Laura Benanti criticizes Zachary Levi for anti-vax sentiments against Gavin Creel

There is no love lost in between She loves me Lovebirds, Laura Benanti and Zachary Levi.

Although they shared the Broadway stage in a successful 2016 Tony Award-winning musical revival, Benanti made it clear in a new podcast interview that she was never a fan of Levi, who was a successful TV star at the time was on NBC feed and on the way to movie stardom as the title character in DC’s Shazam! “I never liked him,” Benanti told Eric Williams That’s some gay ass Podcast. “Everyone said, ‘He’s so great!’ And I said, “No, he’s not.” He’s soaking up all the damn energy in that room. He wants to explain to them the role of each individual.’”

Directed by Scott Ellis and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, the Roundabout Theater Company production starred Benanti and Levi alongside Jane Krakowski, Gavin Creel, Byron Jennings, Tom McGowan, Peter Bartlett, Nicholas Barasch and others. The story revolves around two store employees, played by Benanti and Levi, who, despite constantly arguing with each other at work, are unaware that each is the other’s secret pen pal.

Benanti didn’t mince his words when he claimed that Levi “really captivated everyone with his dance party energy.” For example: “We’re having a dance party on the half hour.” I thought, “Good luck.” Have fun.'”

The conversation then turned to Creel. The beloved Broadway veteran died in September at age 48 after a brief battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma. His death was a shock to both the theater and entertainment communities and led to an outpouring of love and heartfelt tributes from New York to Los Angeles and everywhere in between.

Just over a month after Creel’s death, Levi claimed in an Instagram Live that his former co-star’s death from “turbo cancer” was due to the COVID-19 vaccine. “You better believe that I believe in my heart and soul that if these COVID vaccinations weren’t forced on the American public, the movie theaters wouldn’t be pushed and taken advantage of…” he said, before trailing off and suggesting that the both are connected to each other. His post, titled “Trump, Triage, Corruption, Covid and the Possible End of the World,” came under fire from artists who immediately jumped to his comments section to criticize his theory.

Benanti also found it offensive. “To use his memory for his political agenda and to watch him try to make himself cry until he had a single tear that he didn’t wipe away, I thought, ‘Fuck you forever,'” the veteran said Actress on the podcast, seen in the clip below.

The Hollywood Reporter Levi asked for comment.