Tony Nominee Carrie Coon Credits The White Lotus for Helping Bring Bug to Broadway
Coon on the enduring relevance of Tracy Letts’ play, the brilliance of co-star Namir Smallwood and her Midwestern nature
(Photo: Matthew Murphy)
What to Know
- Carrie Coon earned her second Tony nomination for playing Agnes White in Tracy Letts’ Bug
- Coon discussed why the conspiracy-themed play felt increasingly timely
- Coon also reflected on working with Namir Smallwood, how The White Lotus helped make the Broadway production possible and why her career still feels “steady and workmanlike”
After an Emmy-nominated turn on The White Lotus, Carrie Coon returned to Broadway in Tracy Letts’ conspiracy thriller Bug, which concluded its limited run in March. Her performance as troubled motel resident Agnes White earned her a second Tony nomination.
Speaking with Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek, Coon reflected on her history with the production, which began with a 2021 run in Chicago. “It's a Steppenwolf Theatre production of my husband's play," said Coon, who married Letts in 2013. "I don't just do my husband's plays, but the truth is they're really fun to do and this one was shockingly relevant after 30 years. The play just kept speaking to the moment we were in no matter when we were doing it, and that was extraordinary.”
In Bug, Coon starred opposite Namir Smallwood, who played an enigmatic Army veteran consumed by paranoia. “He's the most playful, open-minded partner," she said. "He's just extraordinarily skilled. It just felt very alive the whole time we were doing it this round. I share this recognition with my cast and especially with Namir."
Though rooted in theater, Coon’s profile has expanded through acclaimed screen roles in The White Lotus and The Gilded Age. Speaking candidly about the entertainment business, she said, “It's not actors that limit themselves. The business limits us. The business doesn't have imagination, and we do." She also acknowledged the role her recent visibility played in bringing Bug to Broadway: “In some ways, you could say The White Lotus made it possible, because it's economically very challenging to get plays done now.”
Coon’s first Tony nomination came in 2013 for her supporting performance in a revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ("If I get one every 10 years, I'll catch Audra by the time I'm 160 or something," she joked.) Looking back on that period, Coon said, “Virginia Woolf started at Steppenwolf. It had no business coming to Broadway. I met my husband, so my whole life was beginning then." She added, "I'm from a small town in Ohio. I thought I was going to get married and have a bunch of kids and live down the street from my parents. Secretly, of course, that's not what I thought. It's an extraordinary life and it has been a steady one. It has felt really steady and workmanlike, which feels very true to where I come from, and so I hope nobody will say I took it for granted.”
Don't expect Coon to celebrate her nomination by wearing her Tony nominee pin. “I'm a Midwesterner, OK? We don't brag about things.”
Watch the full interview below!
