Juliette Lewis on The Rocky Horror Show: ‘I Saw It at 11 and It Changed Me’
The Oscar nominee talks playing Magenta and working with “freaky artists” Luke Evans and Amber Gray
(Photo by Sergio Villarini for Broadway.com)
What to Know
- Juliette Lewis makes her Broadway debut as Magenta in Sam Pinkleton’s revival of The Rocky Horror Show, beginning performances March 26 at Studio 54 and running through June 21
- Lewis says discovering The Rocky Horror Picture Show at age 11 made her feel she had found her artistic “community,” making the chance to join the cult classic on Broadway at age 52 especially meaningful
- The actress praised her Rocky Horror co-stars Amber Gray (Riff Raff) and Luke Evans (Dr. Frank-N-Furter) and teased that the new production will feel “fresh,” “singular” and “unpredictable” for longtime fans
It’s astounding! It, of course, is Juliette Lewis’ Broadway debut as Magenta in Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show. Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek caught up with the Cape Fear and Yellowjackets star about her introduction to The Rocky Horror Picture Show and her adoration for her supernatural co-stars.
Lewis’ last venture in the theater was the 2006 West End revival of Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love. “That was very dramatic, very intense,” she says. Nearly two decades later, she’s making her Broadway debut in the campy romp The Rocky Horror Show. “To do Rocky Horror where I get to learn choreography and sing and we laugh—it's emotional.”
It’s one thing to make your Broadway debut, but another thing entirely when the source material has had an impact on you. “When I was 11, before I had a career, before I started working, I saw Rocky Horror, and it sort of brought me to life,” says Lewis. “Believe it or not, I was 11 and I went, ‘How do I get with those people and go there?’ All the wildness, the music, the makeup, I felt like that was my community. You can call it queer culture, you can call it rock 'n' roll, punk, wild, freaky artists. I felt like that was my community. So to do it now at 52 is really special for me.”
Lewis has nothing but good things to say about the company of freaky artists in the cast. On Amber Gray, who plays Magenta’s brother Riff Raff, Lewis says, “I can't say enough adjectives to describe my love for Amber Gray. She's really special.” And, it would only make sense for Lewis to worship Luke Evans in real life as Magenta does Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the show. “The voice, the charisma, the way he holds himself; everything he's doing as Frank-N-Furter is so powerful,” she says.
Due to the 1975 film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Show has become a cult classic known for its audience memorizing the film and shouting out lines that correspond with it. The new Broadway production faces the challenge of honoring what fans know and love as well as finding its own take. Lewis calls the experience “unpredictable" and adds, "You don't see characters like this on stage. The version we're doing is really fresh. You have [director] Sam Pinkleton who just touches things with his magic wand and makes them really singular and exciting. I've never seen anything like this before.”
The Rocky Horror Show begins performances on March 26 at Studio 54 and will run through June 21.
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