Archive · 2 Jan 2026
Ethan Slater on landing SpongeBob role
Ethan Slater is an actor who played SpongeBob SquarePants in a musical.
He talked about how he got the role.
A casting director told him he was the 'right shape' for the part.
At first, he was surprised, but he did well in his auditions.
He watched a lot of SpongeBob and even danced to a Michael Jackson song while pretending a bee was attacking him.
He got the role and won a Tony Award nomination.
He has also been in other shows and movies, like Wicked, and has a new play coming out in 2026.
Ethan Slater recalled how a casting director's comment about his shape helped him land the role of SpongeBob SquarePants in The SpongeBob Musical.
He auditioned with a scene where SpongeBob unknowingly eats a bomb in a pie, playing it with emotional realism.
Director Tina Landau advised him to work on SpongeBob's signature laugh and invited him back for a callback.
For his callback, Slater prepared by watching episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants and performing a dance to Billie Jean while imagining a bee attacking him.
Slater secured the role and starred in the musical's world premiere in Chicago in 2016 and on Broadway the following year, earning a Tony Award nomination.
- Who
- Ethan Slater, actor
- What
- Recalled landing the role of SpongeBob SquarePants in The SpongeBob Musical
- When
- During an interaction at Vassar College, January 2
- Where
- Washington DC, US
- Why
- To share his journey and the unusual comment from a casting director that helped him land the role
- Actor
- Ethan Slater
- Role
- SpongeBob SquarePants in The SpongeBob Musical
- Casting Director
- Paul Davis
- Audition Scene
- SpongeBob eating a bomb in a pie
- Director and Playwright
- Tina Landau
- Tony Award Nominations
- 12
- Slater's Tony Nomination
- Best Actor in a Musical
- Recent Project
- Wicked movie adaptation
- Upcoming Play
- Marcel on the Train (2026)