The 36-year-old actor makes his Broadway debut in Kenneth LonergansLobby Hero,as selfish NYPD police officer Bill.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did you get involved with this show?
Theater is kind of where I started as a kid.
Credit: Joan Marcus
I was a big theater nerd.
So, I had a lot of time on stage.
And then its just a matter of finding the right project.
Im usually a bit more of a good guy.
[Laughs]
Bill certainly represents the patriarchy.
Bill represents all the negative things that have a bit of a chokehold these days.
The difference obviously between film and theater is this exchange between you and the audience.
Hes completely without ego, so you never feel that hes trying to take anything over.
You never feel as if youre being put in a box.
And you really, really are desperate to make him happy.
As you said, this play feels so timely, especially after the rise of the #MeToo movement.
Its not something that will leave you quickly.
As an actor, thats what you want.
You want to give them something that takes time to digest and process and promote thought and change.
So it just felt appropriate.
Its a story that sticks with you.And thats the complexity in life.
There is that ambiguity and almost ambivalence at times.
Its what makes things so messy and tough to break down and understand.
One of the things I thought was so interesting about this show is how it addresses masculinity.
And then this character, Bill, is a lot of the terrible things about masculinity and privilege.
How did you approach that?Well, the way I would with any role.
I grew up just outside of Boston.
I also have to ask about the mustache.Oh, yeah.
[Laughs] Its something, huh?
When I first read the play, its kind of how I saw the character.
And now Im stuck with it.
Its almost like putting on a uniform.
When you strap on a gun and you put on a badge, its almost like your posture changes.
And its no different with the haircut and the facial hair.
The periods of learning your lines, discovering new things, tech weeks… Its like riding a bike.
Youre like, Oh, I remember this!
So what kind of shows did you do when you were growing up?Oh, god.
It was all musical theater.
So in my room Im blastingSweeney Todd.
In my sisters room, shes playingOnce on This Island.
In my brothers room,Little Shop of Horrorsis going.
How are you approaching where you are in your career?
Are you treating this as a sort of transition point?I mean, thats the thing.
I am very capricious.
I will say, Ill probably do less films.
But something about making films year round, the years start to go by very quick.
I was so busy doing things, I wasnt actually living my life.
I dont want to say the arts, that sounds a little pretentious.
[laughs] Ill always have a go at create, I guess, and I love acting.
But I did direct once, and I really did love the experience.
Id love to explore that again.
Im not quite sure.
But its not about trying to climb to the top of a hill of being some giant movie star.
Thats not terribly appealing to me.
I really value my privacy.
I have no regrets.
And then every other jot down of variation of the dialogue is a version of that initial instinct.
You really have to listen, which is obviously a cornerstone of any acting endeavor.
But more so in the theater, you really have to be present.
You cant plan things, I guess.
Its at once terrifying, but its also liberating.
[laughs] Thats what this should be about.
Its almost something Im excited to take back to films: Just be a little more loose and free.
Lobby Heroruns through May 13 at the Hayes Theater in New York.
