Taye Diggs Says He Doesn’t 'Need the Leads Anymore' After Broadway Return (Exclusive)

Meredith WilshereSun, February 22, 2026 at 10:00 PM UTC

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Taye Diggs

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After his recent return to Broadway, Taye Diggs shares with PEOPLE that he doesn't "need the leads anymore"

"That's a lot of work — the singing and the acting and the dancing constantly. But, I'll take it as it comes," he says

The 55-year-old has appeared in Carousel, Chicago, Wicked, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Moulin Rouge! The Musical and was in the original cast of Rent

Taye Diggs isn't focused on landing leading roles after three decades in the spotlight.

The actor, 55, recently returned to Broadway after a 10-year hiatus to play The Duke of Monroth in Moulin Rouge! The Musical. He confesses to PEOPLE that he was “way more scared than I thought I would be,” since “Broadway was where I got my start.”

“There's nothing like being in front of a live audience, but it had been over 10 years since I'd been on stage, so I did not take into account the fear and the terror that I would go through," he admits. "But once I was obviously well rehearsed and once you get out there, there's no turning back, then I was able to appreciate why I'm there in the first place."

"That love for theater, there's nothing like it," he continues. "I'd like to do more. I'm just gonna remember how scared I was that time to be prepared."

Taye Diggs

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Diggs got his start on Broadway as part of the ensemble in the 1994 revival of Carousel. Two years later, he got his breakout role as Benjamin Coffin III in the original production of Rent, which opened up doors for him to enter the world of television and film.

While he admits there isn’t a “dream role” that he’d want, at this point in his career, he says he looks for parts that don't "take so much memorization.”

“I don't need the leads anymore. That's a lot of work — the singing and the acting and the dancing constantly. But, I'll take it as it comes,” Diggs tells PEOPLE. “Now that I'm a little bit older, I don't need to be all out in front."

"It's just great to be a part of an ensemble," he continues. "Going back to New York for a few months, that was so great. Just being around all of the talent and energy. We'll see, but this definitely will not be my last time."

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Diggs recently announced a partnership with Cancerguard, which provides tests for early cancer detection, which he says gives him peace of mind, especially after both his mother and stepfather died from cancer.

“I was on Broadway doing Moulin Rouge, and [my son] and his and his mom came and supported, and that felt good. That was a great moment," he tells PEOPLE. "Now that I know that I'll be around, I can stick around and my son can come see me on Broadway, and I can keep playing these roles."

Diggs shares 16-year-old son, Walker Nathaniel Diggs, with ex-wife Idina Menzel, whom he met while on Rent.

While Taye is happy being part of a Broadway ensemble, when it comes to the small screen, there is one leading role that he would like to revisit. One of his first forays into television was in a 2004 drama called Kevin Hill.

“It was about a hotshot lawyer and he has to adopt a newborn baby, a little girl that he doesn't know, and he has to raise this girl and still be a lawyer and still be Mr. Cool," the actor explains. "I ended up having to work for an all-woman law firm because they understood how I needed time for the baby."

Kevin Hill ran for one season, and in addition to Taye, starred Jon Seda, Patrick Breen, Christina Hendricks and Kate Levering.

“I got to know the character, got to get to know women and babies, and juggling time and responsibilities. That was great," he says. "There were elements of comedy between the lawyer aspect and then the relationships. I wouldn't mind going back to playing that role, Kevin Hill."

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”