Carlos Valdes in ‘Hadestown’ on Broadway. Photo:
Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
Carlos Valdes has two new roles these days.
The 35-year-old actor — who found fame during his 9-season run as Cisco Ramon on The Flash — is back on Broadway after an 11-year absence, leading the company of the Tony Award-winning musical Hadestown as the idealistic and open-hearted musician, Orpheus.
But while discussing the part in a conversation with PEOPLE, Valdes reveals that he’s also recently welcomed a baby.
“Not a lot of people know this, but I’m a dad, a relatively new dad,” he says. “And it’s my personal preference that I don’t share more beyond that, but being a Broadway dad… let me tell you, it’s not for the faint of heart! This life is pretty unforgiving when it comes to balancing it with parenting.”
Hailey Kilgore and Carlos Valdes in ‘Hadestown’ on Broadway. Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
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Lucky for Valdes, he has a community of people he can lean on — starting with dad of two Darren Criss, currently on the boards in Maybe Happy Ending. The two studied at the University of Michigan together and have maintained a friendship for the past two decades.
“I haven’t been able to see Darren in Maybe Happy Ending yet, which is such a crime, but I’ve been able to talk with him a lot,” Valdes says. “It’s been really helpful to lean on each other, share tips and have him as a support system and sounding board for all of my parenting woes. It’s allowed us to bond in a new way. It’s also a tremendously joyous thing to be able to have a child and have that inform our respective stories.”
Darren Criss and Jordan Fisher at the 7th annual Elsie Fest in September 2024. Stephanie Augello/Variety via Getty
Another Broadway dad Valdes turned to was Jordan Fisher, whose son Riley William turns 3 in June. The To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You actor was Valdes’ predecessor in Hadestown and offered him some “invaluable” advice about how to approach the role of Orpheus.
“We had our little sentimental ‘passing of the torch’ conversation and one of the many things he imparted to me in that conversation was that as dads, we have a superpower in playing Orpheus because we can allow the fruits of that experience color our approach to this very childlike character in a very natural and informed way,” Valdes says. “And since I started in the show on Jan. 14, he could not be more correct.”
“I’ve really put a lot of my own personal experience as a dad, and as a fan of my child, into Orpheus’ own naiveté of looking at the world,” he adds. “So I’m very grateful to Jordan for extending that wisdom.”
Valdes has learned a lot from playing Orpheus.
“I love how open Orpheus is,” the Up Here star says. “He feels the full extent of his emotions and sees hope and potential in places where it’s very easy for us to not see those things. And in these times, more than any other recently, arguably, I’ve come to see it’s really important to hang on to that part of ourselves.”
“People like Orpheus, they tend to exist on the margins in our culture, so I appreciate that the show indirectly validates a person like that; validates their perspective,” Valdes continues. “There is something uniquely gifted about people who can see the world in ways that most of us can’t. And for those who can’t, I hope I can inspire others to tap into their inner Orpheus.”
Carlos Valdes, Arthur Darvill, Joanna Christie and Katrina Lenk after the 500th Broadway performance of ‘Once’ in May 2013. Cindy Ord/Getty
As for coming back to Broadway since making his debut in Once back in 2013, Valdes admits that while the experience feels “a bit like a homecoming,” it also feels “very different than the last time.”
“Back then, I was a young whippersnapper just trying to carve a place for myself. Now I feel like, if Once was an appetizer, this is definitely a meaty main course,” Valdes says. “I mean, it’s no joke!”
He’s starring as the character alongside Tony nominee Hailey Kilgore (Once On This Island) as Eurydice, Daniel Breaker as Hermes, Tony nominee Tom Hewitt (The Rocky Horror Show) as Hades and Merle Dandridge as Persephone.
Carlos Valdes (right) with the cast of ‘Hadestown’ on Broadway. Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
“I’m grateful I came into this experience with an incredible, supportive group of people, which is really the best-case scenario for a situation like this,” Valdes shares. “But overall, it’s been thrilling, and immensely fulfilling and deeply emotional and also terribly frightening — all at the same time.”
“I wouldn’t change it for anything,” he adds.
Tickets for Hadestown are now on sale.
