Nathan Stewart-Jarrett on Getting Off-Book in the Bath & Why Obama Needs to Come See Angels in America

British actor Nathan Stewart-Jarrett is making his Broadway debut in Tony Kushner's landmark play Angels in America. He is reprising his performance from the acclaimed National Theatre production in the splashy (Tony-winning) role of Belize, a former drag diva, who is best friends with Prior Walter, played by Oscar and Tony nominee Andrew Garfield, and the nurse of Roy Cohn, portrayed by two-time Tony winner Nathan Lane. While Stewart-Jarrett has been a fan of Kushner's play and the 2003 HBO adaptation since his drama school days, he's putting his own spin on the role. We caught up with Stewart-Jarrett to talk about how he unwinds after performing in the intense two-parter, his famous co-stars and the Angels audience member who would make him truly starstruck.



Better Luck Next Time
Believe it or not, Stewart-Jarrett thought he'd missed his only chance to be in Angels in America in his twenties. “There was a production at the Lyric Hammersmith in London. I was 21, and I didn't get an audition because I was 21. I was really upset," he says. "I was like, ‘Oh, God. That's it. This play isn't done very often, and that was my one chance to play Belize. That was my one chance to be part of this amazing piece of work.’ I'm sure I sobbed. I'm sure I was sulking in some strange way. So, now it's come about, and I'm like, ‘Wow.' It's kind of insane.”

Dinner Theater
Playwright Tony Kushner was on hand for rehearsals at the National Theatre last year, meaning Stewart-Jarrett got some major facetime with him. “I remember reciting some lines for him," he recalls. "We were just talking over dinner, and I did a few of my lines for him over my chicken. [Laughs] He has just been incredibly helpful at every juncture and just so insightful.”



Moving on Up
The two-play experience of Angels in America is intense viewing to say the least—imagine performing in the production for nearly eight hours on two-show days. Stewart-Jarrett reveals how he winds down after performances. “I'm watching The Jeffersons. Remember that show? We never had it in England," he says. "I go over my lines in the bath. It's become a bit of a thing. I take a lot of long baths and watch The Jeffersons.”

Lesson Learned
The more Stewart-Jarrett performs the epic masterwork, the more he falls for the material. “You have people doing terrible things in the play to each other [and] to themselves, but there's a sense of redemption for each one. I do think that is great," he explains. "I also just love the resilience in the last speech. It never fails to move me when Andrew talks about people not dying secret deaths. Things may be very tough, but we're just going to carry on. We're going to keep going. We haven't got time to wallow. I think that happens often. People that suffer the worst do not go on moaning. They keep going.”

Co-Star Clichés
The actor shares a lot of stage time with both Lane and Garfield. “Nathan doesn't really talk that much in rehearsals—he just tries things out and is very instinctual. There's something really amazing knowing that he is so present: He never gives anything less than 20,000 percent," he says. "Andrew also has an ability to just drag you into the present. His energy is so contagious and wonderful. With both of them, no matter how tired we are, no matter what's going on, they both have an extreme amount of stamina and generosity on stage. It's cliché when I'm just like, ‘They're so generous.’ But they are.”

Starstruck
With such an illustrious cast, Angels is bound to attract a celeb-filled audience. So, who is Stewart-Jarrett dying to have in the crowd? “I bumped into Whoopi Goldberg recently," he laughs. "I think she's coming to see the show: I'm really excited about that. She's a bit of a thing for me. If someone like Wes Anderson came to the play or—the Obamas! If I get a whiff of Obama in that building, I'm going to freak out.”



Photos: Caitlin McNaney | Grooming: Margina Dennis