For the third year in a row, ET spoke to eight nominated Broadway performers -- one from each of the eight Tony Awards acting categories -- to discuss how they bring their characters alive night after night and what it means to be recognized.

Among the standout performances during 2017-18 season were Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane's harrowing turns in the revival of Tony Kushner's Angels in America; Grey Henson and Taylor Louderman giving new life to familiar characters in the musical adaptation of Mean Girls; Diana Rigg’s celebrated return to Broadway in My Fair Lady after earning new fans as Lady Olenna Tyrell on Game of Thrones; Noma Dumezweni's groundbreaking performance as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; Ethan Slater's lively stage presence in the delightful SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical; and the breakout of deaf actress Lauren Ridloff in Children of a Lesser God.  

The 2018 Tony Awards, hosted by Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles, will air live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 10, starting at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES ON BROADWAY:

The Silent Rise of ‘Children of a Lesser God’ Actress Lauren Ridloff (Exclusive)

Taylor Louderman Becomes the Queen Bee of Broadway (Exclusive)

The Crossroads That Led Nathan Lane to ‘Angels in America’ (Exclusive)

Ethan Slater on Bringing SpongeBob to Life on Broadway (Exclusive)

Andrew Garfield on the Gift of Performing ‘Angels in America’ (Exclusive)

After ‘Game of Thrones,’ Diana Rigg Makes a Celebrated Return to Broadway (Exclusive)

Noma Dumezweni Breaks Stereotypes in ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ (Exclusive)

How Grey Henson Made Damian More Than a GBF in ‘Mean Girls’ (Exclusive)