Actress Marjan Neshat chatted about starring in “English” on Broadway, and “The Night Agent” on Netflix.
Starring in ‘English’ on Broadway
“English” is a new Broadway show, by playwright Sanaz Toossi, which is being performed at the Todd Haimes Theatre in Manhattan.
The play was directed by Knud Adams, and it stars Marjan Neshat, Hadi Tabbal, Pooya Mohseni, Tala Ashe, and Ava Laleharzadeh.
On starring in “English” on Broadway, she remarked, “It has been one of the best experiences of my career. Sanaz Toossi is a wonder. She has provided all of us with these rich, complex, funny and intensely human characters.”
“Our director is an artist of the highest caliber as are our designers. The fact that
the Roundabout brought our whole company back together to do this has allowed us to jump in immediately from a place of trust and go deeper,” she said.
“It’s as if we had three years of rehearsal instead of four weeks. And to get to share this story with 700 plus people a night and not sacrifice the intimacy that we had at the Atlantic Theater is a dream, every night,” she elaborated.
Working with Sanaz Toosi
On working with Sanaz Toossi, Neshat said, “Sanaz is my artistic soulmate. I would walk through fire for her. This role and Nazanin in ‘Wish You Were Here,” her second play, are two of the best roles I’ve ever played.”
“Living in her brain and her heart is a gift,” Neshat admitted. “She both pushes me and lifts me up. I think we make each other better. I never want to stop making art with her.”
Season 2 of ‘The Night Agent’ on Netflix
On her experience in ‘The Night Agent,” Neshat said, “I had a great experience working on The Night Agent. Shawn Ryan, the show-runner and all the writers I worked with, were very conscientious about bringing the Iranian faction together and creating a warm and collaborative atmosphere.”
“I felt very respected and listened to, anytime I had ideas or suggestions. Though it was a emotional arc for my character, I had a lot of fun filming,” she added.
The digital age
On being a performer in the digital age, she said, “Honestly, I find it challenging. I somehow feel I belong more to the past I find the constant curating of self and the lack of privacy quite overwhelming.”
“I’ve really had to learn the language of it, and push myself to engage with it, it has not come naturally to me,” she added.
Advice for young and emerging performers
For young and aspiring performers, she said, “Find what you truly love, what lights you up and pour yourself into it. Define what you want to be in conversation with first, don’t let others do that for you. I think when we lead with what we love, the better part of ourselves shows up.”
Career-defining moments
“I love Chekhov and getting to do ‘The Seagull’ with Dianne Wiest and Alan Cumming was a big event in my life,” she said. “I also worked on a production of ‘The Three Sisters’ where we rehearsed according to the timeline of the play, so in total, four and a half years.”
“I learned that play from the inside out,” she admitted. “Those were seminal. But the year of carrying four shows ‘Selling Kabul,’ ‘English,’ ‘Wish You Were Here,’ and ‘Sandra’ (which was a one woman show), really changed my understanding of what I was capable of. It was an expansive year.”
Success
On her definition of the word success, Neshat said, “I think, for me, success is getting to do work I am proud of as an artist, and managing to make a living while I’m doing it.”
“I think the first part of my answer would always be the same, but the caveat of making a living is largely in response to living in a super capitalist system that does not prioritize art and culture and its artists,” she acknowledged.
Closing thoughts on ‘English’
For fans and viewers, she remarked about “English,” My hope is that they come and leave a little more tender towards the people around them.”
“I hope that they experience firsthand that we have more in common than we think and to think about the people they pass on the street with more openness and care. I think we need to access our humanity at this time more than we ever,” she concluded.
To learn more about Marjan Neshat, follow her on Instagram.
Read More: “English” on Broadway review.
