Julie White on Shattering Glass Ceilings in A Doll’s House, Part 2, Unexpected Tony Award Perks & More

Julie White brings an extra helping of humor and humanity to every role, even one as fierce and uncompromising as Nora Helmer in A Doll’s House, Part 2. Set 15 years after the heroine created by Henrik Ibsen slams the door on her life as a wife and mother in 19th century Norway, Lucas Hnath’s Tony-nominated play dares to imagine how Nora’s future turns out—and how her return to the Helmer homestead affects her husband, her now-grown daughter and the housekeeper who stuck around to raise the couple’s children. A decade after winning a Best Actress Tony for her strong and sassy turn as a Hollywood agent in The Little Dog Laughed, White is excited to take the lead in a play she gleefully compares to a four-way boxing match.



You’ve played a lot of juicy parts on stage, but Nora has got to be one of the best ever.
Oh my gosh, I love her. She is a bear! She’s a hero, and she has come along for me at exactly the right time.

How so?
Our election was a real heartbreaker, and there’s something about this play that resonates around issues like shattering the glass ceiling. It just feels good to be doing a play about how far we’ve come and how far we have yet to go.



What’s it like to go head to head with each of the other three characters?
Amazing. The scene with my daughter, who is played by Erin Wilhelmi, sometimes feels like a battle, like [tennis greats] Martina [Navratilova] and Chrissie Evert back in 1985. Stephen McKinley Henderson is so fierce as Torvald, and I’ve loved Jayne Houdyshell since we worked together at someplace called the Totem Pole Playhouse [in Fayetteville, PA] many, many moons ago.

What were you two doing at the Totem Pole Playhouse?
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Jayne played Domina and I was Philia, the virgin. That’s how long ago that was. My daughter wasn’t born yet, and she’s 30 now.

Nora has a three-page monologue that begins, “Marriage is cruel and it destroys women’s lives” and goes from there. Is it fun to make that argument?
Oh, absolutely. She’s just tossing it off, knowing that Anne Marie [the servant played by Houdyshell] will not agree with her. She can’t help herself. One thing I’m loving about Nora is how smart she is. She’s a true believer in the choices she’s made—although when I look out into the audience, sometimes they’re laughing and sometimes they are obviously on Team Torvald.

You’re a Tony winner who doesn’t mind replacing another Tony winner [Laurie Metcalf]. Is it simply a matter of thinking, “I want to play this role”?
Yes, totally. The only other time I’ve done it was in Vanya and Sonia [replacing Sigourney Weaver] and I loved doing that play. I had seen Doll’s House, Part 2 in June, and I did think, “I’ve got to play this part someday.” The very next day, they called my agent and asked me to do it.



Did winning the Tony make a difference in your career?
Golly, I don’t know. It’s definitely nice to be recognized for having knocked one out of the park, but beyond that? I guess it means you might get an obituary in The New York Times.

You’re a natural TV star. Any dream roles in this golden age of television?
I would love to find a series like the one I did four years ago with Laura Benanti, Go On. I adored that group of people, and I loved the show because it was substantial; it was trying to be a comedy about grief. I’d also love a series because my kid [branding designer Alexandra Pandel] lives in San Francisco and is planning her wedding. She’s bringing her fiancé to see me in a play where I rail about how no one should get married! The wonderful thing is, I think they are going to live happily ever after.

If, like Nora, you could start from scratch and reinvent yourself, what would you have done?
Maybe I would have gone into politics, something where I was in a leadership role, but the girl I was in the ‘70s and ‘80s wasn’t comfortable doing that. I did feel like I could be the lead in a play.

That sounds scarier than politics.
Well, yeah, it kind of is! I have to say, I have no regrets. Things happen for a reason, and I’ve had a pretty great life. And I can’t believe I get to play a part like this on Broadway! It’s just magical.



Photos: Caitlin McNaney | Styling: Carlton Jones | Look One: Crème Blouse by Byron Lars Beauty Mark & Pant by Agnes B. | Look Two: Byron Lars Beauty Mark | Look Three: Agnes B | Hair: Earon Chew Nealey | Makeup: Nicole Leano