Ewan McGregor to Play Iago in Othello at London's Donmar
All three actors have previously worked with Grandage. McGregor made his last London stage appearance as Sky Masterson in Grandage's Donmar production of Guys and Dolls at the West End's Piccadilly Theatre in June 2005. Reilly starred in After Miss Julie, Patrick Marber's reworking of Strindberg, at the Donmar in November 2003. And Ejiofor starred in Noel Coward's The Vortex, Grandage's debut production as artistic director at the Donmar, in December 2002. More recently, Ejiofor starred in Ian Rickson's valedictory production as Artistic Director of the Royal Court, when he played Trigorin opposite Kristin Scott Thomas as Arkadina.
Both McGregor and Ejiofor are best known for their film credits. McGregor has played the younger Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and has also starred in Trainspotting, Moulin Rouge, Down with Love, Little Voice, Young Adam, The Pillow Book and Velvet Goldmine.
Ejiofor's blossoming film career, which began with Dirty Pretty Things, has continued with appearances in Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda, Spike Lee's Inside Man, Kinky Boots for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe, Love Actually and Children of Men. Most recently, he played Denzel Washington's brother in American Gangster. He also received a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actor in a mini-series or film made for TV, for his role in the mini-series Tsunami: The Aftermath.
Reilly was most recently seen at the Royal Court in Terry Johnson's Piano/Forte last year. Her other theater credits include Blasted at the Royal Court and Sexual Perversity in Chicago in the West End. In 2005, she won the award for Best Actress in an Independent Film at the Cannes Film Festival for her performance in Mrs Henderson Presents, for which she also won the Best Newcomer award at both the London Critics Circle Awards and the Empire Film Awards.
Othello will run at the Donmar Warehouse through February 23, 2008.