INTERVIEW: David Zayas on the ‘beautiful story’ told by John Patrick Shanley
Photo: Brooklyn Laundry stars David Zayas and Cecily Strong. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Daniel / Provided by BBB with permission.
David Zayas, star of stage and screen, is currently appearing in Manhattan Theatre Club’s production of Brooklyn Laundry, a new play written and directed by John Patrick Shanley. In the show, Zayas plays the character of Owen, who owns a group of New York City laundromats and one day meets Fran (Cecily Strong). They start a conversation about laundry and lost clothes, and eventually they settle on a first date. That encounter sparks the action for the next 80 minutes, and the audience comes to know Owen and Fran as they try to make their relationship work. Florencia Lozano and Andrea Syglowski are also featured.
Zayas, best known for Dexter, Shut Eye, Gotham, Bloodline and Oz, is also well-known to New York theatergoers. He last appeared in MTC’s Cost of Living on Broadway and earned a Tony Award nomination. Now he’s back with MTC, performing in Brooklyn Laundry through mid-April.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox talked with the actor to learn more about his desire to perform in a Shanley play and how he sees the character of Owen. Here’s what he had to say …
On what he thinks of John Patrick Shanley as a playwright and director …
“His other 22 plays I’ve read very intensely. I’ve always wanted to be in a John Patrick Shanley play, and this one was a perfect opportunity and a beautiful part and a beautiful story and told like only John Patrick Shanley could do it. It was a no-brainer for me. As soon as I read it, I wanted to do it. … It’s fantastic because he knows what he wants. He knows exactly how to get there. His notes are so specific. It was great to have him there in the room as a director as well.”
On how he approaches the character of Owen and the character’s feelings on rejection …
“I saw myself in this part immediately. … I see him as a broken man who has not given up on love, who has not given up on a connection, who has good intentions in his heart, who has a lot of issues having to do with trust, and I think he desperately wants to do the right thing. And I think that is the driving force in this. He wants to be that person that is going to contribute and is going to be a part of something good.
“A lot of trauma that happens in your life kind of indicates how you react to certain things, and I think that they both had certain traumas that somehow got meshed together. … Owen is in a very sensitive state of mind when it comes to that kind of thing, and rejection he does not handle well. And I think he feels rejected. He feels like he’s been let down, and because of his trauma, because of how he is, I think there is an overreaction there. But it comes from a place of insecurity, and it comes from a place of truth. What better traits to have as an actor to do a scene.”
On what it’s like working with Cecily Strong …
“Cecily is wonderful to work with. She’s so smart. She’s so on it, and she’s a great scene partner to be in this play with. I immediately felt a great chemistry with her. She’s really so talented. I’m very happy that she’s doing it. We’re having a blast.”
On what it’s like to act in a NYC-set play …
“I’m from the Bronx also. I come from a blue-collar family, so I identified with this character right away. And when I watch a John Patrick Shanley play or a movie that he’s written, I so relate to the way that people talk, their attitude and certain kind of aggression that New Yorkers have. It’s right there in the writing, and I really related to it.”
On keeping his acting schedule busy, busy, busy …
“I do like staying busy. I take it a day at a time, a play at a time, or a TV show or film. … Other than experience, I don’t think about what I’ve done and what I’ve accomplished because every play, every project, which is why I love what I do, is a new experience. It’s a new challenge. It challenges me to go that extra step to be more truthful and to tell the story better, and that’s always going to be there. And so I don’t really think, ‘I’ve done this and I’ve done that.’ No, this is the thing I’m doing right now, and this is what I concentrate on and focus on. That’s how I do every project that I’m in.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Brooklyn Laundry, starring Cecily Strong and David Zayas, continues through April 14 at Manhattan Theatre Club’s NY City Center Stage I. Click here for more information and tickets.
