From film to stage, Sunset Boulevard has remained a constant classic in any die-hard theater kid’s heart, thanks in part to the legendary lineage of leading ladies who have dared to embody the being of the deliciously delirious Norma Desmond. From the meteoric landing of the original 1950 film starring Gloria Swanson (a role that single-handedly revived her career after a period of retirement, propelling her to goddess level in the eyes of Hollywood), to the Broadway show’s start in London’s West End in the summer of 1993 (lead by Patti Lupone, naturally), to its arrival in New York City with Glenn Close in 1994 and 2017, the story of Sunset Boulevard at its core has resonated deeper with audiences everywhere for touching on points of abandonment, fear of failure, and the fleetingly hollow nature of success itself.

“What I truly care about is being a representative for anybody who’s watching to say that they aren’t alone, and to be as honest and truthful as possible, not by having some transatlantic accent. It’s our job to connect with the audience,” explains Nicole Scherzinger, the star of the latest revival of the hit show, now going by SUNSET BLVD. 

“I know what it’s like to feel alone, to feel abandoned or dismissed, to feel unseen, unloved, or unappreciated. My job is to get to the heart and soul of it and to tell that story so that I can connect with the people out in that audience. I feel that there’s a little bit of Norma in everyone.” Once a member of one of the best-selling girl groups of all time, The Pussycat Dolls, the world has gotten to know Nicole as a pop star, singing songs like “Don’t Cha” and “When I Grow Up,” and through her stints as a judge on various talent shows. Throughout her many eras, her early love for theater remained unbreakable, having grown up attending performing arts schools and joining theater clubs in her local Louisville, Kentucky neighborhood. Now singing songs and carrying on the great show tunes by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, Scherzinger has been able to reawaken a side of herself that had been dormant with the Jamie Lloyd-directed revival of the show—going on to win the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical just last year. 

“Coming from the pop star world, I just loved [Jamie’s] idea of a clean, modern [production]. From day one, the first thing he said was ‘I just ask you to be open. Open with your mind and in your heart, just remain open,” she explains. Lloyd’s minimal and expressionist approach to the legendary show housed inside the St. James Theater has wowed audiences with its stage-meets-movie concept, which involves a gargantuan LCD screen that projects a live feed from a steadicam that interacts with both the actors and the audience (both on and off stage, including the streets of Times Square for a thrilling sequence unlike what you’ve seen before). The format is so uniquely intriguing that Scherzinger herself has never seen what it looks like from the audience’s perspective.

“I’ve never seen our own performance. My director has never let me see a rehearsal or see any aspect of the show. I’ve never seen anything back,” she notes, citing Lloyd’s approach that allows the character to release itself. “The reason why he’s done that, as he says, is that this has to emanate from within Norma, and I can’t be looking at it from the outside as Nicole, and place any judgment on it or pick it apart. I’ve got to really live it and have it emanate from within me.” Even with Scherzinger’s modern-day Norma wowing showgoers, the message of the story remains the same at its core. “I’ve always felt like I just didn’t belong, and that has been my driving force,” she explains, her voice filled with emotion. “That’s why it’s so important for me that I really tell the heart and soul of this story, because I just don’t want people to feel that way. When you’re born into a world where you feel like you don’t fit in, it means you’re born to create a new world. It’s so important for us to come together, and to have kindness and grace with one another. Art will survive, thrive, and overcome, and it will bring people together. That’s the most important thing.”

This story appears in the pages of V153: now available for purchase!

Photographer Jingyu Lin

Fashion Wilyum Beck

Interview Kevin Ponce

Hair Andrew Chen (Kramer+Kramer) using Stephen Knoll NY

Makeup Kevin Chea (Kramer+Kramer) using Charlotte Tilbury

1st Photo Assistant Heins Evander

Stylist Assistant Emma Nusbaum

Location The Manner Hotel