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(Full disclosure: I am an alumni of MXAT.)
They are not allowed to say anything.
Im so distressed for my colleagues, some of whom have protested and had to leave the country.
Its a dictatorship, and it needs to be dealt with.
As players, we dont understand how valuable what we do is.
I think its more important than church.
I think that President Zelenskyy in Ukraine is showing exceptional courage.
He was a performer, and he was the voice of Paddington Bear.
Hes also Jewish, so hes learned the lesson of what happens in wars.
Its brutal, and it should not be allowed to go on.
Did the other members of theSuccessionensemble know that you were going to make this speech?No.
I didnt want to impose it on my cast, but I knew theyd be behind me.
You have to come teach.
I said, But I dont know Russian.
He said, It doesnt matter.
You are a great teacher.
We will translate for you.
Your time in Russia coincided with perestroika and the decline of the old Soviet Union.
It was opening up.
I said, Thats not the point of the play.
At the end of the play, the point is that he will not give names.
And they said, But weve all given names.
Thats what we grew up with.
And I said, Living with those betrayals does not make it right.
But that is how Russians have survived: by having the two faces of Janus.
And its understandable considering what theyve gone through.
How do you see the themes ofThe Cruciblerelating to today?
The cancel culture is a form of McCarthyism.
The play asks us to acknowledge our history.
Thats why youve always got to hold the mirror up to the oppressor.
How do you feel about Vladimir Putin?Hes a monster.
He wants to go back to the former Soviet Union, which was repressive.
That was the reason it broke up.
Everybodys so afraid of Putin because hes a bully.
Of course, Putin doesnt want a soul.
The last thing he needs is a soul or any kind of doubt.
We have to get rid of guys who do that.
Its a little clumsy and a little unthought through, to be honest with you.
Youve got to have the right balancing act.
You have to say, These people are okay.
We support the artists.
Its the situation around them we shouldnt attack the artists for the situation around them.
But the downside of that is that youre cutting people off from means of communication.
Youve got to be smarter than just withdrawing the films.
