New York City has inspired artists for generations, garnering beloved nicknames and descriptions that try to capture its distinct energy. When 2023 Tony nominee Justin Cooley first visited the city in 2021 for his Kimberly Akimbo callback, he found “it was dazzling, diverse, and raw.” Cooley joins the long lineage of actors who have added their unique stories to the rich tapestry that makes up the Big Apple.

“I didn’t have huge expectations [of New York City] because half of the people in the Midwest idolize it as this beautiful, bright place, and then half say it’s dangerous, dirty, and gross,” says Cooley, who grew up in a suburb of Kansas City, Kansas. “Seeing the people and the life here, I liked it from the get-go.”

Nineteen-year-old Cooley, now nominated for his performance as Seth Weetis in the Tony-nominated musical, was preparing for his freshman year as a theater major at Texas Christian University when he was approached to audition for the Off-Broadway run of Kimberly Akimbo. The musical, with a book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori, follows the story of Kimberly Levaco (Victoria Clark), who befriends Seth as she navigates family, school, and life with a rare genetic condition.

After sending in his self-tape audition, Cooley shifted his attention to his college orientation, preparing to see his dorm room and meet his future classmates. He figured auditioning for Kimberly Akimbo would be “just dipping [my] toes into the professional world,” but instead, the casting director asked him to fly out to New York City for an in-person callback. He flew up with his mom, eager to live out his “tourist dreams”—with Central Park and Rockefeller Center on his must-visit list—but he also knew the callback was an important opportunity.

“I was scared to take this step forward, but I felt like it was chasing me,” says Cooley. “There were other people [at the audition] who seemed so much more professional and experienced than me. It was very nerve-racking.”

Once he got the call saying he got the role, he didn’t need any time to think it over. He knew immediately that he would accept the offer, which would mean deferring one semester of college for the Off-Broadway run at the Atlantic Theatre Company. It also meant moving to New York City as an 18-year-old.

“In accepting this job, I was moving away from home for the first time,” says Cooley. “It wasn’t easy. I was figuring out how to live on my own as an 18-year-old. My parents were concerned—they stayed with me for a week when I first moved. My mom said, ‘We can stay for another week.’ But I said, ‘No, leave, I’m fine, I’m a young adult!’ The day after she left I had to call her and ask, ‘How do I make myself dinner?’ I realized I didn’t actually know what I was doing.”

Cooley found support and comfort from his cast members, particularly his costar Clark, who offered guidance both onstage and off, including inviting him to brunch at her house and sharing tips and tricks on which grocery store to shop at. As Kimberly Akimbo extended twice Off-Broadway and transferred to Broadway in 2022, Cooley noted the pronounced growth he felt as an artist thanks to working extensively with Clark in the rehearsal room.

“During our first rehearsal, we worked on the number ‘Skater Planet.’ Right before we started, [Clark] came over to my [skating rink] booth with a bag of chips and a cup of water and slid it to me, whispering, ‘Keep this here.’ Then she came over during the song, in character, and said, ‘Can I get a side of chips?’ I’m looking at my script like, ‘I don’t see this line in here!’ That kind of freedom, playfulness, and vulnerability was not something I was used to, coming straight from high school.”

If those skills felt unfamiliar to Cooley initially, he clearly learned quickly and developed them into a performance that earned him a Tony Award nomination. Joining the industry at a young age has led to moments of imposter syndrome, but his character, Seth, has inspired Cooley to lean into vulnerability and authenticity.

“Entering the professional industry, I felt like I had to be a very clean-cut, perfect, young professional prodigy, but that is not who I am. I will never be that,” he says. “I am a messy little kid with hopefully a lot of heart. It was hard to believe that was special. [Clark] would tell me over and over again, ‘You are enough. You’re exactly who you need to be.’”

With an Off-Broadway credit, Broadway debut, and now Tony nomination under his belt after just a year and a half in the city, it’s safe to say Cooley has made his mark while happily embracing his growth happening onstage and in real life. And even with all of these pinch-me Broadway moments, the moment he felt he was truly a New Yorker took place at a very NYC place: on the subway.

“One day in September when I first got here, I was on the 6 train with no AC and a guy came on blaring music and doing one of his routines, spinning on the poles and bars. Everyone was avoiding eye contact. At one point he hung on the bar right in front of me, and that’s when I was like, ‘Oh, we’re doing this. This is NYC.’”