Myra Molloy makes history as first Thai leading actress in a Broadway musical
Early on in the Zoom conversation, I slipped into my Thai Indian accent when pronouncing the name, Eurydice, in what was perhaps a momentary code-switching lapse. Thai American actress Myra Molloy, who, today, will be beginning her run as the character Eurydice in Broadway’s Hadestown, was completely unfazed and continued partaking in the conversation. I apologized moments later, admitting to my mistake, and Molloy generously confessed that she routinely did the same with certain Thai words as well.
“The other day, I said something on the street and my sister was laughing so hard because I emphasized it in the way you would say it in Thai or Tinglish,” said Molloy. Over Zoom, her hair was slicked back into a ponytail and she wore long dangling earrings that bounced around as she spoke. “I put the emphasis on the wrong part of the word and it sounded so funny, but that’s just what happens when you’re a bilingual queen. Or trilingual like you!”
Molloy joins costar Louis Bourzgui, who will play Orpheus, in the Tony-winning musical at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Today, she also makes history as the first Thai actress to lead a musical on Broadway. This achievement comes full circle as Molloy’s first exposure to Broadway dates back to when her parents took her to musical theatre shows in New York as a young girl.
From Bangkok to Broadway – Myra Molloy’s journey
Born and raised in Bangkok, Molloy was part of a family who was not in the arts or anywhere near it. But Broadway changed her life then as well, introducing her to the world of acting and singing. She was so entranced that she watched Phantom of the Opera “maybe upwards of 20 times.” She didn’t quite know what she was feeling but a determination had been planted in her to be a part of the world somehow.
Before TikTok could catapult unknown singers into fame, Molloy had few examples for how to pursue her passion. So, when auditions opened for the inaugural Thailand’s Got Talent, an extremely shy 13-year-old Molloy took a chance. She went on to win the show. It would become “the initial domino,” in her words, that set everything else into motion.
Her performances began circulating online, opening doors beyond Thailand. A producer at Disney saw Molloy’s performance online and pitched her to star in the Thai version of Moana. The producers for the HBO show Half Worlds googled “Thai Singer” and found her. Her burgeoning career took her to the States, where she became the alternate for Kim in Miss Saigon. The stage, bright and well-renowned, earned her representation which then led her to more TV and film opportunities.
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A bright spotlight on Thailand and Thai culture
As Molloy’s profile grows internationally, so too does Thailand’s visibility on the global stage; from the meteoric rise in fame of the pygmy hippo Moo Deng, to the finale of The White Lotus, and the aftershock of an earthquake earlier this year, the country hosted more than 35 million visitors in 2024.
“I came to high school here for like one year in Los Angeles, and a lot of people didn’t know where Thailand was. They thought it was Taiwan. They thought it was in China. They couldn’t find it on a map. It was shocking to me because I was like, it’s like one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world. Like, what are you talking about?”
We paused to reflect on the rarity of our conversation: a Thai actress and a Thai journalist, connected through a Thai publicist, discussing an exciting moment for mainstream media in the US. A sense of shared identity coursed through our chat, met with warmth and mutual pride.
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Myra Molloy proudly shares her Thai identity
“I am Thai and that’s like a huge part of my identity and like my morals and beliefs and just like the way I operate as a human being. And so I feel like bringing that into my work and bringing that to the forefront of everything I do is so important, and it’s just cool to be a part of that conversation. It’s cool that there’s even a conversation.”
Molloy does not hide her desire to carry her Thai culture wherever her career takes her. In fact, Hadestown director Rachel Chavkin, knew of this and asked Molloy if she wanted to add a Thai word in the show — an offer that Molloy immediately accepted. When asked about future projects in the pipeline, Molloy smiled and shared that it was a dream project for a film that was, for now, a secret.
“I’ve just felt so, so blessed and so fortunate that I have been given these opportunities to…fully bring myself to the table in these dream roles that I’ve always had, like doing Broadway, doing Hadestown. Hadestown is the only show that I’ve ever really, really wanted to do. My mentality going forward with any job is as long as I’m passionate about it, it doesn’t even matter what it is.”
That same joyous ambition had filled her rehearsal days, so much so that she forgot to celebrate Songkran, Thailand’s New Year festival. Songkran marks renewal — and there’s something fitting about this fresh beginning coinciding with Molloy’s own milestone as the first Thai leading performer on Broadway, starting from today. And as one of the many (hopefully) Thai audience members in the crowd, I’ll be sure to keep an ear out for the Thai word that Molloy will utter as Euridyce.
See also: What Broadway meant for a Malaysian Chinese actor, and how that fire died
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