Beyond the Game: Gracie Cashman Unveils Personal Triumphs in “The Story of My Number.”
Stepping into the spotlight with a unique blend of sports legacy and performing arts, Gracie Cashman is setting the stage for an exciting career in television. As the daughter of the New York Yankees’ General Manager Brian Cashman, Gracie’s roots in sports are deep and distinguished. But it’s her passion for storytelling and performance that shines through in her latest venture. Gracie is set to host “The Story of My Number Presented by the New York Lottery,” a groundbreaking series premiering on the YES App that delves into the personal stories behind the iconic numbers worn by New York Yankees legends.
“The Story of My Number” goes beyond mere statistics to explore the personal challenges and victories that define greatness. With a lineup of legendary guests, including Aaron Boone, Don Mattingly, Andy Pettite, CC Sabathia, Tino Martinez, and Nick Swisher, Gracie offers viewers an intimate look at the lives of sports heroes.
Educated at Northwestern University with a BS in Theater, Gracie Cashman is no stranger to the stage or screen. Her previous roles include hosting “The Tryout” and an upcoming TV movie release later this year. Off-screen, Gracie is also a passionate advocate for women’s health and reproductive rights, using her growing platform to inspire and inform. Today, we sit down with Gracie to discuss her new series, her journey into the world of sports entertainment, and how she merges her diverse passions into a promising broadcasting career.
Follow Gracie @gracie_cashman
Hi Gracie, please tell us a little about yourself.
Hi! My name is Gracie Cashman I am a singer, actress and current host of The Story of My Number on the YES Network.
Describe yourself in three words.
Loyal, Bubbly, Dedicated.
Tell us about your work hosting the new YES App original series “The Story of My Number Presented by the New York Lottery?”
It’s been really wonderful. There is something so unique about the position I’m in where I can combine baseball, something so close to my heart and something I grew up around and loving, with my passion for entertainment. Having the opportunity to work with this incredible team across the board has been the most professional and organized set I have ever seen. The show is so deeply researched you really get to see a different side to these athletes than even I have ever seen before and it’s been really magical to be part of it all.
The show aims to go beyond mere statistics in sports. Can you share an example of a story from the series that particularly moved you or changed your perspective on an athlete?
You’ll have to watch the episode and see! But I am a Nick Swisher super-fan. He was always my favorite player and he’s actually a close family friend now and has really become more like “Uncle Nick” to my brother and I. I thought I knew what was coming with the Nick Swisher episode, and I learned a lot about someone I’ve known personally for over 15 years.
What has been the most challenging aspect of hosting “The Story of My Number,” and how have you addressed this challenge?
Probably getting out of my own way to be honest! I definitely feel like I have something to prove here and I think sometimes that can be really motivating to go the extra mile and sometimes it just messes with your head and I think finding that balance is key. Something I’ve really been working on in my life is focusing on the things I can control and not getting so worked up about things I can’t and doing that throughout this process has been really helpful. Just focusing on the task at hand and how can I best set myself up for success for that task.
How has growing up in a family so deeply rooted in sports and entertainment influenced your career choices?
I’m sure it has in some subliminal ways but it’s definitely difficult to pinpoint the kind of person I’d be if I wasn’t exposed to both sports and the arts at such a young age. My first love will always be musical theatre, so I definitely had a heavy focus on that in my extracurriculars and collegiate career. Sports (and baseball specifically) I picked up through osmosis. It wasn’t until recently, probably the last 7-8 years, that I realized I actually had a really strong understanding and appreciation for the game, how it’s played, and all the cogs that go into the machine that is a professional sports team. It’s been nothing short of a blessing to be able to combine those two extremely important aspects of my life with this project.
Now how cool it is to be the daughter of the Yankees GM. (I’m a big sports fan.) Have there been any specific moments or events with the Yankees that inspired you or contributed to a significant decision in your career path?
There’s so many moments, it’s hard to pick one! I would say the biggest influence overall has been getting to watch my dad do something he truly loves and he always encouraged me to do what I love. He lives and breathes baseball. It’s also been really helpful as someone who doesn’t work a traditional 9-5 to have someone like my dad to look up to because he definitely isn’t 9-5—he’s 24/7, 365 days a year. But that’s the life we chose and the price you pay to work in our respective industries and it’s really helpful to have someone like him to totally understand that because so many people don’t.
How do you think the public’s perception of your father as the Yankees’ general manager has influenced the opportunities or challenges you’ve faced in your own career?
Being part of the Yankees family is a tremendous honor. It feels strange to call anyone a “co-worker” of my father’s because they are truly all people I grew up with who have supported me through every aspect of my life since the very beginning. (I was born during the 1998 playoffs so truly since day 1). And that absolutely comes with the expectation that if someone is able to knock on a door for you, that you’re going to work harder than anyone else once you’re in there. And of course, with the good comes the bad – but there is far more good than bad. It’s definitely given me some thick skin, it’s helped me to learn that you’re the only one who has to look at yourself in the mirror every morning and go to sleep with yourself at night. You’ll never be able to please everyone, but you will know in your heart of hearts you did the right thing, you tried your best, you worked your hardest, whatever it may be – that approval comes from within you.
With such close ties to the Yankees, do you feel a special connection or responsibility when covering stories related to baseball or sports in general?
Absolutely. There is something that feels very sacred about it to me. This show aims to go beyond just the statistics of their career, so we’re asking personal questions about their lives, their families – we delve into challenging topics and moments in their lives. I think growing up around a lot of the legends I got to interview helped me to see them as a fellow human who is choosing to trust me with their very personal and very real lives which is an incredibly brave thing to do when you’re someone at that caliber of success and fame. So, I take it very seriously and I’m very honored to be part of it.
Can you share a memory from your early performances of the National Anthem that stands out as particularly influential or memorable?
Performing at Yankee Stadium was really special. It was a place I grew up at so it felt very sacred but simultaneously a huge deal! It’s an enormous venue, it’s a really momentous moment in your career to get to perform somewhere like something like that and yet it felt very special to me personally because the stadium holds so much importance just to my life personally.
You’ve studied theater at Northwestern University. How has your academic background in theater shaped your approach to television hosting?
It has been absolutely instrumental. The obvious is being familiar with performing – there is a lot happening on a film set and having 4 years of performance training to be able to focus on stage, on set, etc. is paramount. At the time I was at Northwestern (it might be different now I’m not sure) it was a requirement that we take non-performance based classes so we had to learn stage management, stage makeup, set construction, lighting, etc. and that has also been so instrumental to just knowing what’s happening around you! If you aren’t armed with that vocabulary it’s really overwhelming and anxiety inducing so while I hated those requirements while I was there – they were super important and I owe my academic advisor an apology for all the whining I did over it.
On the strictly academic side of things, I actually started at Northwestern extremely performance focused and on our first day of orientation one of our teachers said, “do you want to learn to say something really well, or do you want to have something to say.” And that really stuck with me. It shaped my entire college experience, as well as how I approach any job now. What are we trying to say? What is this character trying to say? For this job it’s extra interesting because it’s not about me – it’s about what this other person is trying to say, and giving them the space, the support, the guidance to communicate it to a mass audience.
With roles in both reality TV and a forthcoming TV movie, how do you navigate the different demands of hosting versus acting?
I personally find hosting much more challenging! If you ask any actor they’ll tell you the hardest thing to do is be yourself. Everything in acting is planned – you’ve all read the script, there’s no surprises. Hosting, you really have to be on your game! We don’t know the answers to every question and even after weeks and weeks of research maybe we think we know but they could tell us something totally different! And that’s the beauty and the challenge of it. You’re talking to real people about their real life and that’s just very different than working with a script.
What kind of roles do you like or would like to play, and why?
I love comedy, personally. I think it’s challenging to do (especially on screen – no one can laugh when you’re on set so you really don’t know if something landed or not you don’t have any external feedback) and I think we all need a little laugh! I’d of course love to do something really dramatic every now and again but in terms of what I enjoy most, definitely comedic.
How do you prepare for a challenging role, especially when it requires you to step far outside of your own experiences or personality?
I try to keep it really relatable by crystallizing it to something familiar to me. Even if the circumstances of a character are super unique or radically different from my own, they have goals, they have needs, they’re having a human experience and that’s what we’re interested in consuming as viewers. So it makes even a really challenging character much more approachable when you synthesize it to emotions that character is feeling and then let it grow from there.
As an advocate for women’s health and reproductive rights, how do you balance your advocacy work with your career in entertainment?
I think it really goes hand in hand. I’m extremely privileged to have access to amazing health care and you would not believe years of hoops and misdiagnoses and medical gaslighting I faced. And it occurred to me that the system is broken, failing women and there must be millions of women living in pain, and even dying, who don’t have access to the resources to get a proper diagnosis and treatment.
Are there any other areas of entertainment or social issues you are passionate about exploring in your future projects?
I’m really curious about untold stories. I’d love to really explore someone’s individual experience.
What is the most rewarding part of your work?
I think whenever someone tells you that you made them feel something. What I love most about my job as both an actor and a host, is it feels like a vehicle for helping someone see something about the world a little differently or more clearly. So when someone says that made me laugh or that really touched me, it helps to remind you that it’s really not about all the little nuances happening in your own head, it’s about the impact it’s having on the audience and that’s really humbling.
Do you ever get nervous?
Of course! I think everyone does when it’s something important to you. Part of my job is to channel that energy rather than flip out and let it consume me, but absolutely, those nerves exist.
Which fictional character would be the most exciting to meet in real life?
Ted Lasso – who doesn’t want to meet Ted Lasso.
Can you name 3 actors/actresses you would love to work with?
Emma Stone
Julie Andrews
Barry Keoghan
What would you say are the greatest lessons you have learned so far in this business?
You need to just delete the word rejection from your vocabulary. If you feel like you showed up as yourself and did your best work at any audition/meeting – that’s a win. Every so often, who you are and what you can do aligns perfectly with what the casting team is looking for – but that’s a lightning strike. You have to flip the narrative in your head and think of it more like a networking event. Maybe the positions they gave available now aren’t the perfect fit – but there might be openings in the future down the line that are, and now they know your name and who to call. It’s not a rejection.
How would your best friend describe you?
My best friend is like my sister. We’ve been friends for over twenty years and have done everything together. She has always been there for me no matter what and she has shown up for everything no matter how big or small. I hope she would say I’ve been even half the friend she’s been to me.
What’s next for Gracie Cashman in 2024?
I guess we’ll find out together! Hopefully, a lot more of what’s happening right now! I’m just trying to ride the wave.
Where can we follow you?
Instagram: @Gracie_Cashman
TikTok: Gracie_Cashman