"Julius Caesar" star opens up about controversial Shakespeare in the Park production
Corey Stoll recently completed his run as Brutus in Shakespeare in the Park's production of "Julius Caesar" -- a version fraught with controversy that saw two of its final performances interrupted by protesters.
With his work in the play behind him, Stoll reflected on the endeavor in a guest column for Vulture, writing that the play's final performance spurred a realization: "It occurred to me that this is resistance."
"In this new world where art is willfully misinterpreted to score points and to distract, simply doing the work of an artist has become a political act," Stoll wrote.
In his essay, the former "House of Cards" star recounted the numerous times the play was disrupted by protesters outside the open-air theater in New York's Central Park, in the audience and taking to the stage, occurrences that fostered fear and apprehension among the cast. He described the final performance, when a man rushed the stage and was tackled by security.
"Forty-five minutes later, we finished the show, and our run, as scheduled," Stoll wrote. "Backstage, I exhaled and sobbed."
Stoll also reflected on the controversial centerpiece of the play -- the decision to dress Caesar in a manner strikingly similar to President Donald Trump.
"When I signed on to play the reluctant assassin Marcus Brutus in this production, I didn't know Caesar would be an explicit avatar for President Trump," he wrote. "I was disappointed by the literal design choice. I had little fear of offending people, but I worried that the nuanced character work we had done in the rehearsal room would get lost in what could seem like a 'Saturday Night Live' skit."
As for criticisms that the play was inciting violence against the president, Stoll noted, "The play makes it clear that Caesar's murder, which occurs midway through the play, is ruinous for Brutus and his co-conspirators, and for democracy itself."
