While we can't stop the casting decisions producers make, young actors can make the right choices when it comes to creating a character. When actors receive their roles, they have a tendency to watch the movie of the show. While this can be a good device to understand plot, actors don't want to take someone else's interpretation of a character.
The best way to connect with your character is to watch and listen to nothing. Read your script and find connections within the words. Even listening to soundtracks can influence your voice style. If you can't sight read music, then look for instrumental versions of songs. The goal is to study your character without someone else's low quality influencing your acting.
What will really make your performance stand out and become yours is to look inside yourself and find something that resonates within the character as well. Whether you both traveled and experienced the same feeling, or had the same thoughts about love, find something that relates and lets you connect. Become the character, draw from your own experiences, and let yourselves meld into your performances.
By erasing the Underwood-version of your character from your life, you can be free to explore their world without any prejudgments. Nobody wants to watch their character be poorly acted and misunderstood, similarly to hearing the version a Broadway star created that you could never compete with. Ignore the movie fads, think for yourself, and find something no other actor has about your role. After all, it is yours.
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For the record, NBC plans on airing "Peter Pan" live in Christmas-time this year. There have been other live airings of musicals esides "The Sound Of Music" airing last year. "Cinderella" was made famous by Julie Andrews when it aired live on CBS in 1957.
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