Idina Menzel opened up about the time she “choked” in a Broadway audition

During her career, Idina Menzel has appeared in several Broadway musicals, recorded a few albums, and has even brought Disney princesses to life — so it’d be impossible for her to get nervous or mess up an audition, right? Wrong. The Tony Award-winning actress and singer recently opened up about the moment she choked during an audition for the Broadway musical, Wicked.

During an interview with Vogue.com, Menzel said she did the work; learned all her lines and songs for the role of Elphaba the Witch, but when the time came to show her stuff in the audition, things didn’t go quite as planned.

“I learned ‘Defying Gravity’ and I was so excited to do it because I just fell in love with the song, and it would make me cry at home all the time,” she said.

“I practiced the really high note, and I got to that part, where you go, ‘You won’t bring me down,' she continued. “And I was singing beautifully the whole time, then I got to, ‘You won’t bring me,’ and I choked.

But being the ever-poised professional, Idina didn’t let the tiny faux pas stop her. She collected herself and kept it moving.

“I just said the F word so loud at the top of my lungs, and I looked at the accompanist, like ‘Don’t you start to play on or cut me off,’ and then I took a deep breath and I went: ‘Me.’ And I just nailed it!

And it turns out her response to choking was a part of the reason she landed the role in the first place. She said that was the moment Joe Mantello, the show’s director decided she’d be the perfect Elphaba.

“He thought I was so evil and witchy,” Menzel recalls, laughing.

Wicked earned Menzel her first Tony award in 2004, so it looks like everything really does happen for a reason. We’re so happy you decided to keep going, Idina!