He’s a “Succession” regular on HBO and now, on Broadway, he’s newly Tony-nominated, for his performance opposite Jessica Chastain in the hit revival of “A Doll’s House.” Arian Moayed is the guest on the latest Marks & Vincentelli. While Elisabeth was away on assignment, Peter went solo with Arian for an illuminating conversation about Arian’s modern approach to Ibsen’s portrait of an 18th Century husband unaware of how suffocating he makes life for Jessica’s Nora.

Arian talked about the character’s cluelessness, but also, about how many people, men especially, have come up to him after seeing director Jamie Lloyd’s production. What he often hears are self-examining comments — men wondering how many of their own unconscious acts of micro-aggression are embodied by Torvald. The feedback has helped Arian understand the contemporary relevance of a character first seen on the stage in 1879.

Arian’s Tony nod, for best featured actor in a play, occurs as the much-admired “Succession” moves toward its series finale at the end of May. Peter and Arian spoke of Arian’s experience as Stewy — a cool-headed investor emblematic of the series’ cast of scheming characters. And they talked, too, about Arian’s other pursuits, as an acting teacher for high school students in the Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan, and as co-founder of Waterwell, a performing arts company with a social conscience.

Listen now — and please subscribe!

Thanks to Christian Huygen for our theme music.

For further reading: here is Peter’s review of “A Doll’s House,” directed by Jamie Lloyd.

And Peter’s profile of Jessica Chastain.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marksvincentelli.substack.com/subscribe