It doesn't take Emmy Raver-Lampman [1]'s Umbrella Academy [2] powers of persuasion to make you a fan of the charismatic star. Whether it's as a background player in Hamilton or as Allison Hargreeves on The Umbrella Academy [3], the 31-year-old actress is just as magnetic on screen as she is off. I mean, have you SEEN her Instagram [4]? If you're not sold on her yet, then check out the following six facts (including one about her absolutely adorable dogs) before the new season of The Umbrella Academy drops on Netflix on July 31.
She Has Two Dogs
Emmy got a French Bulldog named Luna while she was on the first national tour of Hair in 2011. Moose, the Labradoodle, turned a year old in May and she considers him a "gentle giant [6]." She also told Nerd Alert News that "they couldn't look or be most opposite, but they're like best friends."
She Went to School For Theatre
As a teenager, Emmy attended a performing arts high school called Governor's School for the Arts [7]. She then went on to Marymount Manhattan College in New York City [8], where she attended school while working as a professional actress. She graduated with a bachelor of arts in theatre in 2012, though at that point she had already been part of the touring production of Hair. This eventually led to her being cast as a replacement standby for the lead role of Elphaba in the 2014 touring production of Wicked.
She Is Close to Her Umbrella Academy Cast Members
She considers Tom Hopper (Luther) one of her best friends [9] and got really close with Ellen Page (Vanya) while filming. She has also said that some of her best days on set were when the entire cast was together because they all got along really well — enough so that they hung "out a ton in Toronto going out to brunches and karaoke and seeing movies and sporting events."
Her Singing Was Featured in Season One of The Umbrella Academy
Emmy is an accomplished singer [10], but The Umbrella Academy [11] isn't exactly a musical show. However, in episode eight of season one, "I Heard a Rumour," the episode opens with a cover of Etta James's "Stormy Weather" sung by Emmy. When asked what she thought about covering the iconic song, she told Alternative Press, "When Steve [Blackman] first asked me if I would be willing to do a cover [12] of the known classic 'Stormy Weather,' once covered by legends such as Billie Holiday, Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald, for the opening of episode eight, I was speechless. We had been shooting for about six months already and I was really starting to miss singing on a regular basis, having just left Hamilton. However, taking on such an iconic song had me a little weak at the knees; as well as the fact that I would be singing over my own characters cold open for the episode. But above all of that, I felt deeply honoured."
She Was the First Hamilton Tour Angelica Schuyler
Emmy was a part of the original Broadway cast of Hamilton [13] in 2015, serving as both part of the ensemble and as an understudy for Angelica Schuyler, Eliza Hamilton [14], and Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds. She left the Broadway production in 2016 to originate the role of Pearl Krabs in the Chicago tryout version of The SpongeBob Musical. She then returned to Hamilton as part of the original Chicago cast in 2016 before being cast as Angelica Schuyler in the first national tour of Hamilton in 2017.
She Considers Jasmine Cephas Jones Her "Soul Sister"
Emmy and Jasmine bonded while they were a part of the original Broadway cast of Hamilton [15], with Emmy acting as part of the ensemble and Jasmine in the role of Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds. Jasmine even went on to star in Daveed Diggs [16]'s (Emmy's current boyfriend) 2018 film Blindspotting and has been featured on Emmy's Instagram multiple times (including this "family night" pic along with [17]Jasmine's fiancé Anthony Ramos [18]).
