Reneé Rapp
Appearances
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
But also, my parents were never like... My kids a fucking star.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
They were like, like I would, I would like come off of like a stage or even like I played a lot of sports growing up, come off the field, like court, whatever. And they'd be like, you know where you messed up? And I'd be like, I'm five. This is crazy. This is crazy. But also my dad has relative pitch, so he's very musically inclined.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
So basically like if I was flat, he'd know. Like, he has a really good ear. He has a really, really good ear. So he was always like, you know where you were flat, right? So I was like, fuck.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I did, like... I was in choir. Yeah. I was in choir. I took piano lessons when I was a kid. But they gave me panic attacks. I got very stressed. And I would start crying. So I stopped. Good. Got rid of that. But I feel like choir was, like, how I learned kind of how to, like— So I don't want to say like, no, I have no training at all. What were you?
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I was a soprano. Thank you. But also, sopranos are bitches. Yeah. If you're a soprano, everybody's like, oh.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Is not even... Of course. It's like, you know, the... All I Want for Christmas is, what the fuck? Yes.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Like it's the same shit the whole song. And that's exactly what being an alto in a choir is. And then occasionally having to memorize the most difficult line of music. It is.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Falls apart. You have like a very shrill, pitchy soprano and like tenor boys who are like not at all developed yet. Yes. Singing like shit.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
What are you going to do when the bottoms are gone? Nothing to top. Nothing to top. Nothing to top.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Hate. Can't do it. What? Don't like them. Don't like them. Makes me too anxious. Puts me in my head. Any time I've ever done a warm-up before a performance... I have done so shit.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Yeah. And I'm like thinking about it and I'm thinking about the like different technicalities or whatever my voice and I don't... That's not how I learned how to sing. So I don't think... Whenever I try and do that, it's kind of like going back on the actual thing that I know how to do. How did you learn how to sing? How would you describe it? Listen to Beyonce. Tried to match it. Like, genuinely.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I was forced. Okay, by? I was forced. Management? No, by one of my best friends who is, like, just—she will always introduce me to someone. Always. She's like, you must. And for Beyonce, she was like, this is your, like, hero. Like, this is your everything.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
So we were at a party after I just told everybody at this Oscars party that Nemo was the best film ever made. And they're like, cool. She's going to work for a long time. And we went to an after party. And I was with... Like, two or three of my really good friends. And my friend Cara is, like, the best person to have out with you because she is, like, your biggest cheerleader ever.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Yes. She, like... She will take... She just, like, will literally, she'll be like, Renee, I gotta, like, hold you for a sec. Like, she's, like, one of the greatest friends on planet Earth, but knows how much I love Beyonce and is really fearless about it. And I was like, oh, my fucking God. I was like, Beyonce's literally...
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Here, that's so crazy. And the whole day she had been saying, she was like, we're just going to introduce you to her. Like, they invited you. Like, it's okay. Like, you guys, like, I'm sure that she loves you. I was like, no, no, no. Like, we really should, like, tone it down. And I was... Did you see her in the room?
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Yeah, she was in the room. And very blonde. And I think, like, probably the most beautiful person I've ever seen... um in real life ever and I love my girlfriend but like she knows you don't compete where you can't compare and I like that saying can't like can't like what are you gonna do you put anyone in a category with Beyonce it's going down so sure Kara was like, you must say hi to her.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I'm getting so anxious talking about it. It makes me... I'm like, I could vomit. She was like, you have to. And I was like, you walk me up there, bitch, and I will kill you. I'll kill you in front of everybody here. But it sounds like you meant the opposite. The truth is, I didn't. You didn't. Oh, she dragged me. And I was having such a visceral reaction. I was like, this is my hero.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I can't do this. I would never even want to bother her or anything. And... And she was like, oh my god, hi. I was like, you don't have to do that. It's okay. Love you. Lovely to meet you. You got really sleepy. And I just was like, I couldn't look at her at all. I also was super, I love to have a good time. And I was gone. So I was like, hey, so nice to meet you. Thanks for having us.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Basically, you hurried her along. Oh, she didn't get a word in edgewise. I was like, I gotta go. And she was like, oh, that's so lovely. And I said, no, no, no. Don't even worry about that. You just have a good night, ma'am.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I literally... I turned around maybe three feet. Middle of a party. Middle of a party. Screamed. Top of my lungs. Turned around in the car. And I was like... And she was still very close. Yeah, she was super close. I could have walked a bit further. But I was so... I was like, I can't do this. It was the greatest night of my life.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I can't. It's too much. Also, she'll be like, this woman just screamed like two feet away from me. And I'll be like, I totally did. I'm so sorry. Like, how could I ever do that around your ears?
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Thank you. Thank you. They're like some of my favorites. That is true. They're kind of A and B to each other.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Of course. So then you do. You have to see that person again. Yeah. Must. All the time.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Speaking of love, how did you meet your girlfriend? Similarly locked her in my house. Kind of same thing to Beyonce.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
We always joke around that we're like the two TikTok signings. At our label. I had known of her for, like, the longest time because she's super talented and is really sexy. And so, obviously, I knew of her. Because all the sexy—you clock all the sexy people. Yeah, yeah. I have, like, a Rolodex. I got a list. I'm like, who's hot? Got it.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
But, yeah, I just always, like, thought she was just so fucking cool. And I had asked one of my best friends— to introduce me to her. And yeah, I was like, you have to introduce me to her. He was like, I don't know if she's like in a place in her life where she's like wanting to like meet anyone. I was like, I really couldn't give a fuck less. I'm not either, but I'm going to meet her.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
We need to at least be friends. Yeah. You were like, there's something about her that feels. Yeah. I was like, I need to know her like super bad. And so then he introduced me to her and she was so fucking mean to me. And I was like. Wait, in what way? You liked that? Loved it. But she's scary. Really? Yeah. Well, she's like from the UK. So like her humor is also super different.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
But she's also just such a bitch. Tell Angie, what did she say? Well, I was like, I've heard so much about you. And she was like, why are you talking so much about me then?
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Yeah, I was like, oh, my God. And then speaking of negging, the next time we talked, we were talking about cars. Because I love Cars and also the movie. Good animated film. Holy shit. I always say- Holy shit. So good.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
It's stunning. I just re-watched Cars 2 recently. I cried in bed obsessed with it. But- Anyway, how the fuck? Oh, okay. So we were talking about cars and she was telling me what kind of car she drove at the time. And I was like, oh, that's so interesting. I wouldn't like peg you for someone who would drive a car. And she looked at me or who would drive a car, who would drive that kind of car.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
And she was like, oh, you don't want to peg me. And I was like, okay. I was like, I'm so confident and so like. She went over.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I was like, now I'm like, you want me so bad. Just say it. You want me. That is true. Yeah, it was awesome. Yeah.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
She told me... I'm so sorry, babe. But she told me we were... Sat on the beach. Incredible. And high out of our minds. Okay. Sorry. And I was so beyond in love with her. Like, I've never been so scared to, like, fall in love with somebody in my life. I was like, oh, Jesus. I was like, we're either going to get married or I can never speak to her again.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Like, it's like that kind of, like, I just am so... I, like, worship her. I think she's perfect. And...
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
She was like, I think I'm falling in love with you. And I literally didn't answer, didn't say a word. I'm on shrooms. The sun is setting. I'm like, it's a bit cold. There's like a TikToker behind us that I'm obsessed with. Who? Which one? Her name is Flossie Baby. Oh, I know Flossie Baby. She couldn't be more hilarious. She was behind you during it?
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
She's behind us on the beach, but I can't say anything to her because I'm like, Flossie. She doesn't know me at this point. Yeah, a lot going on. Yeah, we know each other now because I broke everything down to her on Toa's birthday because I invited her. I said, you don't understand what a big part of our lives you are. Aw. Flossie Baby. Yeah.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I'm obsessed with her and so Toe was telling me this and I was like but I was high distracted by Flossie Baby so I was like I was like there's no way she just said this to me and what if I'm receiving it wrong because of things that are impairing my thought process and natural plants so I didn't say anything and I said repeat one more time and she was like are you fucking kidding me right now I was like sorry sorry sorry let me walk back in
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I love you, too. Like, I was like, of course. And it was the craziest. I love you, too, of course. Wait, love you, too, girl. Babe, I love you, too, of course, girl. Honey, you're so cute. And, yeah, I was just like, I'm obsessed with you. And Flossie Baby's here, too. It was awesome. It was awesome. It was so fun. It was so fun.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
No. I mean, she like… I think I just respect her so much as a musician that… I am kind of always looking to her, like, seeking her approval kind of sounds like she's doing something really terrible to me. But, like, I'm always— You respect her. Yeah, like, I want to know—I really respect her opinion.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I really respect her opinion, and I think she has amazing taste. And I think that there are so many things and ways that she's so much smarter than me, and I love having that in a partner because I want to learn from her all the time. But there have also been times where, like, we've worked in sessions together and we're writing for each other's projects.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
And she's super fun to write with, so easy to collaborate with. And I don't think I'm as much like that for her because we were writing and God bless her. We, like, left and I was like, you seem a bit upset with me. And she was like, no, I just, like, I don't think you needed to, like,
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
like nitpick my vocals all that much and I was like got it got it got it so what had happened was I was like trying to vocal produce her on like a demo for like the better part of an hour and a half and I was like again again you were like I can tell when you're a little flat yeah is it sorry do you know where you were wrong she was like cool so I don't know if she wants to work with me again
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
But I love working with her. Love working with her. I don't think I'm maybe the person for her, which I totally get. I'm a bit neurotic.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
In like a studio setting, I am. I'm pretty insufferable to be around. You want to get it right. Yeah, it's got to be it. It's got to be it.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
It's the best. So Celeste and a couple of other people had written into the skit that I was doing. They were like, okay, we're going to call you a little bisexual intern. And at that time, I was very publicly bisexual. I had been for a very long time.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
And like in private, I was like talking with my girlfriend and a lot of my friends for the last maybe like eight months before that of being like, I actually like don't really feel very like bi at the moment. I feel like very much like a lesbian and like it feels so nice. And like that word feels amazing and it feels very like euphoric for me.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
So I was like, do you think that we could just change it to like gay? Because I was honestly a little, I don't know, like labeling yourself publicly is... Really, really, really empowering. And also, I think, can be kind of intimidating because you're like, Jesus fucking Christ, this feels so good for me right now. And I don't want to go by something that doesn't feel correct.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
But I'm also going to, like, give myself the willingness to be like, what if in 10 years I don't, like—
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
that identity either and I just wanna I don't know like what if in 10 years I'm completely different in terms of my identity and sexuality or like my gender expression anything like that or if I decide to be a really nice person then I wanna be like wait I'm fucking nice now I'm nice now right I wanna have the grace to be able to change from being a bitch to being a sweetheart so whatever but yeah I was just like maybe like gay I don't know
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
And Celeste was like, fuck yeah. Like, literally whatever you want. And I was like, okay. And I fucking love Celeste. And then I was talking to Bowen about it. And I was like, I kind of just want to be, like, slur. No, I kind of just want to be, like, lesbian. I was like, I'm just going to kind of do it. And I called Toa. And then I was like, babe, I think I'm just going to, like, rip.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Like, I think it, like, feels good. Also to, like, come out as a lesbian on, like, SNL is, like, pretty cunty. I was like, I'm going to do it for sure. Yeah. And I was also like, OK, I'm probably going to disappoint a lot of people who felt like they connected with like the very openly bisexual part of me. And I'm also probably going to piss a lot of other people off.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
And I was like, OK, what else do I live to do other than like cause like a controversy? Sue me. Like, fine. OK, what a big fucking problem. So then I just I wanted to do it. And Bowen and Celeste and everybody were like, hell yeah. What's been the feedback? Yeah.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I mean, I definitely... I kind of just, like, didn't even, like, look online afterward because I was like, I don't care.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Amazing. Yeah. So fucking good. Like, so fucking good. I think also just, like, being from somewhere incredibly rural, you know, you... I don't know. Like, you don't, like... It's just like, it's like fucking like Magatown where I grew up at. And like, it always has been. And it's probably better now than it was when I was a kid. Or it's 10 times worse in so many ways.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
So I think for me, I was like, it was really interesting because I think a lot of the people who I grew up around who were incredibly homophobic were
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
are very supportive of me now that I am like a public person because I think the idea of fame and wealth can sometimes trump hate if it's close in proximity, which is really fucking frustrating because I'm like, I know you don't like anybody else who's gay and you don't like me either. You just like the idea of the closeness to like something that is gay.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
very shallow so much so that you're willing to like put your bigotry to the side for a second to be like oh i babysat her i'm like no you're a fucking homophobe and i don't like you to the day and i will never like you my neighbors are boycotting target for having like a pride line i'm like i could give a fuck about y'all i could give a fuck about y'all so that in that way would
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
really frustrated me. Because I was like, you don't get to be supportive of this thing now that it's easy for you and fun for you and something for you to fucking brag about. Yeah. You must feel very used. So used. So used. And then on the other side of that, I love being a lesbian and I love the lesbian community so much. And I love the community surrounding lesbians that-
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
like really fuck with us I don't know so there's like there's really bad and there's really really good yeah yeah um I also like I love to watch people come out publicly who feel like they can and then like change their identity or not it's just kind of I don't know it's not for everyone but like for me it was definitely an integral part of my life well I think what you're talking about is that by doing it you're just kind of like leading by example this idea that
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Thanks. It's nice. It's nice. I, like, I don't know. I enjoy it. I also just have, like, a big, like, group of, like— gay friends around me. Like, I, like, have, like, my, like, gaggle of lesbians. So, speaking of... Please.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Models are so hot. We gotta start talking about it more. Models are so fucking hot. Models are hot.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I'm sure they're— She had incredible questions. I was going to say, I'm sure they're very PG and very normal. Okay. And super—yeah.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Oh, I thought your guinea pig's name was Algonquin. No. I was like, wait. Yeah. Cool.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Well, Algonquin is where I was like, I was more just like, where's the guinea pig? Yeah. Algonquin.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Yeah. I've, like, watched so many people do it. So well. Who does it well? I mean, not to be, like, so annoying, but, like, my girlfriend does it really well. I wasn't going to say, but she really does do it well. Like, she's fine as hell. What are you going to do? Yeah. Take me out. Like, it's fine. Yeah, she really does.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
That's it. That's actually it. Right? I can't even explain to you how much exactly that is it. But it is.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Oh, my God. Okay, I have a real one and I have a fake one. Okay, great. Okay, the real one would be me, Karen Carpenter, Beyonce, and – Oh, maybe like Queen Latifah or something amazing. Something so sick. Dana Owens. I love Queen Latifah. I'm like, please. That would be so hard. Have you ever met her? Again, I was forced by Cara. How funny.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
She's so fucking cool. And it was also just like so, she's like timeless. She's so timeless to me. So that's your real band. Then what about, you said you had a fake one. Yes, fake band is me, NeNe Leakes, Ellen DeGeneres, and Wendy Williams. That's the one I want. That's the one I want. Yeah, that makes sense. I want that bad. Keep talking about it. I'll take it as a group.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Probably Cara. Yeah. She'd manage it. Yeah. Yeah. She'd manage it. I don't know how much, like, managing would be, like, done, but I know that she'd manage it.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
That'd be super cute. That would be wild. But no, like, head—like, face paint.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I would love to do acid while doing that. Totally. I'd be like, this is fucking awesome. And then we also get Ellen to, like, do Dory as well. That would— On the side. Oh, hold on.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Law and Order with Christopher Melonian. Mariska Hargitay, that's right.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Yeah. I love them. Like, what the fuck are you doing? Yeah. It's also the writing on that show is so crazy. It's so crazy. Yeah. It's like, got a burp dead? Yep. What a shame. Raped? Absolutely. Whoa. No trigger warning. Right?
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
And then it's like, cut to dum-dum. It's so intense and there's so much going on. You're like, holy shit. This is either, I can't tell if this is awesome or if it's so bad. And I think everyone would agree with that. It's quick. It's intense. And I need something that's quick because I don't want time to think about something else because then I'll start tweaking.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
And I also think Christopher Meloni's kind of fucking jacked. And it's hot. He's not kind of fucking jacked. He's super jacked. Have you ever seen the picture of him in like a middle split when he did like Men's Health, this one? Love. I'm going to say something.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I couldn't agree more. I don't like... This is... And some of my friends do this, and that's okay. I do just want to flag. Some of y'all do this, and that's all right. I'm not big into boys flipping. Doing backflips? We got to cut that out. Oh, I don't like...
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Totally. I've just been verbally and physically assaulted by too many theater boys, theater twinks, the straight theater twinks, who ruined my life as kids, who were like, wait, I do a flip. And so the director was like, front and center. Yeah. Front and center. They're like, do that flip.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
They're like, come on. Come on, Joey. And Joey's only getting front and center because the director has a massive crush on him and he can do a flip.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
He lost it for me. There's something about it that's a bit vulnerable. I'm like, wait, cut that out. You're a boy. What are you doing?
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
And that, too, is similar to the flipping, something that people shouldn't do when they're singing.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Oh, if you're, like, dancing or doing something fucking incredible, absolutely. But, like, people shouldn't do what I did. That was weird.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
And I'm not saying that, like, if I could flip, which I can't. So I'm not, like, I'm not hating because I can't do it.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I'm sorry. And by the way, that doesn't mean that other people should say it's weird about anybody else, okay? Because I really, like, I love my friends. And if they want to flip, fucking flip. It's just not my thing. It's not my thing.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Absolutely. I love doing that. Oh, my God. There was one last night I wish I could remember because it's just so crazy. It's so crazy. I'm like, I can't imagine... delivering that line.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Exactly. I cannot imagine having to deliver that line. I would walk out. I'd walk right on out of a set. I'd be like, you know what? I disagree. I think you'd nail it. Oh, my God. I could, my like, what's it? Suspension of disbelief or something? I'm not, ooh, I'm not good at that. If I get like, if there's a line that I'm like, I can't do this, I like totally shut down as a person.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
the scary parts. What do you do? I really just don't take it seriously. I just do not take it seriously. Because when I take myself too seriously, I panic. Yeah. I panic. Because it's, like, oftentimes it's truly not, as much as I hate to say this... It's truly not about me. And no one fucking used that against me. Okay, but you know what?
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Yeah. Because, like, you know, kids are assholes. People are assholes. I was an asshole. Like, I'm sure there were so many times I can recall that, like, people were assholes to me when I was growing up in school. And I guarantee that there were 10,000 times that I was so mean to somebody else for no reason because I was pissed at myself or pissed off at somebody else. Mm-hmm.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
So, like, I don't know. That's not to say that sometimes I'm not an asshole. I totally am.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I might need to, like, tap into that, like, sort of, like, little, like, pigtail kind of infinity scarf girl again.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
You'll be gay yourself. I mean, I wish. Oh, my God. Literally come out. We go out every weekend. Come out.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
literally wherever the problem is you go out late um no well yeah but like you'll you'll be so fine I promise what time do you get leave the house like what time do you want to leave the house
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Is it weird to listen to your music? I mean, I'm forced to listen to it a lot. So no, it's not weird. Is this your first single? No.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I know I like it. And it's very crunchy. Thanks, dude. Thanks.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I really like your music. Of course. Thank you. It's very sweet. I really like your music. Thank you. Thanks. I'm glad that you like it.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Love. I mean, that's kind of like a sick thing for me to know that that's where you first seen me. I'm like, oh, my God, that's so cute.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I auditioned a bunch of times. And when I first auditioned, I remember I was like, I need to dress really girly. And at that time in my life, I was like... I mean, I was dressing horrifically, first of all. What do you mean? Like an infinity scarf, a legging. Sure.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
No, no, no. Like, I love a little, like, small infinity scarf. You know, like tiny knit. Tiny knit. Yeah. But that was just like, I don't know. I was just dressing crazy. I was dressing crazy. I'd also like just started making money. So I discovered like athleisure and I was like a musical theater person who was moving to New York.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
And I was like, fuck, you guys all wear these little fucking Lululemon skirts. Right. Right. Right. Assholes. I got to get one. So I was dressing crazy. So I was like, all right, I got to dress the part. And I looked fucking insane. I just looked so terrible. And I remember being like, I can't walk in these heels. And this skirt is, like, making my ass sweat so crazy. I have to go home.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Yeah, big time. Fuck you up. I hated it, hated it, hated it. So then the next audition I went back— Changed clothes. Wore some pants. Skinny jeans. That was nice. And I looked less bad. Did better. What did you sing for your audition? Do you remember? No, but I remember that an ex-boyfriend picked it out for me.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Yeah, because I was like... He was a musical theater major in college, which is smarter than I was. And he was like... Oh, I think I said something. I was like, I'm going to sing like a Beyonce song. And he was like, what the fuck for? He's like, cool. But at that time, it wasn't like, you know, the girls weren't doing pop like I think they are now. Yeah. And he gave me something.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Fuck, I don't remember. He was like, sing something from HMS Pinafore. Literally. He was like, Joseph's Technicolor Dreamcoat. Exactly. Exactly. So I remember I did that. And then after that. The auditions I went back, I just had to sing songs from the show. And that was way fucking easier. Yeah. Because I hate having to make decisions.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I mean, it was super fucking hard. Um... I don't know. I did like six and a half months. So I did like half of what would have been my like contract. Just like did a ton of fucking shows. You just do literally so many. Holy shit.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Absolutely. Actually, do you know what? No, the hardest part of my day was like the mental game of waking up and waiting the entire day. Yeah. And planning your entire life. around doing a show at night.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
The most intense... Hormonal. Scary. Yeah. Scary. Really intense. And I don't say that about other people. I mean that more about like myself. Like I was a fucking terror. I didn't make a friend the entire week. So they're a high school competition. Yeah. Okay. So yes, actually. So what it is is a high school theater. I'm like scary. You went way in.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
I feel like… I mean, it definitely, like… It definitely gave me, like, leverage because I was, like, just kind of an asshole. And I was like, you guys are going to pay attention to me whether you like it or not.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
Yeah, definitely. Where do you think that comes from? I literally have no idea. Like from inception to now. Same way. Same way. Like, always. And don't get me wrong. Like, I think my parents have those qualities, absolutely.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
But, like, even before, you know, when you're, like, a little tiny thing and you start to sort of, like, take on parts of your own personality and as those become, you know, what they are, I was always, like... Just, like, super driven, crazy, like, little bit angry, and, like, ready to go.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
No, there's no way, because I wouldn't have come back. I'd be like, I'm not doing this shit again. I'm like, I'm not doing that shit again. No, this is your first time. Gotta be. You're so centered. Gotta be. From a little, from a young age, you know who you are. Definitely. I think I'm just very, like, I'm supposed to be very feisty. Yeah. But also, when I was, like, being born, I guess.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
When I was being born. And, like, in my mom. When I was there being born. When I was, like. Shootin' out. Yeah. My mom, like, chose my first and last name to be... Well, okay. Arguably. Chose my first and last name to both have, like, R's. Yes. So she was, like, alliteration just in case she wants to be a pop star. Like, before I was born. Which is so fucking headass and is so conceited.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Reneé Rapp
And I'm obsessed with... With the way she did it, I'm like, thank you, God. She gave you a pop star name just in case.