NYC Ballet principal dancer Unity Phelan moonlights as a TV star on ‘Étoile’: ‘Cherry on top’
Share this @internewscast.com

Unity Phelan’s acting résumé has range, to say the least.

In the last six years, she’s appeared in a brutal and bloody blockbuster action film, a mind-bending auteurist drama and a fizzy TV comedy series. 

But the projects have one thing in common: In all of them, she wears ballet shoes.

Phelan, a principal with the New York City Ballet, has become Hollywood’s ballerina. 

She was learning the ropes as an assassin in “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” with Keanu Reeves, dazzled as a dancer in a corridor in Charlie Kaufman’s “I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” and now takes on a secondary role in the series “Étoile” from the creators of “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, available on Prime Video.

“This all feels like a delightful bonus,” Phelan, 30, shared with The Post after rehearsing with the New York City Ballet. “It’s the perfect cherry on top of my career.”

And she’s had quite a career. Critics have called the five-foot-eight dancer “incandescent.”

Born in Princeton, NJ, Phelan studied at the Princeton Ballet School from a young age, while also nurturing a passion for musical theater.

“I was passionate about Broadway and have always loved singing,” she mentioned. “My entire family enjoys singing. My dad and sister are both in choirs, and my parents actually met through singing.”

So, while learning how to pirouette, Phelan also refined her belting and jazz squares.

“I went to a camp called Ghostlight Theater Camp [in Maine] religiously as long as I could until I got into New York City Ballet,” she added.

Those acting chops she picked up years ago have finally come in handy in “Étoile,” an eight-episode series about the creative and romantic hijinks at two ballet companies: The Metropolitan Ballet Theater (a stand-in for the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center) and Le Ballet National in Paris.

Phelan plays Julie, a star dancer who’s replaced after she topples over while foolishly filming a TikTok video in high-heel Louboutins. 

“It’s the first time I’ve spoken on camera and actually acted and worked on scenes,” she said. “The other ones I danced in I was primarily silent and did some acting with my face, but not with my voice. And so this was a tester for me.”

Off-camera, Phelan got useful tips from Tony Award-nominated Broadway star and “Maestro” actor Gideon Glick, who plays eccentric choreographer Tobias Bell.

“Gideon has become a close friend of mine,” she said. “We had a couple scenes together. We got to hang out a lot. He’s amazing and so much fun and was so giving.”

The more-experienced actors had to pick up some new tricks, too. The non-dancers, like Glick, 36, and French actress Lou de Laâge, as world-renowned ballerina Cheyenne Toussaint, had their own beginner ballet classes, Phelan said.

They worked hard to create an unusual dance story. Often backstage ballet dramas, such as the psychological horror movie “Black Swan,” are pitch dark and filled with vicious personal vendettas and body dysmorphia. Sherman-Palladino told Phelan “Étoile” would be different.

“Amy, from the beginning, she was, like, ‘I’m so excited you’re gonna be here,’” she recalled. “‘We’re not gonna do anorexia. We’re not gonna do dancers stab each other in the back. We’re not going to do the lipstick on the mirror in the dressing room. We’re going to be as true to form as it can be while still making it dramatic.’”

Phelan added that, while heightened, “Étoile” really does look a lot like what actually goes on backstage at the David H. Koch Theater. 

“Obviously it’s dramatized,” she said. “But there’s moments of it where I’m like, ‘Yep, that happens and that’s very real and that is a lot like what our day is.’”

Phelan, a cheerful workaholic, kept a packed schedule during the three-month filming process. She danced at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and the Vail Dance Festival in Colorado, as well as in Saratoga, Mexico and Copenhagen. 

But the “Étoile” experience was a special one.

“It’s still crazy to me that I got to be a part of this as an actor,” Phelan said. “It’s really cool.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
DNA is still pending as volunteers find another glove in the search for Nancy Guthrie

Breaking True Crime Updates: New Nancy Guthrie Video, Caleb Flynn Faces Charges, Missing Mom Found and Arrested

An image featuring Nancy Guthrie alongside her daughter, Savannah Guthrie, host of…
Elgin woman frustrated by Amazon deliveries, receiving packages she didn't order

Elgin Resident Voices Concerns Over Unsolicited Amazon Deliveries

CHICAGO (WLS) — Picture the bafflement of receiving a myriad of unexpected…
How the Susan Rice snafu cost Netflix on home stretch of Warner Bros. Discovery deal

Netflix Faces Setback in Warner Bros. Discovery Deal Due to Susan Rice Controversy

A variety of factors contributed to Netflix’s decision to withdraw from the…
Muhammad Thomas charged in Little Village, Chicago shooting deaths of Faustino Alamo Dominguez, Luis Alamo near Joyeria Angelos

Chicago Shooting Tragedy: Muhammad Thomas Faces Charges in Fatal Little Village Incident Near Joyeria Angelos

A tragic incident that shook the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago last…
Iconic LA beach used to be overrun with oil derricks — can you guess where it is?

Discover the Surprising History of This Iconic LA Beach Once Filled with Oil Derricks

Nearly a century ago, Venice Beach in West Los Angeles bore a…
Dad stabs wife, daughter to death with massive curved dagger: cops

Tragic Double Homicide: Father Allegedly Uses Curved Dagger in Fatal Attack on Wife and Daughter

A tragic domestic incident unfolded in Virginia when a father fatally attacked…
Serial Child Predator's Parole Now Thwarted by Cold Case Warrant

Cold Case Breakthrough: Serial Child Predator’s Parole Halted by New Warrant

Many of us have often felt exasperated with the justice system’s revolving-door…
'I think he would be proud'

Heartfelt Tribute: A Son Reflects on His Father’s Legacy

On Friday, an NYPD detective paid homage to her late father, who…
Fox News ‘Antisemitism Exposed’ Newsletter: 'Ludicrous' Mamdani boots Israel-linked drone firm

Controversy Unfolds: Fox News Highlights Antisemitism in Mamdani’s Decision to Oust Israel-Linked Drone Company

Fox News’ “Antisemitism Exposed” newsletter sheds light on the growing issue of…
Palisades fire ignition blaze was never put out according to LA firefighter

LA Firefighter Reveals Palisades Blaze Was Never Fully Extinguished

A firefighter has alleged that crews were instructed to abandon the Lachman…
Gavin Newsom touts 'most ambitious water plan' in California

Gavin Newsom Unveils California’s Groundbreaking Water Strategy

Governor Gavin Newsom has announced what he describes as California’s “most ambitious”…
Inside KTLA's layoffs as insiders reveal brutal details

Exclusive: Unveiling the Impact and Insider Perspectives on KTLA’s Recent Layoffs

Inside sources at KTLA have revealed a tense atmosphere at the Los…