Zurin Villanueva embodies Tina Turner in any way possible as she takes on the role of the late pop icon on the national production tour of "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical."
However, upon learning about the death of her idol, Villanueva was devastated, which emanated during one of her performances.
Zurin Villanueva On Tina Turner's Death
Speaking to Variety about the loss of a legend, Villanueva revealed how Tina Turner's death affected her.
"I was a wreck," she confessed. "I thought I was okay. I felt like we grieved last week so I was fine. But then mama dies and I'm like, 'I'm not fine.' And right after she dies, I start singing 'We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome).' So I'm crying and it's like you have to either sing through it or you let it impede you. I was like, 'No, relax. There can be snot everywhere, but you can still sing.'"
Villanueva had a lot of time onstage. She was an ensemble, swing, and a replacement on "The Lion King," "Mean Girls," and " Shuffle Along, or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed."
According to the publication, Villanueva is still on tour - performing three hours every night as she was in every scene of the show.
"You have to take your breaths while you're on stage," she elaborated. "It's a different kind of experience, keeping your mind focused from one moment to the next but also keeping your mind present."
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Who is Zurin Villanueva?
Unbeknownst to many, Zurin Villanueva graduated from the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Brooklyn, New York. She has appeared on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and "Murder Mystery 2."
"I was a dance major my freshman year but then I auditioned for drama," she explained. "I was like, 'I must be an actress!' My mom wanted me to be a dancer. I promised her if she let me switch I will be in dance class every single week. I promised I wouldn't stop."
Now, Villanueva is venturing into writing a book, wanting to reveal the "untold secrets and rules and traditions of Broadway."
"It's basically what I'd want to tell my little sister when she books her first Broadway show. Basically it's, 'You're about to do this. This is what you do and this is what you don't do.'," she furthered.
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