Snook, who played Shiv Roy on Succession, was just nominated for a Tony for playing all the characters in The Picture of Dorian Gray on Broadway. "I don't know what comes after this," she says. She talks about playing 26 different parts in Dorian, why she almost didn't audition for Succession, and the word she could never quite say in an American accent. Also, Ken Tucker shares a remembrance of the leader of Pere Ubu, David Thomas.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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This is Fresh Air. I'm Terry Gross. Our guest today is Sarah Snook. She's best known for playing Shiv Roy on the show Succession. Now she's on Broadway in a one-person show, an adaptation of the Oscar Wilde story The Picture of Dorian Gray. Last week, she received a Tony nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Play. She spoke with Fresh Air's Anne-Marie Baldonado.
It's hard to describe Sarah Snook's performance in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Snook plays all 26 characters in this stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel from 1890. It feels like you're watching a two-hour sprint. She's giving a nonstop monologue, a crazy athletic solo performance.
For those who don't remember this gothic horror story, it's about a young man, Dorian Gray, who falls in love with his own beauty when an artist friend paints a portrait of him. He loves his own image so much that he makes a wish, a Faustian bargain, that allows him to stay young and beautiful while his portrait ages and decays.
The show uses pre-recorded snippets of Snook, playing different characters, projected on huge video screens. There are cameras, iPhones, and lightning-quick costume and set changes, all used to tell this story that culminates in Dorian spiraling, and ultimately facing his sins and his mortality.
When Sarah Snook did this play for a run in London last year, it earned her an Olivier Award, which is the British equivalent of a Tony. This isn't the only award that she's received. She won an Emmy and two Golden Globes for playing fan favorite Shiv Roy, the daughter of Logan Roy, on the show Succession.
Sarah Snook was born in Australia, where she went to drama school and received many accolades for her work on stage and screen. Her films include Jobs, The Dressmaker, and Memoir of a Snail. Sarah Snook, welcome to Fresh Air. Hi, thanks for having me.
Well, the creator of this adaptation, Kip Williams, a fellow Australian, when he approached you about taking on this role or these roles, what was your response? I read that you said that if you had seen the show, you might not have agreed to do it. Yes.
Well, I was pregnant at the time. And I think I was like seven months or something. And, you know, my first baby. And so that kind of
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