ERIC BOGOSIAN RETURNS TO THE THEATER AFTER THREE YEARS ON TV
By Peter Filichia
The Star-Ledger – NJ.com
February 02, 2010, 1:01AM
In his Broadway debut, Eric Bogosian portrays a photo editor with
a much-younger girlfriend, played by Alicia Silverstone, in "Time
Stands Still."
Goodbye, Captain Danny Ross. Hello, Richard Ehrlich.
Eric Bogosian has finished his three-year, 60-episode stint on "Law &
Order: Criminal Intent." "Now it’s time to get back to the theater,"
he says.
While Bogosian has appeared in seven off-Broadway productions in
the last 27 years – six of them shows he wrote for himself – he’ll
finally make his Broadway debut in "Time Stands Still." It’s Pulitzer
Prize-winner Donald Margulies’ new drama that opened last week at
the Friedman Theatre.
Bogosian is realistic in why he was cast.
"The boon of doing a regular TV series is that it allows producers
to cast theater people in roles they might not otherwise get. I’m a
character actor," says the 56-year old performer. "We have a strong
base of them in New York, and I can think of at least six other actors
who could do this role. But ‘Law & Order’ put my name before the public
in a way that it hadn’t been before. So now I have this dream job."
The character of Richard Ehrlich is a photo editor of a prestigious
magazine. "We’ve been looking at the work of James Nachtwey," Bogosian
says, citing the famed war photographer.
"He’s been in action taking pictures when the bullets were whizzing
past. Such guys are heroes to me. I’m an Armenian, and I’m still
haunted by the Armenian genocide that took place in 1915 because of
the photographs I’ve seen.
"While many pictures haven’t survived, the ones that have prevent
people from saying such atrocities never happened. Actually, we need
more photojournalists. Who knows what’s happening in the parts of
the world where there aren’t many or any?"
In the play, Richard has been known to hire photojournalists Sarah
Goodwin (Laura Linney) and James Dodd (Brian D’Arcy James). Both were
recently seriously injured while doing their job.
Says Bogosian, "The play never says that they’ve specifically been in
Iraq, only that they’ve been in a ‘war zone.’ James suffered trauma,
but Sarah was gravely wounded, and was in intensive care. So Richard
comes by to see them, and brings with him his new girlfriend named
Mandy (Alicia Silverstone)."
That turns out to be a mistake.
"She’s somewhat younger than I," says Bogosian, "and Sarah thinks that
she’s a lightweight. As it turns out, Mandy actually has tremendous
insight and is a truth-teller. She’ll say what no one else is willing
to say."
That isn’t solely what makes Mandy appealing to Ehrlich. Once he heard
about the couple’s injuries, he thought about the fragility of life.
As a result, he’s gathering his females while he may.
Bogosian’s personal life bears no relationship to Richard’s. He’s
been married to director Jo Bonney for almost 30 years. She directed
him in his off-Broadway plays "Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll" in 1990 and
"Wake up and Smell the Coffee" in 2000. They have two sons, 22 and 19.
"My kids came to see play the other day," Bogosian says. "They liked
that it didn’t try to tell anyone what to think. And believe me,
they’ve been around theater since they were kids, so they know
what’s good."
This time, Bogosian is directed by Dan Sullivan, who’s staged three
previous Margulies plays. "Actually, I worked with Dan once before,"
he says. "It was on the film ‘The Substance of Fire,’ where I played
an editor there, too. I had loved the play it was based on so much
that I begged to be in the film version."
This time, though, Bogosian didn’t have to beg. But he is heeding
Sullivan’s direction. "I’ve done a lot of solo shows, my own
monologues, but I want to grow as an actor," he says. "So when Dan
tells me to do something, I don’t ask ‘Why?’ but ‘How?’ "
Of course, being a playwright could mean that Bogosian has a suggestion
or two for Margulies. "Well, of course, I’m constantly investigating
the role and asking questions," he says. "But long before we started
rehearsals, I had coffee with Donald and expressed my thoughts on
the play. But any thoughts I’d had were ones he’d already thought of.
"Besides," he says, "I tend to compartmentalize. I have an acting side
and a writing side. When I’m acting, I only use that side of my brain.
I’d definitely go nuts if I had to rewrite the play, too."
Time Stands Still Where: Friedman Theatre, 261 W. 47th St., New York
When: Open run. Tuesdays at 7 p.m., Wednesdays through Fridays at 8
p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 and 7 p.m.
How much: $57 to $97. Call (212) 239-6200 or visit mtc-nyc.org.
Peter Filichia may be reached at [email protected].