INTERVIEW: Billy the Kid is subject of new off-Broadway play
The legend of Billy the Kid has inspired filmmakers, songwriters and playwrights for decades, and playwright Charles Cissel has added his own interpretation with the new off-Broadway play, Must, currently running at the Theatre at St. Clement’s in Midtown Manhattan.
In the drama, which is produced by Hollywood actor Bruce Willis, Brendan Dooling plays Billy the Kid, perhaps the most famous gunfighter in the history books. Dooling is an alumnus of TV’s The Carrie Diaries, Bull, Chicago: PD and Gone. On film, he can be seen in Demolition, Breathe In and Loserville.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox spoke with Dooling about his gunslinging role. Here’s what he had to say:
On how he joined the production …
“My management was approached by the production team. We didn’t really know much about it at first. They just sent over a script and asked me if I’d like to be a part of it. They had seen my reel, and so they sent over the script, wanted me to take a look. And once I read the script, I found I was very intrigued, and I thought it would be a really cool project to be on the ground floor of. I knew that it was a brand-new play. It hadn’t been workshopped yet. It was going to go right up onto stage, and that was really exciting, the idea that I could also be a part of this new thing that was just being created. I wanted to be a part of it.”
On the research he conducted on Billy the Kid …
“Of course, I wanted to just to make sure that I was doing the character justice. Obviously, it’s not really a period piece because it sort of lives in its own world, but I wanted to make sure I was getting the best picture so that I could portray the character in a realistic way. So I did do some research. You know, Pat Garrett, the sheriff, actually wrote a book about Billy and his endeavors and then Pat’s own pursuit of Billy, so I did read that book. And I found some other online resources that informed me a little bit more about the time and the place and the people, but to be perfectly honest with you, none of it is really going to serve the story itself because it lives in its own world. … Playwright Charles Cissel has taken creative liberties in order to tell a particular story, so the history of it, though interesting and I think important to know as an actor, doesn’t really come into play all that much.”
On the differences between acting on stage and acting on a TV show …
“For me, in particular, even just vocally presenting myself on stage is much different than on television. Obviously, you’ve got your extreme close-ups, and you have a camera that’s capturing the most infinitesimal detail on somebody’s face and things like that. So you certainly have to carry yourself a lot differently on stage, so transitioning back to stage has been not difficult but certainly there’s a learning curve. I grew up doing theater, and it was just about bringing back all those things that I had learned in my early years during grade school and things like that — and, you know, down to simply projecting and playing a part so that an audience knows exactly how you’re feeling, how you’re reacting as opposed to being able to internalize things that the camera can catch in your eye.”
On performing in a play in Midtown Manhattan …
“It’s very exciting. I actually used to take classes right there on 44th Street and Ninth Avenue, so I’m really familiar with the area. And it feels like home to me, so it’s funny that this is where we’re going to be putting it up. I feel comfortable.”
On how Bruce Willis is attached …
“He has a relationship with the playwright, and he has a lot of confidence in the playwright, I think, and rightly so because Charles Cissel is a very smart and gracious and talented man. And so I have not met Bruce Willis. He doesn’t have a role in the creation of the project. I think it’s more because of his confidence in Charles, he was willing to put his name on it and really hopefully get more butts in the seats, I think.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Must is currently playing at the Theatre at St. Clement’s in Midtown Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets.
