Had to Ask: Telly Leung on Masquerade, Representation & Broadway Leadership

Telly Leung (@tellyleung) is a Broadway leading man whose career spans more than two decades, with acclaimed performances in Aladdin, Allegiance, Rent, Godspell, Pacific Overtures, Flower Drum Song, and now Masquerade, the immersive reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera.

With Telly’s final performance in Masquerade coming up on June 12, we’re releasing this conversation as a special launch-week episode of Had to Ask. In it, Telly shares what it’s like to step into one of theatre’s most iconic roles, perform for just 60 audience members at a time, and share the role of the Phantom alongside five other actors.

In this conversation, Telly reflects on the performers who made him believe an Asian American actor could be a Broadway leading man, the responsibility that comes with leadership in the theatre, and why simply "showing up" can be a powerful act of representation.

He opens up about the insecurity that still follows him after 26 years in the business, the summer he deliberately chose to be the worst dancer in the room so he could grow, and the lesson that has guided him throughout his career: we don't grow unless we're uncomfortable.

We also discuss what makes a true leading man, how he landed Aladdin, why art remains one of the most powerful forms of resistance, and the advice he gives actors walking into a casting room for the very first time.

This is a conversation about courage, representation, leadership, and finding the confidence to take up space—even when you're not sure you belong there yet.

Chapters:

01:30 — The performers who made him believe he could be a leading man

02:35 — Why "showing up" matters

03:47 — The insecurity that never fully goes away

05:13 — Working a data entry job to fund dance training

09:07 — Why growth requires discomfort

10:14 — What being a leading man really means

12:51 — The surprising reason Disney cast him as Aladdin

27:09 — Why art matters in difficult times

28:56 — Inside Masquerade and immersive performance

34:53 — The brotherhood of six Phantoms

48:06 — How to convince a casting room you're right for the role

Follow Telly Leung (@tellyleung) and Had to Ask (@hadtoaskpod) for more bold, unfiltered conversations — hosted by Melanie Sutrathada.

Co-produced and edited by Joseph Loper.

Special thanks to Thompson Central Park New York for being the perfect space for this conversation with Had to Ask.

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