The first-time Tony nominee is “feeling otherworldly” at the moment, he tells PEOPLE
Credit: Matthew Murphy; Michael Parmelee/CBS
NEED TO KNOW
- Ben Levi Ross has earned his first Tony Award nomination for his supporting role as Mother’s Younger Brother in Broadway’s current revival of Ragtime
- Until this March, the actor juggled eight shows a week with his starring role on CBS’ Elsbeth, he tells PEOPLE
- “On Mondays that were normally days off from the show, I would be waking up at 5:00 AM and filming,” says Ross of his “crazy” schedule
Ben Levi Ross is living the dream: a dream with very early call times.
Along with starring in the hit Broadway revival of Ragtime — a performance that has made Ross a first-time Tony Award nominee — the 28-year-old actor spent months balancing eight shows a week with his role on Elsbeth as Teddy Tascioni, son of Carrie Preston's titular detective.
“It was like the actor's dream to be doing a Broadway show and filming a network TV show at the same time,” Ross tells PEOPLE, calling his schedule “crazy” until the procedural comedy-drama's third season wrapped filming this March.
“It was like, on Mondays that were normally days off from the show, I would be waking up at 5:00 AM and filming,” recalls the actor, who began appearing on Elsbeth in season 2.
Credit: Michael Parmelee/CBS
Many days saw Ross getting up early to film the series before a performance of Ragtime. But luckily, Robert and Michelle King's The Good Wife spinoff is used to employing stage actors like Wendell Pierce, Carra Patterson, Christian Borle, Lindsay Mendez and Micaela Diamond.
“The cool thing about Elsbeth is that they're all theater people," Ross says. "So everyone understood the importance of Ragtime as well."
Despite being booked and busy (the actor also made his feature film debut in 2021's tick, tick… BOOM!, the Jonathan Larson musical adaptation directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda), Ross is grateful that his television commitments wrapped just as awards season began.
“Luckily for Tony's season, I'm able to just focus on Ragtime,” he says.
Credit: Matthew Murphy
Lincoln Center Theater's acclaimed revival of Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens and Terrence McNally's musical — directed by Lear deBessonet and now playing at New York City's Vivian Beaumont Theater — enters the June 7 Tony Awards ceremony with an impressive 11 nominations, including for cast members Ross, Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy, Brandon Uranowitz and Nichelle Lewis.
Ross plays Mother's Younger Brother, son of Levy's character, one of the members of three families — one white, one Black, and one Jewish immigrant — whose lives intersect in tumultuous early 20th-century America.
Onstage, Ross brings an electrifying intensity to the role, charting Younger Brother's evolution from a restless, directionless young man into a radicalized revolutionary. His performance balances youthful idealism, simmering rage and heartbreaking vulnerability, particularly as the character becomes increasingly consumed by the injustices unfolding around him.
That sweeping character journeys is what drew Ross to the part.
“I love the huge arc that this person takes. I am really drawn to characters that are incredibly changed from beginning to end,” explains the actor, who made his Broadway debut in the title role of Dear Evan Hansen in 2022.
“Younger Brother stands out among all of the roles that I've played. And what's cool about Ragtime is that we all have a lot of time offstage,” he continues. “So then the moments that I'm bringing, what has happened between this scene and this scene on, is all the more important than with a role like Evan Hansen, per se, where you're on stage the entire time and you're watching the whole thing happen.”
Credit: Matthew Murphy
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How is Ross managing life as a TV star and Tony nominee? “I'm feeling otherworldly,” he tells PEOPLE, reflecting on his journey to this milestone. “Next year will be 10 years that I have lived in New York.”
In the up-and-comer's corner are his “incredibly supportive” family, including his mom, dad and sister. Raised in Santa Monica, Calif., the actor says his family encouraged his love of performing from an early age through community theater and summer programs.
Credit: Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty
Today, he's also leaning on his boyfriend of more than a year and a half — a kindergarten teacher whose calm demeanor helps him unwind after emotionally intense performances.
“Having a kindergarten teacher speak to me in dulcet tones when I'm offstage has been really wonderful,” Ross says with a laugh.
With the Tony Awards on the horizon, Ross has a lot to look forward to. But no matter what the outcome, he's already feeling like a winner. "Our show got everything that we wanted from this awards season," he says. "It's amazing.”
Ragtime is now playing at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. The 2026 Tony Awards, hosted by Pink, will take place at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 7. The show will be broadcast live to both coasts on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, and will stream on Paramount+.
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