Shanice Williams and her character Dorothy on The Wiz Live! aren’t that much different, when you think about it.

Both had their lives upended, Dorothy, well, she’s not in Kansas anymore and for Williams it was real life: she was number 554 out of about 600 girls who auditioned for the lead in the musical and she scored the role, following in Diana Ross’ ruby reds.

Now, tonight (December 3) Williams, along with Mary J. Blige, Common and Queen Latifah, will draw the attention of the country in the live production, airing on NBC.

“There’s pressure that comes with everything, but I don’t feel like an overwhelming pressure,” Williams told REVOLT’s Law Jackson in an interview. “This is what I wanted to do forever, and finally, I got the chance. So, thank you, God. I’m just excited and ready to jump into it.”

Tune in to NBC tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET to watch The Wiz Live! and check out our interview below.