worked in. There’s an Irish reference to him, which I think is quite fi tting. His accent intrigued me quite a bit because of who he is and where he’s from and now he’s in a fl at in England.
TS: I have to say, it seems to me Jimmy Porter might be part of the Occupy Wall Street movement if he was living among us. Would you agree? MR: Yes, defi nitely. I think, in a certain way, the fi nancial world in the United States (my impression of it) takes on what was the old class system of the United Kingdom, in that there are those who are extremely privileged. I think Wall Street is certainly where Jimmy would be if he were in New York City today.
TS: What do you think the play is about? MR: The beauty of this play and why I love it is because I’ve seen it many times with different actors and it means a number of things for different people. There are those who think it’s a play about the abuse within the relationship and then there are those who think it’s about being trapped. The play will always bring up different things for me. I fi nd it hard to confi ne it to being about one thing. It’s about a lot of things, which is why it appeals to a wide audience and why it’s so universal.
TS: Do you think the fact that the Colonel (Alison’s father) does not appear in this version is going to make the play more of a pressure cooker? MR: Absolutely. I love that. I love the claustrophobia that builds; the play comes on far more intensely. There’s no opportunity to breathe; it just builds and builds until this moment that stops your breathing.
TS: What’s your take on Jimmy and Alison’s relationship? Do you think they are truly in love? MR: Yes I do. I am a die hard romantic at heart; I think he has to be in love with her, otherwise nothing would matter. Then it would be a
play about abuse, a relationship that is fi nished. I think, in those fi nal sentences, he has to be in love with her, so we can believe that there is hope for them.
TS: How do you like to collaborate with a director? MR: You nailed it on the head for me. The word “collaborator”; that’s what I look for primarily. Pardon the cliché, but I love to go on the journey with someone. We lead each other at times and help each other along.
TS: Can you tell us about your training? Did you have any teachers who infl uenced you in any way? MR: I had a great number. I trained at the Royal Academy about 15 years ago in London where there were a slew of great teachers. There was an acting teacher, Martin Ledwith, who really infl uenced me.
TS: Can you tell us if you have any advice for young people who might want to be actors? MR: The list is as long as my arm, but I think the biggest thing is your tenacity. You need that in your work ethic. You have to need to act because it’s an incredibly diffi cult profession.
TS: Is there anything else that you want to tell us about the role or the play? MR: There are people who think the play is a bit dated, but when I read it, I know it is relevant and will relate to a modern audience.
TS: What’s interesting to me is that, on some level, there are still households like this. MR: There are families where people can be so cruel, only because they love each other.
TS: It reminds me of that saying: “Familiarity breeds contempt.” MR: Yes, absolutely.
[JIMMY] is an incredibly passionate and intellectual young man who's confined by many aspects of society. To me, he seems a man that's imprisoned by varying incarcerations. MATTHEW RHYS
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