‘Strong’ Beanie Feldstein praised by co-star

Beanie Feldstein taught her ‘Funny Girl’ co-star “so much” about coping with “ups and downs”.

The ‘Booksmart’ actress cut short her run in the Broadway production at the end of July amid lukewarm reviews and a lack of recognition in the Tony Awards nominations but Jared Grimes has praised the 29-year-old star for refusing to be a “victim” and showing her strength.

Speaking on the Broadway Podcast network’s ‘The Art of Kindness’, he said: “She’s super strong. I mean she’s super duper strong and she’s been through a lot and you would never even know. I think to see somebody that’s battle tested in that way and is still able to be secure with themselves and lead with kindness. I mean I learned so much. You really see what somebody’s made of by the way that they handle those ups and downs.

“You can choose to be a victim or you can choose to use those ups and those downs to fuel you in the direction of your dreams even more. She’s an example of somebody who’s had all the weight of the world on her since she stepped into the industry and she’s handled it in some of the most stand-up ways that I’ve ever seen anybody handle anything.

“I’ve learned so much from Beanie Feldstein and I hope that we all can learn from how strong of a person she is and will continue to be.”

Beanie previously insisted it was an “extremely difficult decision'” to walk away from the show.

In a statement, she explained: “Playing Fanny Brice on Broadway has been a lifelong dream of mine, and doing so for the last few months has been a great joy and true honour. “Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated.” Beanie went on: “I will never forget this experience and from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every single person who came to the August Wilson (theatre) for the love and support you have shown me and our amazing cast and crew. “

It later emerged Beanie had been due to continue in ‘Funny Girl’ for another six months beyond September, but show bosses trimmed her contract and the actress then made the decision to leave at the end of July.

A representative for the show told PEOPLE: “The producers decided to take the show in a different direction and end Beanie’s contract on September 25th, six months earlier than anticipated. A month after that decision, Beanie decided it was best for her to leave on July 31st. The producers were aware of and in support of her decision. The producers and Beanie worked on this together professionally, respectfully, and graciously.”