Why Keri Russell could never star in Waitress on Broadway

Keri Russell may be heading to the Great White Way early next year but it won’t be to appear in the stage adaptation of Waitress.

The musical, which is based on her beloved 2007 indie, has enjoyed a successful Broadway run since opening in 2016, but Russell is adamant she doesn’t have the vocal range to be part in the production.

“I’m not really a singer,” she revealed in an interview with Deadline. “The only thing I’m trained in is dance. I am a dancer, but I’m not a singer.”

Russell showed off her skills early on in her career as a cast member on the Mickey Mouse Club and portrayed dancers in films like Mad About Mambo (2000) and The Upside of Anger (2005). She’s also set to play one next March in the Broadway revival of Burn This, co-starring Adam Driver.

The 42-year-old admits she was too preoccupied with her role as an ‘80s Russian superspy in The Americans and motherhood (she and co-star Matthew Rhys welcomed a child in 2016) that she has yet to see Waitress.

“Believe it or not, I still haven’t seen it,” she said. “My life got overrun with children and dressing in ’80s clothing, but I know that would be funny.”

Fortunately for Russell, singing is presumably not required for her recently announced role in Star Wars: Episode IX. Working on the franchise reunites her with Felicity creator J.J. Abrams.

“It is just so much more fun to work with someone that you like so much,” Russell said of the collaboration. “I mean, we see each other and then we talk nonstop and fill in all the details of the past years, and you know, it’s just nice when you have that kind of fun and history with someone. It makes it all that much more enjoyable. When J.J. calls so unexpectedly, cool things happen.”