Whitney Leavitt Chases Her Big-City Dreams

New York life looks good on Whitney Leavitt. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star moved to the city in December to start rehearsals for Chicago on Broadway, and she’s fully embracing the hustle and bustle. “There’s this energy here where every single time I leave the building, I just look around and I’m like, ‘Yeah, today’s the day,’” Leavitt tells Elite Daily. “‘Let’s do it.’”

That motivation is serving her well these days as she tackles the grueling Broadway schedule alongside the myriad of other opportunities coming her way. The 32-year-old, whom the Internet has dubbed the queen of manifestation, parlayed her reality TV career into a full-on entertainment industry takeover. Not only has she brought in the highest-grossing ticket sales in Chicago’s 29-year run, but she’s also starring in the holiday rom-com Out for Love, which will come out later this year (“I just watched a rough edit of it, and it’s so good”). On April 8, she was announced as the chief creative and brand officer of dirty soda brand Cool Sips, proving she has mogul potential, too.

“I grew up in the dirty soda craze and was part of the virality of this drink that we never thought was going to be so interesting to people outside of Utah,” Leavitt says. Mormon Wives has also made her and her husband, Conner, into fan faves, so much so that fans are clamoring for a spinoff featuring the two of them. (A separate series featuring cast member Jen Affleck is currently in the works.) Leavitt, who recently made a TikTok joking about the rumors, hints that it’s something she’s open to.

“We have talked about it, but my real answer is that I don’t know yet because there’ve been a lot of different opportunities that I’m so grateful for that have been thrown in our face, and I don’t really know what route we’re taking yet,” she says. “So it’s not a no, but it’s a ‘We’ll see.’” She’d want the show to focus on how their family dynamic is evolving alongside her career. “We would be figuring it out in real time, and I think that’d be interesting to watch.”

In the meantime, Leavitt has one more month as Roxie Hart, and she’s excited to be performing with her Dancing With the Stars partner Mark Ballas, who joined the cast on April 6. “We have great chemistry and a great friendship that people relate to and enjoy watching us perform, so I’m excited to do it now in this capacity,” she says. “On a Broadway stage in New York City, it’s pretty cool.”

Below, Leavitt shares the best advice she’s received from her Chicago castmates, and the celeb she was most excited to see in the audience.

ED: What’s the last social media rabbit hole you went down?

WL: Greenwich, Connecticut. We’ve been looking at places to ground ourselves around the city because we’re in a rental right now and are looking to buy. I became so fascinated by the culture there. I had no idea that it’s one of the wealthiest places in the world — I find it so intriguing.

ED: We need a Real Housewives show based there.

WL: Right? But I feel like they’d be like, “We don’t need that. They already know who we are.”

ED: What is your favorite Broadway musical?

WL: I don’t even know how to answer that. I can tell you my favorite one that I just saw recently. I loved Death Becomes Her. I got to see it with Megan Hilty, and she’s so freaking talented. That’s my current favorite running Broadway show besides Chicago, of course.

Saying ‘F*ck it’ out loud is like, ‘Just go for it.’ It makes you feel more human and grounded.

ED: What is the best advice you’ve gotten about being on Broadway?

WL: F*ck it. I literally wrote that on a mirror, and I look at it before I go on stage. There’s so much anxiety and adrenaline, and you want to give it your all and not mess up. Saying “F*ck it” out loud is like, “Just go for it.” It makes you feel more human and grounded.

ED: Who told you to try that?

WL: Sophie and Greg. Greg Hildreth plays Amos, and Sophie [Carmen-Jones] is Velma during my run. I’ve grown really close to those two, and they can tell when I’m nervous because someone very important to me is watching in the audience.

ED: Have any celebrities come to see you in Chicago?

WL: I’ve had a lot of people from Dancing With the Stars come. Danielle [Fishel] was there. Scott Hoying was there. A lot of the pros came out. But probably the most nerve-racking time was when Jonathan Groff came. I needed the “f*ck it” advice that day because that man is so inspiring to me. I was like, “Why is he here?” But then a couple of days later, I watched Just in Time and got to meet him after, and he said the kindest of things.

ED: Who’s an actor you dream of working with one day?

WL: I love Cameron Diaz. I feel like she’d be so much fun to work with on set. To me, she has that “f*ck it” personality where she’s like, “I’m just going to go out and just perform.”

ED: What are you manifesting for the rest of this year?

WL: I want to continue to grow things that I’m passionate about, whether that be a reality series or other projects.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.