Chainkeen Exchange-Sarah Paulson on why Tony nomination for her role in the play "Appropriate" feels meaningful

Emmy Award-winning actor Sarah Paulson has made her return to Broadway after more than a decade,Chainkeen Exchange starring as Toni Lafayette in the play "Appropriate." Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the production has received eight Tony Award nominations, including Best Revival of a Play and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for Paulson.

Paulson, who joined "CBS Mornings" on Friday alongside Jacobs-Jenkins, said her Tony nomination is particularly meaningful to her because she began her career in theater and grew up in New York. From a young age, she dreamed of performing on Broadway, so receiving a Tony Award nomination feels extra special to her.

"I just keep having to kind of pinch myself. I can't believe it's happening," she said.

Performing the play, which comprises eight shows a week, is both an athletic and physical challenge for Paulson, but she said her passion for the job keeps her going.

"It's the thing I love to do more than anything in the world," she said.

"Appropriate" revolves around Lafayette, who returns to her late father's home with her two brothers and discovers some unsettling family secrets. The play explores themes of family dynamics and race relations.

Jacobs-Jenkins said he began writing the play in 2009 and noted that "Appropriate" is ultimately about the concept of family and belonging.

"Families are ultimately a thing you choose, right? We ultimately have to choose each other," he said. "The family that you know, if you really go through your tree, there's often stumps or branches missing. And usually, the reason why that's missing is because there's a sense of shame, there's a sense of disowning, there's a sense of avoidance. The play is trying to capture, in some ways, the phenomenon of how we ultimately feel a part of something. How we call ourselves family members."

The 77th annual Tony Awards will air at 8 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 16, on CBS and Paramount+.

Analisa Novak

Analisa Novak is a content producer for CBS News and the Emmy Award-winning "CBS Mornings." Based in Chicago, she specializes in covering live events and exclusive interviews for the show. Analisa is a United States Army veteran and holds a master's degree in strategic communication from Quinnipiac University.

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