Over the past few years, Sean Allan Krill has become one of the musical theatre's most sought-after character actors, with a knack for playing complex, often-flawed men.

Since the decade began, he has played absentee, porn-addicted husband Steve Healy to Tony-nominated effect in Jagged Little Pill; Louisiana Governor Slaton, who commutes Leo Frank's death sentence to life imprisonment, in the Tony-winning revival of Parade; and arrogant engineer H.T. Carmichael in Lincoln Center Theater's Broadway bow of Floyd Collins.

And, now, Krill is back on Broadway in one of the biggest hits of the new season, the long-awaited revival of Chess, a heavily revised version of the 1980s musical that fared well in London but only managed a brief run on Broadway in 1988. The current staging of the Benny Andersson-Björn Ulvaeus-Tim Rice musical at the Imperial features a new book by Emmy winner Danny Strong with direction by Tony winner Michael Mayer. Krill, who has been with this version of Chess for over eight years, plays manipulative CIA agent Walter de Courcey in a company led by Lea Michele, Nicholas Christopher, and Tony winner Aaron Tveit.

Krill has also been seen on Broadway in Honeymoon in Vegas, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, and Mamma Mia!, while his Off-Broadway credits include Brother/Sister Plays, Civil War Christmas, and Hit the Wall plus regional appearances in Legally Blonde, Sense and Sensibility, Sideways, Hot L Baltimore, Brigadoon, Hamlet, and Comedy of Errors. TV and film audiences may be familiar with his work in Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld, Dopesick, FBI: Most Wanted, Godfather of Harlem, Search Party, Dr. Death, Mr. Robot, Blacklist, Blue Bloods, Song Sung Blue, and Intermedium.

In the interview below for the Playbill series How Did I Get Here—spotlighting not only actors, but directors, designers, musicians, and others who work on and off the stage to create the magic that is live theatre—Krill candidly shares a difficult point in his life that made him question returning to New York City, why he loves playing a villain, and how "a good play can melt the coldest heart."

Where did you train/study?
Sean Allan Krill: I studied acting at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

Was there a teacher who was particularly impactful/helpful? What made this instructor stand out?
My acting professor at Wayne State, Dinah Lynch. She had an incredible way of getting through to my 19-year-old, sheltered, closed-off, wannabe-actor self. She broke down my walls, taught me to avoid traps, to make strong choices, and to be brave. I’m 100 percent sure I dug my heels in at the time, but I’m so grateful she didn’t give up on me.

You've been part of this version of Chess for several years. When did you first become involved? How has the role/show changed during that time, and what's it like finally bringing the show to Broadway?
The first developmental reading of this iteration of Chess was in the summer of 2017. I’ve played Walter de Courcey in each version since: at The Kennedy Center, the Broadhurst concert, etc. Danny Strong ran with the idea that the CIA (Walter) and the KGB (Molokov) are controlling “the lovers” like pawns in their own game of Cold War political intrigue. Walter was originally a TV producer working with Freddie, and sang a bit more in that earlier version. With Walter being overtly CIA in the new script, much of the existing Walter music made little sense. When I suggested cutting much of his singing, Danny and director Michael Mayer said, “Are you sure? You’re cutting your only song!” But it makes much more sense in this new version that Walter is primarily a non-singing character, plus Danny wrote a very meta—and hilarious—line about it in the show. It’s been a joy to develop this new Walter over the last eight-and-a-half years, and to have the opportunity to bring it to fruition on Broadway has been a wonderful  and gratifying experience.

READ: Danny Strong Has Spent a Decade Rewriting the Book for Chess. Now It's Finally Coming to Broadway

What's it like getting to play the "bad guy”?
I love playing a villain. They’re often troubled and complex, a delicious treat for any actor. My only caveat is that, in theatre, there be some kind of redemptive nature involved; as an actor, I tend to become emotionally involved with the characters I play, so with “villains," it can wear on my soul over time. I’ve tried in the past to play truly evil people, and as long as I don’t have to sit in it for a long theatrical run, I’m fine. Well, actually, I’m fine as long as the overall piece isn’t glorifying the behavior; I played a white supremacist in four episodes of Mr. Robot, a truly horrible character. For me, it was worth it because A) when you shoot film and TV, it’s in and out, after a few takes you’re done. And, most importantly, B) the show was ultimately condemning the character and his actions.

I love playing Walter de Courcey because his endgame [chuckles] is crystal clear: Save the world. Period. Not exactly not a noble intention, right? To him, that’s much more important than trivial romantic relationship woes or mind-numbingly boring chess games. True, he’s maybe not a people person, and he doesn’t hesitate to manipulate whoever he needs to in order to save the world, but ultimately he’s just an uptight snarky dude who is really just trying to keep us all safe. Plus, he hates chess with a passion, which I think is hilarious. One of my favorite stories is when an orchestra member's son came to see the show and wanted to meet me. They asked if Walter really has a child, and I said, “Well, hmm, I can tell you that one of the statements he makes about his kid is true, the other is not.” The boy looked at his mom and said, “See? He’s just doing his job.” Out of the mouths of babes!

You've had an extremely busy 2025 on Broadway, having been part of the Broadway debut of Floyd Collins. Can you share a favorite memory from that run, either onstage or backstage?
I’ve been a fan of Floyd Collins for decades. As a younger actor, it was a formative theatre piece for me; my late partner, Guy Adkins, played Skeets Miller in the 1999 tour, and that was when I first met and befriended Tina Landau and Adam Guettel. So, all these years later, it was a dream come true to be a part of the OBC. I’d have to say my favorite memory from the run at Lincoln Center was watching Taylor Trensch so beautifully bring Skeets alive again, and, as HT Carmichael, to have the opportunity to share with him the final moments of Floyd’s rescue efforts.

Excluding Chess, do you have a favorite Broadway experience? What made that show/role particularly memorable for you?
I will always cherish my experience doing Jagged Little Pill. To have the opportunity to originate a role in a new Broadway show is a dream come true, of course, and it was a welcome challenge to explore a beautifully flawed character like Steve Healy. The show allowed him to learn and grow, to be multifaceted, complex; I fought for that throughout the process, and I was very proud of the Steve Healy we ended up with.

Do you have any dream stage roles and/or actors you would like to work with?
I’ve always, always dreamed of playing Javert in Les Miserables. Aside from that, I’ve never really had a huge "bucket list."  I just want to play my part well, and, hopefully, always keep growing as an actor. That’s always been the ultimate personal goal.

What do you consider your big break?
I’ve been a working professional actor since I was in college. I started my career in Detroit and Chicago, and had the opportunity there to hone my craft by playing many different kinds of characters in both straight plays and musicals. So many of the theatre and film experiences I’ve had over the years were wildly formative and exciting, so it’s very hard to pick just one. Of course there were projects that propelled my career forward in the industry, but I could just as easily point to the first time I got cast in high school as my "big break." It’s all been a part of what’s gotten me to where I am today.

Tell me about a job/opportunity you really wanted but didn’t get. How did you get over that disappointment?
Not sure if this counts, but I was cast in the first national tour of Dear Evan Hansen back in 2018, but had to back out because it conflicted with the possibility of Jagged Little Pill moving to Broadway. Neither show would budge and allow me to do both, so I was forced to choose. It was one of those decisions we’re sometimes forced to make as actors that just feels impossible. I’m so glad I chose to take the leap and wait for JLP, but I will always miss not having the opportunity to be a part of DEH.

Tell me about a time you almost gave up but didn’t.
In 2009 my partner of 13 years, actor Guy Adkins, was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. I had just made my Broadway debut in Mamma Mia! at the Winter Garden, and Guy was killing it in TV and film; he’d just shot a guest spot on 30 Rock and starred in an independent feature film called The David Dance. Of course, the diagnosis rocked our world. We moved back to Chicago to be closer to his family, and in May of 2010 he passed away. I was devastated, and had no idea if I could face NYC again, after being gone for two years. But slowly I dipped my toe in, did a couple shows in Chicago, and in 2011 made the move back to New York. In many ways I was completely starting over, and it was the most difficult time of my life, personally and professionally. But all these years later, I’m grateful and proud I stuck with it.

In such difficult times in this country and around the world, how do you think theatre can play a positive role, either for yourself and/or the community at large?
The best theatre can hold up a mirror and show us our most beautiful, complicated, vulnerable selves. In a world where people often present, via social media, to be 100 all day every day—or just constantly outraged—I think theatre is more valuable than it ever has been; an open invitation to embrace complexity, failure and success, insight, nuance, sympathy, and empathy. Screaming in all caps online likely won’t change anyone’s mind, but I believe a good play can melt the coldest heart. I try as best I can to attach myself to projects that have something to say about our human existence. In Chess, when Walter says, “We can deport whoever we want, whenever we want”—yikes, it’s so hard for me, Sean, to say that because it’s so awful and infuriating, and sadly still holds true in our country today. But I’m proud to be part of a piece that ultimately says to the audience, “Isn’t this just so wrong?”

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Photos: Chess Opening Night on Broadway

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