Legendary ballerina Misty Copeland pulls back the curtain on the most pivotal moments of her career. From performing on the Oscars stage alongside the cast of Sinners—and addressing Timothée Chalamet’s infamous comments—to the unique experience of collaborating with icons like Prince and Taylor Swift, Misty shares it all.
Misty and Maria also dive into the reality of performing through injury: the physical toll, the mental resilience required to keep going, and what these challenges taught her about her body and its limits. Misty Copeland is the true embodiment of Pretty Tough.
All that and more on this episode of Pretty Tough.
Pretty Tough is produced in partnership with VOX MEDIA.
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00:00:00 – Intro: The Evolving Athlete
00:02:15 – Finding Her Voice: Overcoming "Little Mouse"
00:07:30 – Survival Mode to Artistic Passion
00:09:30 – The First Ballet Class: From Basketball Court to Prodigy
00:13:45 – The Studio as a Sanctuary
00:14:15 – Stage Presence vs. Public Speaking Nerves
00:19:30 – The Power of Consistency in Performance
00:22:00 – Dancing Through Pain: The 2012 Firebird Season
00:27:15 – A Career-Ending Injury and the Road to Recovery
00:29:45 – Redefining the Relationship to Pain
00:32:00 – Lifelong Learning: Evolving Technique Post-Principal
00:33:45 – Art vs. Sport: Why Ballet is Subjective
00:36:00 – Breaking the Curtain: The Role of Social Media
00:39:00 – The Farewell Performance: A Thank You to the Journey
00:42:30 – The Prince Connection: Lessons in Identity and Excellence
00:47:00 – Returning to the Stage: The Oscars and Sinners
00:51:30 – Collaborating with Taylor Swift
00:53:00 – Addressing the Timothée Chalamet Comments
00:56:45 – Future of Dance: Production and Storytelling
00:59:45 – Closing the Financial Gap in Arts Education
01:01:15 – The Misty Copeland Foundation’s Mission
01:03:30 – Parenting and Letting Go of Control
01:09:15 – Strategic Partnerships and Protecting the Brand
01:14:00 – Life After Ballet: Defining a New Identity
01:15:30 – Rapid Fire: Unlearning Pain and Defining Toughness
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