Scottish Sensation Ken Stott Dives into Broadway's Carnage

Age: “No one will die if they don’t know how old I am.”

Hometown: Edinburgh, Scotland. Stott is the son of two educators; his Scottish father was head of the English department at George Heriot's School and his Sicilian mother taught Italian literature at Edinburgh University.

Currently: Making his Broadway debut as Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage as Michael, a part he originated in the London premiere of the play opposite Tamsin Greig, Janet McTeer and Ralph Fiennes in 2008. Stott replaced James Gandolfini in the Broadway production at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in November.

Lightning Strikes: Stott always had an artistic nature. He studied ballet and was a musician (he served as frontman for a few bands, including one called Keyhole that later became the Bay City Rollers) through his teens. The four-time Olivier Award-nominated actor laughs as he recalls his roots. “That was last century!” How did he decide to pursue acting? “It was something that struck me quite suddenly like a bolt out of the blue. I used to love going to the cinema when I was a boy to see Kirk Douglas, Michael Caine—all of these heroes. I’m sure that subliminally [the idea of being an actor] was always there.”

Humble Beginnings: Of course, making the decision to be an actor and getting work as an actor are not the same. Stott notes that it took about a decade before he got a break. In the meantime, he supported himself as a double glazing salesman. “My first major role was in a play called Through the Leaves. It was a German play that was done at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh [in 1985], and it transferred to London. After that, I joined the National Theatre, and then I started doing serious work.”

Raving About Reza: In addition to starring in God of Carnage in the West End and on Broadway, Stott was nominated for an Olivier Award for originating the role of the perplexed and placating Yvan in Reza’s previous Tony-winning play, Art, opposite Tom Courtenay and Albert Finney in the 1996 London production. What appeals to him about the celebrated French playwright? “Her work is irresistible,” he exclaims. “It's so clever, and it’s so funny, even though she expressly denies that [God of Carnage] is a comedy. We don’t play it as a comedy, but the audiences are laughing, which is heartening. You come offstage having had fun. It’s not the kind of feeling you get when you play King Lear.”

The Fame Factor: Stott is a household name in the U.K. for his prolific work in television, film and on stage. His reputation is one of an intense actor, unafraid of taking risks, who has wowed critics in such varied roles as Adolf Hitler in Uncle Adolf, Israeli arms dealer Zvi in Charlie Wilson’s War and Eddie Carbone in the West End’s A View from the Bridge earlier this year. (A respected Miller interpreter, he has also starred in Death of a Salesman and Broken Glass.) Stott admits he cannot walk the streets of London without being approached and says he is most recognized for his roles on the detective series Rebus and the crime drama series Messiah. He has been able to be anonymous now that he is in New York City—until recently. “Oddly enough, I was out walking with my sweetheart last week, and I was stopped twice by people saying they’d seen me on TV,” Stott laughs, “It shocked, amazed and delighted me.” He also seems amused to be interviewed under the category of “fresh face.” “I may be fresh in America,” he says, “but I am quite stale back home.”