Mira Sorvino Talks Broadway Debut in Chicago After Weinstein Suppression (Exclusive)

Mira Sorvino is embracing a long-awaited chapter.

The Academy Award winner, 57, is currently starring as Roxie Hart in the hit revival of Chicago on Broadway — a milestone she calls a “childhood dream come true.” But for Sorvino, the role also carries a deeper resonance after her career was derailed for two decades following harassment and blacklisting by disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein.

“This is sort of the second act of my life, getting to actually be on the stage and live out this dream in this fantastic leading role,” Sorvino tells PEOPLE, in an interview earlier this month. “My career was suppressed by Harvey Weinstein for 20 years. I was an Oscar winner in 1996, but then I did not do a studio film from 1998 to 2018. So two decades of my leading lady years were taken away from me by that horrible person — who did so much worse to other people. To step on the stage now is really, really special.”

It’s not just the stage itself; the character of Roxie adds personal parallels to Sorvino’s story.

“There is a moment in Roxie’s monologue — I’m gonna cry just talking about it — where she says, ‘I had this dream, but all I heard was no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.’ And I am like her,” Sorvino says. “My life, it’s now a world full of yes. I can’t be kept down. I have gone through my trials and travails, and yes, I’ve also had wonderful things happen to me. But you can’t keep Roxie down, and you can’t keep me down.”

Sorvino made her first Broadway bow in Chicago at the Ambassador Theatre in New York City on Tuesday, Sept. 15. She remains in the production through Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025.

The Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion actress had been offered Broadway before, as a replacement in the 1998 Tony-winning revival of Cabaret, but scheduling conflicts kept her from the boards.

Then, in 2023, a turn on Dancing with the Stars reignited Sorvino’s love for dance.

“I’ve always loved dancing,” she explains. “I was a ballet girl till I was 14, and then I gave it up because I was too tall and I just didn’t think I could make it as a ballet dancer. My father was very discouraging about it, too. He was like, ‘Your career will be over by the time you’re 30! You’ll never make any money! You’ll have bad knees!’ So I stuck with acting. But I never stopped loving dance, and Dancing with the Stars helped me remember just how much it meant to me.”

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After her elimination from the ABC reality competition series, Sorvino kept training, spending the next two years taking classes to become proficient in jazz dancing. She hoped doing so would allow her the ability to handle a Broadway role one day, something she actively pursued.

“Oh, I spoke to my agents and I was like, ‘I would like to do Chicago, and can you set up a meeting for me?’ ” Sorvino shares. “Because, thanks to all my wonderful teachers out there who deserve all the credit, I finally felt like I was ready to do this. And so I met with the casting director, and after a couple of rounds of working sessions — which were essentially dancing and singing auditions — here we are!”

Part of the fun for Sorvino has been finding her Roxie. “Every actress who plays Roxie has a completely different approach to her,” Sorvino says. “For me, Roxie is a child at heart. She’s emotionally frozen. If Romy is 14, Roxie is 8. And in one way, that allows her a certain freedom because there’s an essential lovability to her. But she’s also a little bit pre-morality, you know?”

“I just love playing her,” Sorvino continues. “She’s funny, and cute! And she just wants to be loved. She grew up without getting that validation and she’s looking for it in everything she does. Being on stage in the lights of Vaudeville, she imagines, is where she can finally be seen. And that’s a great driving force to use as an actress.”

Overall, the experience has been incredibly impactful for Sorvino, she tells PEOPLE. “I am having the time of my life,” she says. “I can’t even tell you, this is the most fun I could ever have professionally. Like, I am a kid at play. I couldn’t be more happy or grateful. I feel blessed.”

“Not everybody has a dream come true,” Sorvino notes. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. Pinch me!”

Tickets for Chicago are now on sale.