Ethan Slater recalls strange audition comment that led him to SpongeBob role

Actor Ethan Slater has recalled how an unusual comment from a casting director helped him land his breakout role as SpongeBob SquarePants in The SpongeBob Musical, which later went on to earn him a Tony Award nomination, according to People.

Speaking during an interaction at his alma mater, Vassar College, the 'Wicked' star shared memories of auditioning for the musical, which was based on the popular Nickelodeon animated series. Slater said his journey began after he auditioned for Romeo and Juliet in New York, where he met casting director Erica Jensen of Calleri Casting.

Following that audition, Slater received a call from casting director Paul Davis about a workshop project that had not yet been named. Recalling the moment, Slater said he was sitting on a beanbag chair holding a SpongeBob plush toy when Davis told him, "I was sitting on a beanbag chair and I was holding a SpongeBob plush doll, and I was looking at a poster of all the faces that SpongeBob makes..." the actor shared. "And Paul Davis called me and he said, 'We've got a workshop that we're casting. I can't tell you what it's called, but I think you're the right shape'," as quoted by People.

"I was like, 'That is so hurtful'," he added, before saying he was then sent the audition information for an untitled project.

Initially taken aback by the comment, Slater later received audition material for the project. He said the audition required him to perform a scene and create a physical comedy routine. He chose a moment from the animated series in which SpongeBob unknowingly eats a bomb baked into a pie by Squidward.

"SpongeBob doesn't know, and Squidward does know, and the sun's setting, and he knows that at sundown, SpongeBob's going to explode," Slater said, describing his audition scene.

"It's not Eugene O'Neill. I'm kidding, it's better," he joked, referring to the famed playwright. "So we were doing the scene and I was like, 'I'm just going to play it super, super real,'" as quoted by People.

Describing the scene, Slater said he decided to play it with emotional realism despite its comic nature. During the audition, director and playwright Tina Landau advised him to work on SpongeBob's signature laugh and invited him back for a callback, as reported by People.

For his second audition, Slater prepared extensively by watching episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants and performing what he described as a three-minute dance to Michael Jackson's Billie Jean, imagining a bee attacking him throughout the routine. He later called it one of his proudest auditions.

Slater recalled watching "a ton of SpongeBob" to prepare for his callback, which required him to put together another physical comedy routine. He described his next audition as "a three-minute dance to Billie Jean, but a bee was attacking me."

"That's maybe one of my proudest auditions of all time, my Billie Jean dance," the actor admitted.

Slater ultimately secured the role and starred in the musical's world premiere in Chicago in 2016 before reprising the role on Broadway the following year.

The SpongeBob Musical was co-conceived and directed by Tina Landau, with a book by Kyle Jarrow. The production featured music by several renowned artists, including Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco and Plain White T's.

The Broadway cast also included Danny Skinner, Lilli Cooper, Gavin Lee and Stephanie Hsu. The show went on to receive 12 Tony Award nominations, including one for Slater in the Best Actor in a Musical category. It later expanded into a national tour, a United Kingdom tour and a televised special.

Slater, more recently, starred in the movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Wicked and its sequel. The actor also co-wrote and will star in the upcoming play Marcel on the Train, which is set to make its Off-Broadway debut in February 2026.

Vassar College named Slater the recipient of the Young Alum Achievement Award in 2024, which honours inspirational graduates from the past 10 years, according to People.