From American Idol and Yellowjackets to Broadway’s Hadestown, Kayko and Jasmin Savoy Brown opened up about finding their chemistry and making the iconic characters their own.

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Stepping into the roles of Orpheus and Eurydice is no small task. Hadestown has become a beloved part of the Broadway canon, with its haunting music, gorgeous staging, and timeless love story continuing to resonate years after its debut. In fact, the pro-shot released in theaters earlier this summer set the record for the highest-grossing live stage capture film ever.

When I met Kayko and Jasmin in the orchestra of the Walter Kerr Theatre, with the stage just a few rows away, our 20-minute conversation quickly turned into three people chatting like old friends. We talked and laughed about everything from their Broadway debuts and their journeys to the stage to the inside jokes they’ve developed during the show.

Here's everything we unpacked about Hadestown.

Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Kayko: Hadestown is a show about art. As someone from the music world, I was deeply influenced by the show's focus on a guy just trying to write a song. As I became more and more obsessed with the show and came to truly understand it, I became really interested in the idea of giving hope and showing how the world could be.

Jasmin: Hadestown is such a human story. We’re talking about love and betrayal. We’re talking about hope, vulnerability, and letting someone in. It’s also so timely. We’re discussing the climate crisis, politics, and all these things in such a non-polarizing, human way. It’s a poem. It’s just beautiful all around.

Jasmin: Being on TV as an actor, you build the muscle of endurance. It’s a very different muscle from stage, because on TV you’re working an 18-hour day. You have to go in and out of emotional moments — whereas here, you start and don’t stop. But the work ethic and the ability to clock into that space helped prepare me for sure.

Kayko: Idol is a crazy experience. In the live music biz, you have to be ready for anything and everything, and that helped me prepare. My drummer, Tim, deemed us Batman and the Joker — where he is prepared for everything, and I am the king of chaos that just rules in this liminal space.

In live theater, it is such a pro to be able to take a chaotic situation and make it your own. Yesterday, I fell off a table. (Laughs) There was a lady in the audience who audibly was like, "Oh no!" 

I think it’d be a disservice to ignore moments like that. You have to take that, process it, and tell the story anyway.

Jasmin: Can we say what we think each other is bringing? Should we do that?

Kayko: It’s so interesting because Eurydice has this very tough exterior, but your voice, your vocal quality, and your timbre are so sweet. You have this independent attitude, like, "Nobody mess with me. I know what the world is and how it’s treated me." But with Orpheus's love, your Eurydice really opens up.

There’s a sweetness and vulnerability that you’re able to display, which is so hard. That’s what hurt Eurydice in the past, and it's what hurts her again in the show.

Jasmin: That's so nice! I’m really proud watching Kayko grow as an actor. Kayko is a singer first, and hasn’t acted before — and that can be scary. 

It might feel like a disadvantage, but in this role, I think it’s actually really serving you. As actors, we sometimes freak out about the process. You’re showing up as you, and you're choosing to be present in the moment.

That is so true of who Orpheus is. There are so many incredible takes on Orpheus and actors that have done wonderful things — but by showing up as you, you're bringing this vulnerability, and a sense of humor that is really beautiful.

It makes the love story all the more meaningful. Eurydice gets to fall for this "accidentally charming" guy, and I don’t think anyone but you could do that.

Kayko: I think it was very important to me that I knew Jasmin as a human.

Jasmin: That’s what I was going to say, too. Trust.

Kayko: Yeah, because how can you really build something with someone if you don’t know anything about them? And Jasmin's cool as hell!

Jasmin: You’re cool as hell! You’re seeing a genuine connection onstage. We have respect for each other and appreciate each other’s opinions and thoughts, and, at this point, have turned to each other for advice or comfort.

And, of course, I grilled him about his big three — Sun, Moon, and Rising. You can learn a lot by getting that.

Jasmin: We were actually talking about this the other day. We’re now on our 18th, 19th show, something like that?

Jasmin: 20! Wow. We’re comfortable now, which means there’s so much more room to play, but also that fear is gone of, "Oh my God, am I gonna fuck it up?" We learned very quickly — keep it fresh and be present without that fear.

It’s easy with a live audience because they laugh at different things every day. We had a beautiful fan last week who was so engaging, especially with Orpheus, and would be like, "Get up, Orpheus!" It sounded like a little kid, maybe a six-year-old.

Kayko: They actually said my name. They were like, "Get up, Kayko!"

Kayko: Eight shows a week is definitely a lot. On the vocal side of it, we sing a lot, and we sing really high and emotionally. There’s a lot of "cry-singing" that’s happening, too. So the coolest thing I’m finding is how quickly our bodies are getting so much stronger.

Jasmin: It’s amazing. Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that either. Bodies are awesome.

Kayko: Something on the acting side — we started giving each other these glancing looks when we're falling in love in that middle period.

Kayko: I’m not sure if anybody notices, but it’s not really meant for anybody else. It’s more for us to follow the plot and to not go more than a few minutes without checking in.

Jasmin: That's something that we found in the last week and a half onstage, and there are these little things we keep finding. I started playing with his hair in different moments in the show that weren’t there a couple of weeks ago. There’s a lot of stuff you'll pick up if you see it more than once.

Kayko: Sometimes you jump 19 feet into the air.

Jasmin: (Laughs) It’s this inside joke that we have now. There’s this moment I jump in Kayko's arms, and every day I’m jumping higher and higher. He's like, "How do you jump that high?"

Kayko: I love hearing Amber [Iman] and Ben [Davis] sing "How Long?" I’m so obsessed with it now. That song didn't click with me until I heard them sing it live, and I went, "Oh, this is the best song in the show."

Jasmin: 100% same. They are so incredible. Another moment is when Amber does that amazing riff in “Way Down Hadestown.”

Kayko: (Sings) "You better forget about your wishing well."

Kayko: Ooh, I think he would sing "Waiting on the World to Change." That’s a very American Idol song. I think he would make the top 10 for sure. I think Orpheus would sing songs that maybe resonate with the American Idol demographic more than I did.

Jasmin: Kayko sang his original music on Idol. How cool is that? Stream his music, by the way.

Kayko: And Jasmin’s, while you’re at it.

Jasmin: Oh my God, so much better. I think she would actually know which berries were poisonous, and how to skin a rabbit and how to build a fire.

BuzzFeed: Do you think she and Taissa would be friends?

Jasmin: You know what’s so funny? For a second, I forgot I played them both, and I was thinking, They'd totally hook up! 

Kayko: As a person who always feels like their worth is tied to the last thing they did, having 208 chances to do the exact same show over and over again is a really healthy thing for me.

I will have a bad show and occasionally miss riffs or blocking marks. But having so many chances makes the run less about a single night or moment and more about the longevity and health of the work.

Jasmin: That was so well articulated. My answer is similar, which is funny, because he’s really helping me with my imposter syndrome and my overcritical ass.

I am learning to be more present and less precious because, similarly, I often tie my worth to what people think of my work.

I’m learning even more now that being onstage will be polarizing. We’re artists. We’re doing a take on characters. There are going to be people that think it’s awful and people who think it’s incredible — but none of that matters.

What matters is being true in that moment and telling the story that night. So, I’m working on just looking into Kayko’s eyes, being present, and having fun.

Keep up with them on Instagram: @kaykomusic and @jasminsavoy.

Check out my interviews with prior cast members: