Erika Henningsen may be best known for originating the role of Cady Heron in Mean Girls on Broadway, but she is about to have a major May. Starring alongside Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Will Forte, and Colman Domingo, starting today, Henningsen can be seen in Netflix’s highly anticipated The Four Seasons. The series is an adaptation of Alan Alda’s 1981 romantic comedy of the same name and comes from the team behind shows like 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Girls5Eva, which also featured Henningsen.
We recently caught up with the multi-hyphenate over Zoom as she shared her detailed critique of cleansers that really work after a night working in a “dusty” Broadway basement, as she does double-duty in Just In Time, playing Sandra Dee opposite Jonathan Groff’s Bobby Darin.
The Four Seasons is a big one on the agenda. How are you feeling about that? What are you excited for your fans to see?
Oh my gosh, I’m so excited. I think I’m most excited for people to see this ensemble because the cast is pretty stellar, and you’ve got Colman Domingo, who I think people think of as a dramatic actor, but he’s so funny in this. Tina, we think of her as the Liz Lemon icon, but she’s pulling off some really beautiful, dramatic work. I’m excited for fans to see me opposite icon Steve Carell! That’s a big one! I just think the show is chock-full of beautiful performances. It’s generational spanning in a way that, hopefully, when you sit down, you’re just going to binge it in one second.
We all look forward to the stream. I hope I don’t speak for everyone, but my life revolves around that Friday-night Netflix release.
Oh my goodness, that’s been my life. Post-show, that’s my wind-down time. It’s like…I watch an episode of something, and I’m in. I’m actually watching Your Friends & Neighbors right now because the hair and makeup team for The Four Seasons worked on that. It’s been fun to be like, “Oh my gosh, my hair girl from The Four Seasons did Olivia Munn‘s hair, which looks obviously gorgeous.” I feel like I’m cheering on my friends.
I watched that last night; I’m all caught up and, yes, Olivia’s hair is perfection. You have your Broadway ‘side gig’ and you’re obviously pretty busy. How do you find time for yourself? Is there any time to unwind post-theater?
I really just have to schedule it. I feel like a big thing for me has been learning to take things off my plate by saying yes to fewer things…I’m not great at that, but I’ve gotten better. During Mean Girls, I was really putting myself through the ringer. I said yes to everything. I was younger, so I had the energy, but I was just…I don’t know…I was eager. I was an eager beaver. I feel like now I’m learning to put some limits on my time.
On the day of opening, I really forced myself to slow down. I literally said, “I’m not going to rush around trying to get gifts for every single person. There’s time to do that. I will write my thank-you notes.” I went and I scheduled myself a facial—and I haven’t done that in two years. It was really nice to just give myself that time. Obviously, skin-wise, it looked great, but just lying down and letting somebody give you this relaxing experience that’s wholly for yourself was a really nice treat.
src=”https://cdn-cjhgk.nitrocdn.com/CXxGixRVyChwAxySbAyltuCiQXRKaWDN/assets/images/optimized/rev-9dad235/www.newbeauty.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ErikaHenningsen31637_FINAL-1-copy-683×1024.jpg”
class=”wp-image-499822 nitro-lazy” decoding=”async” nitro-lazy-empty=””
id=”MjA5Njo3MDU=-1″>
Good for you. That was my next question: Are there any wellness places you really love in New York, any spas, studios, or salons?
Yes. I swear by this Tracie Martyn facial. I love it. I got it on the day I opened Mean Girls, so it’s special to me. I decided to keep up with that tradition and got it the day I opened Just in Time. It’s not invasive. My skin is pretty sensitive. I also swear by some Chiro. I’m usually not into any of that stuff, but if I get weird kinks in my neck, which often happens in Broadway, I have to go. Because you’re doing the same movements over and over.
My wonderful acupuncturist, her name is Sabbath McLean. She works out with something called Silver Spring Wellness. I feel like she’s Broadway’s best-kept secret. Every time you go, you run into somebody in the waiting room who is going to get a treatment. She really, really helped me through Mean Girls because my body wasn’t just whack during that. I’ve gone to her once for a tune-up this year. I feel like she’s just on my speed dial if I’m feeling out of balance.
Tracie Martyn and the co-founder, Marius, are New York skin staples.
I love him so much. He’s so great. He just gave me the enzyme mask, which I’ll do when I come home. Sometimes, I just feel like there’s gunk happening. My face is so gunked right now because I’m doing press, and I’m doing eight shows a week. The makeup I wear in the show is a little bit heavier than what I would wear in my natural life. Doing anything that removes it and feels like it’s purifying is great. Normally, I’m a gentle CeraVe cleanser person—and I still love the brand—but now I feel like I need a little bit more to get out the gunk.
I’m sensitive, too. What are some of your cleansers when you have to take off all the makeup?
I just became obsessed with Farmacy Green Clean ($39). That was recommended to me. Oh, and my dermatologist is also my favorite person ever. Her name’s Dr. Claire Wolinsky. I feel like a lot of people go to her.
She recently assisted me when I experienced a strange reaction to my wig on my scalp. I frequently use the Green Clean Farmacy Cleanser and a gentle exfoliating pads from StriVectin, which come in an orange circular case ($45). I aim to use these pads daily for exfoliation. Although I usually apply toner as part of my routine, I have been neglecting it lately. Another product I swear by is the facial rescue spray from Tower28 ($28), which has become my new favorite. This was the same product used on me every day during my time on The Four Seasons.
I also rely on Laneige water-based moisturizer ($38) to restore moisture to my skin, especially since the environment where we perform is hazy and the theater is old. Growing up in California, moving to New York, and attending school in Michigan have taught me the importance of maintaining my energy levels, especially during travel. I always carry a Korean sunscreen called Bioré UV Aqua Rich ($16) as it is lightweight and effective. For work trips, I simplify my routine by bringing along this sunscreen, Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation ($69), and Laneige Lip Balm ($19).
In terms of makeup, I prefer to give my skin a break whenever possible and only wear makeup when necessary. I also carry a signature scent, Fleur de Peau from Diptyque ($240), which my friend helped me choose. This scent has been a game-changer for me and has received compliments from both strangers and colleagues. I believe that smelling good can create a positive impression and leave a lasting memory on others. Thanks to my friend, I now have a go-to scent that has become an essential part of my daily routine. following sentence, changing the verb tense:
Original: She is going to the store tomorrow.
Rewritten: She went to the store yesterday.