm, friendly, and sincere. On Christmas, "I have to work," she says, "but then I'm going to play Santa Claus. Now [due to her succuess], I can play Santa a little bit - so, I'm gonna, for my father and my brother, and my niece. And I'll probably spend some of it with my boyfriend's family. They're like hardcore Italian, and into Christmas."
How does Daphne envision Mimi celebrating the holiday? "Oh, boy! [Laughs] I think she'd make wonderful things for everyone - little things, like maybe bake bread. She'd probably get something extra-special for Roger [Adam Pascal]. She'd probably dye Roger's hair. [Laughs] And probably wanna have sex for the rest of the night."
Asked her holiday wish for herself and for the theatrical community, Daphne Rubin-Vega notes, "For me, the courage to continue to self-improve in a healthy way...and - you know what? - for the theatrical community as well!"
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