Peter Sarsgaard
Starring in one classic play is a big commitment for a busy movie actor, but two in a row? And two Chekhov plays, no less? Peter Sarsgaard may not be getting rich this season, but he could definitely write a dissertation on “romance and ennui in 19th century Russia.” Sarsgaard began the fall as self-absorbed novelist Trigorin opposite Kristin Scott Thomas in the acclaimed Broadway production of The Seagull, then jumped directly into rehearsals as contemplative doctor Astrov in Uncle Vanya at Classic Stage Company. Though the latter play is being done in a 199-seat off-Broadway house, its star power is considerable, with Sarsgaard joining his real-life love Maggie Gyllenhaal as Yelena and
How did you manage to jump from one Chekhov play to another?
It was just kismet. I don’t know if that’s the right word, but I’m going to go with it [laughs]. I think things come to you when you need them. If you are paying attention to what’s good for you, rather than what provides you the most money, you get led to interesting places. Or sometimes to the same place. Obviously there’s something about Chekhov that is pulling me toward it. I mean, I didn’t plan this!
Did you and Maggie sign on to do Uncle Vanya at the same time?
Yes, but I would have been interested in doing it even if Maggie had not been involved. I was drawn to the idea of Austin Pendleton directing it. My experience doing The Seagull was one way of doing Chekhov, and this is a very, very different way of doing it.
How are the two approaches different?
I don’t want to describe the two methods too much, because it’s like letting someone look at the gears instead of the bike. But, simply put, [Seagull director] Ian Rickson is very action-oriented, in terms of always doing something with the other actor that you could describe in a word or a sentence. That approach works extremely well to pull certain things out of the material. Austin is from a place that is more about settling into a role. The first thing he said to the cast was, “Look around this room. Each person sitting in front of you is the character. This is Astrov; this is Yelena; this is Sonya.” In other words, let go of any idea you might have about the character from reading it or having seen another production. We do that with everything. Think about going to see Hamlet. We think, “Oh, he’s self-involved, he’s obsessed with his mama.” Maybe not, depending on what actor is standing in front of you! The role is entirely based on you, and you tailor the coat to fit yourself.
Austin Pendleton has a lot of experience with Chekhov, so it sounds like you’re in good hands.
Oh yeah, and I felt I was in very good hands with Ian, as well. The productions just couldn’t be more different.
It’s not a matter of a British vs. American sensibility?
I don’t think so. I would say those labels mean very little anymore when you have someone like Sam Mendes, for example [who directed Sarsgaard in Jarhead]. He is British, but he has a style of directing that I think of as having originated in America.
Have you seen his Cherry Orchard at BAM?
I haven’t, but the whole idea of the Bridge Project is saying that these differences aren’t important. There are not British actors and American actors, there are just talented actors who speak English.
Why do actors love Chekhov?
I think contemporary actors like it because the style of acting that many of us do today— psychological realism—originated at the Moscow Art Theater. Every character in a Chekhov play goes on an interior journey.
Maybe that’s why Chekhov is so difficult to do well.
Of course. If the people onstage are not exploring that territory, then there’s nothing else to look at. Because very little happens! A guy kills himself. Or it could be two things: A guy comes on to a woman who’s married, and another guy tries to shoot somebody. If you tried to write down the plot, you’d say, “This took three hours to explain?!” And that’s because [the plot] is obviously not the play. Chekhov makes it impossible to grab onto anything other than those inner workings.
You made your Broadway debut in The Seagull. Did it feel different than the off-Broadway shows you’d done years ago?
Ultimately it did, but I think that might have been because The Seagull was successful [laughs]. I’ve never been in a wildly successful anything in theater, so it felt very different to have an audience that had been told to like it before they came to see it. There’s a real difference when people have been told, “This is good.”
Did you feel pressure joining a cast that was largely intact from the acclaimed London production?
Not really. I was very keen on doing it because of Kerry [Mulligan, who played Nina]. I had done a movie [the forthcoming An Education] with her, and I knew her to be a very interesting actress. I’ve seen as many bad Ninas as I’ve seen bad Seagulls. How you play both the beginning and the end of the play? I wanted to be in a front-row seat to watch her do that. And obviously Kristin Scott Thomas is an unbelievable actress. I thought, “Those are the two people I will be acting with, so I already know I’m going to have a great time.”
Is it helpful that you’re doing Uncle Vanya directly after The Seagull? Do you wish you’d done a movie in between?
I don’t miss doing movies at all. I’m never going back! [Laughs.] No, I’ve gotta go back. Listen, if I could do this for the rest of my life, I’d be so happy.
What do you enjoy most about stage acting?
That I get to act every single day, and not just a little bit. On a film, a lot of times it’s like, today I walked across the lawn and got in the car, checked the rear-view mirror and drove off. And I did that all day long. It didn’t feel like acting the first time I did it, and it didn’t feel like acting the last time I did it.
You and Maggie have several confrontational scenes in Uncle Vanya. Is it easier or harder doing something like that with your real-life partner?
Honestly, it’s easier. Because if you’ve lived a full life with this other person, a deep and sincere life together, there are so many places the two of you can go [in a scene] that are fair game. You have to work lot harder with someone you don’t know. My best friend Ebon [Moss-Bachrach] and I did a short film with Maggie [High Falls], and it was so easy. Maggie played my pregnant wife and he played my best friend—the characters had different names but essentially it was us—and it was fun to do that. You just memorize your lines and go.
Your very first movie scene was with Sean Penn in Dead Man Walking, right?
Yes, that was my first day on a movie set—with him dragging me through the mud in a Louisiana swamp, raping my girlfriend and killing me [laughs].
You’ve done such a varied collection of movies. Do you have a favorite?
The best overall movie I’ve done, from beginning to end, is Boys Don’t Cry. But I have a lot of performances that I enjoyed doing—partly because of things that have nothing to do with the audience enjoying them. Just because I’m having a good time doesn’t mean you’re having a good time [laughs]. The Center of the World, this Wayne Wang film I did, is one example of that. And The Dying Gaul. I love [writer/director] Craig Lucas, and I had a great time acting with [Patricia Clarkson and Campbell Scott].
You didn’t accompany Maggie on the red carpet at this year’s Golden Globe Awards.
No, no. I don’t do that unless I have to.
It seems like it would be a lot of fun!
It’s fun the first 15 minutes the first time you do it. And then I would say [pauses] it can be entertaining. It can be stimulating, but a lot of things that create anxiety are stimulating. I think everyone in the room is on some kind of stimulant.
But getting dressed up in a tux and standing next to your beautiful partner isn’t fun?
No, no, no. She knows I don’t like that.
Does Maggie enjoy it?
She really likes—this sounds absurd, but she really likes textiles. She likes fabrics, so for that reason she likes clothes. Our house is not decorated at all, but she will find the most beautiful, interesting blanket or bedspread. She’s like an incredible artist at finding things, and she gets a real kick out of fashion.
She’s a queen of couture!
She likes it. But for a guy, anything other than a black tux, you’ve already made a mistake. Are you going to wear red shoes and try to be clever? Just put on your black tux and your black shoes and go to the thing. [Drums sound in the background.] I’m at band practice, that’s what the drumming is behind me. We play here in Bushwick [Brooklyn] every so often.
Are you a singer?
No, I’m a guitar player. It’s like an interminable jam that is slightly intergalactic, for lack of a better word, with swashbuckling guitars and a very, very good, steady drummer. [laughs]. We play at the drummer’s place; he has an entire studio here. We just do it for friends.
It seems as if you and Maggie have managed to balance your careers well.
Yeah. It’s hard, but we do it. We’re both selective, but I would have been heartbroken to let this play go. I believe there’s always another money job, but every once in a while, a once-in-a-lifetime thing comes along, and if you pass on that you’re going to be angry.
Wow, you consider Uncle Vanya a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
The way Austin is doing it is not anything you could do commercially, anywhere. Vanya is not like The Seagull. It’s not a comedy. It’s just “scenes from country life.” Stylistically, it’s really radical and bold and resembles a Robert Altman movie. It’s one of those that people look back on and say, “Damn! That’s really out there!” It still seems futuristic and forward-thinking. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be good. I’m not talking about quality, I’m just talking about the experience. There’s every probability that someone will dislike it, but that doesn’t matter.
How do you and Maggie avoid competitiveness in your high-profile careers?
It’s absolutely never been a problem. We wish each other success so much. I think there’s a good kind of competitiveness, which is pushing each other on to do more interesting things; you’re on a creative journey together. Then there’s the kind of competitiveness that’s about envy, which involves wishing someone failure. You’re turning to your lover and thinking, “It would be good if they’re brought back down to earth.” I’m never in favor of bringing someone down to earth.
Finally, what’s your favorite thing about being a dad?
Ballet class. I just went to it today, and it was unbelievable!
See Peter Sarsgaard in Uncle Vanya at Classic Stage Company.