The extraordinarily talented people I so often have the privilege of interviewing is a big part of the reason I’ve clung to the same job for decades. It’s a role that allows me to visit with my heroes – the legendary writers and filmmakers, authors and actors, artists and architects, and countless other creators who craft the experiences that bring me – and millions of fans like me – so much joy. While I get to spend more time around creative genius than I probably deserve, rare is the day I get to sit down with an “EGOT,” as I did for this latest “One on One” feature. (Technically, he became an “EGOT” shortly after our interview, but it still counts.)
“EGOT,” as you may be aware, is an acronym referring to those who’ve earned the performing-arts industry’s four major awards: Emmy (for television), Grammy (for music), Oscar (for movies) and Tony (for live theatre). As I write this, only 21 people have achieved “EGOT” status through competitive awards (with another 6 achieving the designation through noncompetitive or honorary awards).
Among the latest “EGOT” artists is renowned composer and lyricist Justin Paul, who, with his creative partner Benj Pasek, came into 2024 having already earned a Grammy for The Greatest Showman, an Oscar for La La Land and a Tony for Dear Evan Hansen. This year, the dynamic duo of Pasek and Paul added the “E” to their “EGOT” status by taking home an Emmy for “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?,” an original song they wrote for the smash-hit Hulu Original Series “Only Murders in the Building.”
During his recent Walt Disney World vacation, a gracious Justin Paul woke up early – before the parks opened to guests, to join me for a visit inside Storybook Circus at Magic Kingdom Park, a place I picked based on my love of his work on the similarly circus-themed film The Greatest Showman (now streaming on Disney+ and soon to become a Disney on Broadway production). We talked about everything from the origins of his musical and Disney fandom to his (and Benj Pasek’s) musical work on Disney’s Snow White, the live-action film scheduled to hit theaters in spring 2025.
Ryan: Before we talk about your musical work, I’d like to talk about your musical fandom. What’s your earliest memory of experiencing a musical?
Justin: I was born in St. Louis, and the first live musical I remember seeing was a production of Peter Pan with my grandmother at The Muny Theatre. (Editor’s note: The Muny, which wrapped its 106th season in 2024, holds the distinction of being the nation’s oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre.) I just remember being completely smitten with it. I loved music, and I loved storytelling, so to see those two loves come together in one experience was life changing.
Ryan: There must be something magical about seeing Peter Pan on stage in Missouri. Walt Disney often spoke about being inspired by his first livetheatre experience as a kid – seeing a production of Peter Pan in Marceline, Missouri. So you’re in good company. And that’s a nice segue. Let’s talk about your Disney fandom. What was your entry point to Disney as a kid?
Justin: I am a child of the Disney Animation renaissance. I think I was 4 years old when The Little Mermaid came out – 6 or 7 when Aladdin came out. Those were the first films I saw in theaters. The Aladdin soundtrack was my first CD. So, from a young age, the idea of characters singing to express their emotions, their wants, their fears, their evil schemes – whatever it was, felt like such a natural thing. I never questioned why they were singing. That was just life, as far as I knew, and I always gravitated to that kind of storytelling.
Disney Files Magazine Editor Ryan March, left, visits with “EGOT” composer and lyricist Justin Paul at Storybook Circus before Magic Kingdom Park began its operating day.
Ryan: At what point then, as you grew up, did you start to see musical storytelling as a potential career path?
Justin: I was in a show in high school – a production of Into the Woods. We were rehearsing a scene, and I remember my theatre director asking me, “Why do you think your character sings that lyric?” And I was like, “Well, I mean…it’s in the script.” And he said, “No, but why? Why do you think your character was chosen to sing those specific words?” And that’s when it clicked for me. Someone made that decision. There’s a writer behind all of this, pulling all the strings and making those choices. That stuck with me, even as I went to college to study acting and performing. I was focused on singing and dancing. Or at least trying to dance. But I also started studying composers and lyricists like Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. That’s when I started to think, “Maybe that’s what I’m supposed to do.” Acting became an onramp to my career path as a writer.
Ryan: Eventually, that path led to a place where you found yourself pursuing professional projects. The movie musical that became your big break was also the very first film my little girl saw in a theater
– The Greatest Showman. Take me back to the first time you heard a pitch for that film. What do you remember striking you most about the concept?
Justin: It was Michael Gracey, who directed The Greatest Showman, making that pitch to a group at Fox, and Benj and I were fortunate to be in the room. He shared gorgeous concept art and explained that he wanted to tell a story about this ambitious, genius creator in 1800s New York, but he wanted it to feel contemporary. I remember him telling everyone in the room to think of P.T. Barnum as a Steve Jobs or Jay-Z or Walt Disney – not just a ringmaster, but a visionary whose out-of-the-box creations you never knew you needed in your life. His pitch was full of heart and emotion – it felt visceral and edgy. He wanted music that felt both classic and contemporary – traditional musical theatre numbers that could hit the pop charts. He shared wildly ambitious goals – much like P.T. Barnum himself. It was intoxicating. I remember sitting in that room and thinking, “I know we’re nobody. I know this guy has no idea who we are. But I really think we can do this.” And so we wrote a couple of demo pieces, and once we sold ourselves to Michael, he had the unenviable job of selling us to the studio. They took a risk on us, and we’re so thankful.
Ryan: Speaking of the balance between classic and contemporary, as we speak, you and Benj are creating music for Snow White – a contemporary, live-action musical inspired by the beloved, animated classic. Given the importance of the animated classic to this company and the art form it pioneered, I imagine that gig coming with a healthy – or maybe unhealthy – mix of joy and terror. How has the emotional journey been for you thus far?
Justin: “Joy and terror” is a phenomenal way of describing it. Benj and I hold the animated classic in such high regard. It’s the film that launched this incredible studio, and as you said, it created an art form. So for us, it’s a delicate balance of honoring what’s sacred and beloved about the original while bringing characters forward for a new generation, and maybe answering some story questions we have as fans. What does Snow White want, beyond meeting a prince? What made the evil queen evil? How might we answer these kinds of questions through song? Disney musicals have evolved a great deal since the 1930s, with fuller songs and more complex characters. So we see this less as a “remake” and more as a “new take.” It’s thrilling, but yes, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t daunting.
Ryan: We’re almost out of time, as the park’s about to open, and these imaginary elephants around us are about to start spraying very real water in our direction. But before we go and let you return to your vacation, I’d like to finish with a question about legacy and impact. I overheard you telling our photographer as she posed you near that circus train that “Baby Mine” from Dumbo is the lullaby you and your wife sing to your daughter, which is very sweet. Do you ever stop and think that something you write could someday become another family’s bedtime song?
Justin: When I do start to think like that, I usually stop writing, as it’s too daunting. But yes, the gift of getting to write music for Disney is that we know there’s an audience who loves Disney storytelling as much as we do, and that the songs we write have an opportunity to deeply connect with families and stand the test of time. I was thinking just the other night as I watched the fireworks here in this park with my family that the pairing of a song with an iconic image is, I believe, the single most indelible piece of entertainment that exists. There’s nothing more memorable when you get it right. And nobody does that better than Disney.
Did you know? Before Justin Paul and Benj Pasek, other “EGOT” artists with Disney connections include Rita Moreno (her Emmy awarded her performance in a 1977 episode of “The Muppet Show”), Disney Legend Whoopi Goldberg (whose numerous honors include an Emmy for ABC’s “The View”) , Robert Lopez (winning a best original song Oscar for the Frozen fan favorite “Let It Go”), Disney Legend Tim Rice (winning a best original song Oscar for the Aladdin anthem “A Whole New World), Disney Legend Alan Menken (with all four awards honoring music he created for Disney projects, including the animated classic The Little Mermaid, the stage production of Newsies and the made-for-television “Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure”), Jennifer Hudson (honorary godmother of the Disney Dream ship and former Disney Cruise Line Entertainment Crew Member), and Disney Legend Elton John (with three of the four qualifying honors earned through Disney work, including an Emmy for the Disney+ concert event “Farewell from Dodger Stadium,” an Oscar for the song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” in The Lion King and a Tony for best original musical score for Aida).
