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You've previously appeared in Arthur Miller's The Man Who Had All The Luck and Death of a Salesman. What attracted you to The Crucible?
Arthur Miller is simply one of the twentieth century's greatest playwrights, and The Crucible is a great play. If I counted on one hand the best plays of the twentieth century, this, in my opinion would be one of them. I'm a huge admirer of his work. And although The Crucible can of course work in a small venue, I believe that it will work brilliantly on a large stage like the Royal Shakespeare Theatre's. The Salem trials were a grand public spectacle.
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You met Arthur Miller when you were researching The Man Who Had All the Luck. What was that like?
It was extraordinary. I felt very fortunate. I was in New York doing some publicity for a film, and got a phone call from Paul Unwin, Bristol Old Vic's Artistic Director and the director of The Man Who Had All the Luck. He said that Arthur Miller would be very happy to meet me. My immediate reaction was 'No! I can't believe it.' I rang him, and he was absolutely charming. I got a train to near where he lived, and he came along to the railway station in his pick-up truck. We drove to his beautiful house in the country and had a glorious day. Inge, his wife, made us a beautiful lunch. He then showed around his house, the lake nearby and showed me the place where he worked. He was easy company. I asked him if he would mind reading from The Man Who Had All The Luck - a play which was performed for only four nights on Broadway when it first opened. He read from the play, and it's a memory I will always treasure. He seemed to have all the time in the world to talk me. He was a very unique man. He was a big man, with a big heart and immense wisdom. He wasn't pompous, and was in fact very grounded. You can see this in the substance of his plays. It's a great regret to me that he's not here today. Luckily, he spoke a lot about The Crucible, and we're able to read that and just hope that we do him justice.
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What research are you doing in rehearsals?
We've done a small amount of research around the McCarthy trials and Salem at the time, and experts have been into rehearsals to speak about the clinical aspects of hysteria. The Salem of the time is well documented, and we've discussed and read about this. Not too much, though, as the play looks after itself. It's brilliantly structured. As actors, we just need to study Miller's lines.
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How are you approaching your role as John Proctor?
I'm in the middle of rehearsals, and trying to keep an open mind on his character. It's probably a better question for a director. I suppose, loosely, he's the moral heart of the piece. He stands up against the lies being told within the village. Like Miller during the McCarthy period, who refused to 'name names', I see Proctor as basically a good man who, despite deceits in his past, sacrifices himself in the name of truth.
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What do you think audiences can take from The Crucible in the context of today's politics?
There is a lot of religious extremism around, to the exclusion of other beliefs. When someone has immovable beliefs, if can cause blindness. The play speaks about entrenched opinions and the desire to negate the opinions of those around one. Miller's work can be overwhelmingly affecting to audiences, moving, yet not preaching. Like Shakespeare, if a production is well realised, it has the power to enlighten.
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How is the play being set?
Miller conjures the time through his language. Our designs are traditional and faithful to the period, yet give the play a heightened quality with their 'stripped bare' quality. The design focuses on the people within the play. Miller embraced the idea of a set and production being stylistic, to encompass 'dream-like' qualities in his plays - particularly in Death of a Salesman and All My Sons.
Interview by Nada Zakula, RSC
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