TV fans have seen two sides of Chris Noth as Sex and the City’s rich and rogueish Mr. Big (i.e. John James Preston) and Law & Order’s streetwise and hotheaded Detective Mike Logan. But to hear Noth tell it, the career piece he cares about most is the theater. Who knew he played Hamlet under Zoe Caldwell’s direction, just after earning an M.F.A. from Yale Drama School? His Broadway debut in Gore Vidal’s The Best Man earned him a Theatre World Award, and he picked up glowing reviews for playing Teach in American Buffalo at the Berkshire Theatre Festival three years ago. Now he’s happily taking on the supporting role of campaign manager to an unseen Howard Dean-like Presidential candidate in Beau Willimon’s Farragut North at Atlantic Theatre Company. Just after the real election, Noth chatted about his diverse career path and his real-life role as a first-time father.

What’s it been like to do a play about a Presidential campaign during one of the most important election battles ever?
It’s very exciting. I think Beau [Willimon] is a remarkable playwright, and we’re growing and finding more and more subtleties with every performance. Hold on a sec, let me get rid of this other call. [60-second pause] That was my girl [actress Tara Wilson]. Our son is teething. They’re in L.A., and that’s our conversation every night—how do you get him to sleep through the night? He’s 10 months old and was doing fine [sleeping], but when he started to teethe, everything fell apart.

I love his name [Orion Christopher Noth].
That’s a special name for me. I went to college in Marlboro, a small town in Vermont, which is where I started acting; we had a rep company in the summer, and it was a glorious place to do theater. The college is on this hill, and every autumn you’d see Orion marching across the sky. It’s always been my favorite constellation.

So, has the real-life political climate been good for this play?
The play holds its own whether there’s an election or not, but it’s even more interesting to do now. This is actually my second political play [performed during an election]. The first one [The Best Man in 2000, with Noth as a senator] had not-so-good results for us Democrats. On election night, I came offstage in the first 30 minutes and they were saying that Gore had won Florida. I went back onstage, thrilled, and when I came off again, all of a sudden Bush had Florida. I was so disappointed, I could barely finish the play. Then the whole snafu with Bush and Gore about counting votes gave the play [about a bitter Presidential campaign] new meaning. I believe that’s also be true with [Farragut North]. People will be informed by this play.

What appealed to you about the play?
As soon as I read it, I knew it was an exceptional piece of work. I feel pretty lucky to be in something this good; it’s hard to find. I always say that I came from the theater and took a long detour into TV—which is a lovely detour, and a lot of fun, and very good for putting my kid through college. But this is a great play. And then there’s Doug Hughes, the best director I’ve ever worked with.

Did Doug Hughes think of you for the part?
I don’t know. My agent said that the part was available, and I met with Doug and told him I wanted to do it. I don’t know if it was Doug’s idea or not. He might have been forced by the producers! [Laughs.] And John Gallagher [who plays the lead role of an ambitious young press secretary]. The whole cast is phenomenal.

These young actors must look to you as a mentor.
Oh god no! We’ve got Isiah [Whitlock] from The Wire, and John, who’s got a Tony Award. He carries the play. The mountain he has to climb? He gets on stage and doesn’t leave! I’m still trying to perfect my three scenes, and my dusty mind still gets some of the lines backwards. No, I’m not a mentor. It’s a mutual admiration club.

It’s amusing to see you play such an earthy character, dressed down in baggy corduroys and duck shoes.
I’m happy to do it. It’s fun to talk about flatulence onstage [laughs]. We’ve just added some props to my suitcase, and when I open it up now, it’s mostly pharmaceuticals for ailments. I did meet [Howard Dean’s campaign manager] Joe Trippi, a superstar in the political world. I’m not saying that I’m basing my character on him, but it was really helpful to see his persona and realize the sacrifices these guys go through to get their candidate elected. Joe says he literally got nerve damage from the stress of the campaign.

Your mom [Jeanne Parr] was a CBS reporter. Did she cover politics?
Sometimes. She covered Robert Kennedy during his Senate race in the 60s, and Governor Rockefeller. I wasn’t so interested in politics then, but I’ve become a lot more interested.

You mentioned your theatrical background. Are people ever surprised to find out that you graduated from Yale Drama School?
I don’t know. I suppose when they talk to me they might think, “How did this guy get into Yale?” [Laughs.] I don’t think about it too much. I also studied with Sandy Meisner, and that, to me, is as good as any M.F.A.

Who were your classmates at Yale?
Patty Clarkson, Jayne Atkinson, Dylan Baker. Rich Greenberg was in the playwriting class, Laila Robins was a year above me. Angela Bassett and John Turturro were in their third year when I was in my first year. There was always so much going on; you were in class during the day and doing plays at night. It’s just a feast! That’s what I wanted. I started that way at Marlboro [College], doing four plays in rep in the summer, and when I got to New York in the late 70s, my dream was to work with one of the great teachers. It wasn’t like, “I want to go to Hollywood and do a movie,” it was “I want to go to New York and meet Sandy Meisner and learn the secrets of the Group Theater.”