As the female lead in the musical adaptation of Tootsie , Lilli Cooper knew her character needed a major revamp to resonate with an audience of modern theatergoers.

Much like 1982s Dustin Hoffman-led film of the same title on which its based, Broadways Tootsie follows Michael Dorsey (played by Santino Fontana ), a down-on-his-luck, middle-aged New York actor hungry for a break. Out of desperation, Michael disguises himself as a female performer known as Dorothy Michaels to land his next gig in the film, its a soap opera; in the stage version, its a Shakespeare-themed musical called Juliets Curse.

As Dorothy, Michael bonds with a co-star, Julie Nichols (Cooper), and eventually, the romantic chemistry between the two heats up. The fact that Julie, who has only previously dated men, is led to believe shes falling for another woman is one comedic point in the musical, featuring songs by David Yazbek ; that Michael isnt really a woman at all but a heterosexual man in drag is another. But in slapstick style, Michaels gender-bending facade soon begins to crumble.

Shes a young, passionate actress who loves what she does and wants to create good work, Cooper, who is the daughter of actor Chuck Cooper and whose theatrical resume includes Spring Awakening and SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical , told HuffPost of her character. It felt really close to home.

Still, she and the shows book writer Robert Horn were determined to make Julie less of a victim and more of a fiercely independent woman, as befitting a 2019 interpretation. The character would now simply be a working actor, and no longer a single mother in a romantic relationship with her director, as she was portrayed by Jessica Lange in the film version.

Playing Julie has been an artistic triumph for Cooper, too, as shes just scored her first Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for the role. Accolades aside, the actress and singer sees her latest project as a boon for female characters of color on the Great White Way. She spoke to HuffPost about why she hopes playing Julie is relevant to ongoing discussions around womens rights and sends a message to young artists of color.

Theres been a lot of discussion around Tootsie, and specifically your character, and what both of them mean in the light of the ongoing cultural discussions around feminism and womens rights. Whats your take?

Having a strong-minded leading lady who is able to reach the men around her is so important. If we didnt update Julie to be a 2019 woman, I dont think our show wouldve succeeded. One of my favorite parts of the show is the moment when she gets to tell Michael that even though he thinks he understands because he walked a mile in a womans shoes, he will never truly understand. Thats one of the messages in the show that I think is so poignant and honest.