By Nikki Walton
Actress Carly Hughes, best known for her work on Broadway, now stars as Angela in the ABC family comedy American Housewife.
Hughes is originally from St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Columbia, Maryland. Her talent was recognized in 2003 when she became a recipient of the prestigious Princess Grace Award for Acting and Excellence in the Arts. Carly received a B.F.A. in musical theatre before moving to New York City to pursue her theater aspirations. She has appeared in eight Broadway shows, most recently starring as Velma Kelly in Chicago, The Leading Player in Pippin, and Lucille/Shirley of the Shirelles in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Hughes appeared on the 2014 Tony Awards, The Today Show and The View to perform her song “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” helping to win the 2015 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. Her other Broadway credits include The Book of Mormon, Ghost: The Musical, Ragtime, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Hughes has also starred at regional theaters across the country, and her voice can be heard in most of the songs in Lucky Stiff, the Ahrens & Flaherty movie musical.
Hughes recently guest starred in HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and will soon be seen recurring on the Netflix series Insatiable.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Carly to get her 2020 (and beyond) outlook and to get insight into her self-care routine, in order to help all of us as we collectively glow up!
On her morning routine
Honestly, the first thing I do is hit SNOOZE on my alarm! I am not a morning person! (laughs) so the hardest part of my day is waking up, especially when the wake up is 4:30am. I’m not a breakfast person either, so I try to remember to grab some water, or often a hot peppermint tea when I get to set.
On becoming the best version of herself
Why thank you! Well, when I lived in New York and was doing 8 shows a week on Broadway, the healthy lifestyle was kind of built in. I danced everyday, I sang everyday, and ran around New York! So moving to LA was a change for me. I have found a few workout regimens that really resonate with me and make me feel good, which is important, because if you don’t feel good, you won’t go! So I workout about 5 days a week- not always consecutively – and I allow myself to miss days/ sleep in when the mood strikes. I’m not a fitness fanatic, but I always feel amazing after a great workout. And that makes me happy. Something equally important to me, is what I put into my body. I don’t eat red meat or pork (by choice) and I stick to a pretty clean diet. That means I end up eating lots of veggies, and chicken or fish. But I LOVE food! If it tastes good, it often makes me feel good. I believe moderation is smart. For example, if I have a naughty foodie Friday, I enjoy it and don’t feel guilty about it. And for me, my system can usually only take one naughty food day every now and then.
On her biggest lesson learned in 2019
2019 really pulled at my patience and understanding. I learned that the stress you keep, is only because YOU are keeping it. The practice of taking a deep breath and stepping back, really came into play for me. In 2020 I am really looking forward to some of my goals coming to fruition.
On her current reading situation
I’m currently in research mode. So I’m reading I’m Still Here by Eartha Kitt. She’s an icon, a legend. And I would give anything for the opportunity to play her one day.
On what’s next for her!
I have a few things in the works, but of course, I can’t talk about them just yet. But you can tune in to my Instagram for updates, and for some fun videos of me cooking and testing different face masks!
When she said, I learned that the stress you keep, is only because YOU are keeping it.’ I felt that in my soul. Show Carly some love in the comments!
#5Minuteswith Carly Hughes of ABC’s American Housewife
