Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal on their record-breaking “Othello”

With stars like Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, maybe it’s no wonder “Othello” just became the highest-grossing Broadway play ever, pulling in $2.8 million in a single week.

Washington said, “It’s the most excited I’ve been this century. Seriously. I haven’t been this excited about anything I’ve done as I am about this.”

That’s saying something coming from Washington. Known for roles in films like “Glory” and “Training Day” (both of which won him Oscars), he’s been called the greatest actor of the 21st century. But be careful before you call him a “Hollywood actor.”

“What’s the definition of a Hollywood actor?” he said. “Myself, I’m from Mt. Vernon, so I’m a ‘Mt. Vernon actor.’ I don’t know what ‘Hollywood’ means.”

“Somebody who’s famous on film? A film actor, great success on film?”

“I’m a stage actor who does film; it’s not the other way around,” Washington said. “I did stage first. I learned how to act on stage, not on film. Movies are a filmmaker’s medium. You shoot it, and then you’re gone and they cut together and add music and do all of that. Theater is an actor’s medium. The curtain goes up, nobody can help you.”

“Othello” is the Tony-winner’s sixth Broadway show. He plays the title character, Othello, the military commander stirred into a murderous rage after his ensign, Iago, convinces him his wife, Desdemona, has been unfaithful.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays the deceitful Iago, who seeks revenge on his longtime comrade and commander because he was passed over for a promotion.

Shakespeare wrote “Othello” around 1604. But this production sets the play in “the near future,” adding modern themes like service members suffering from PTSD.

Washington said, “People, you know, they ordinarily think, ‘Oh yeah, it’s about jealousy. And he betrays him.’ No, it’s about two soldiers who trust each other with their lives.”

“Well, then…” Gyllenhaal laughed.

“Yeah, what are you so pissed off about? What did I do to you?” Washington laughed.

“What you know, you know!” Gyllenhaal replied. “But I mean, that what is shared is theirs, you know? And what is shared beyond something that they would share with others. That’s what makes their bond so strong.”

At 44 years old, Gyllenhaal is widely celebrated for the emotional range and intensity he brings to roles, in films such as “Brokeback Mountain,” “Zodiac” and “Nightcrawler.” And like Washington, he is a theater veteran, with “Othello” marking his fourth appearance on Broadway. But this is his first time performing Shakespeare (almost). “You know what I realized? I did do ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ in high school,” he said. “And I realized that this morning.”

“You forgot?” an astonished Washington laughed.

“Probably the audience and I would probably like to forget!”

We visited Gyllenhaal before a performance this past week at the Barrymore Theatre. Standing on stage, the actor said, “It’s my favorite place to be.”

He explained his character feeds off the audience: “[Iago] does have a lot of moments [where] he has interactions with the audience, they kind of become his partner in it, and every night it is different. And that’s what I love so much about it.”

Washington, now 70, is no stranger to Shakespeare. On stage he’s played Richard III and Julius Caesar, and he has starred in movie versions of “Much Ado About Nothing” and an adaptation of “Macbeth.”  He first played Othello as a student at Fordham University in New York City.

Asked how he relates to the play and its language differently from when he was 22, Washington replied, “I know a lot less now. I thought I knew everything then! I didn’t really like the part, ’cause I wasn’t wise enough to understand it. Now I understand it’s really about a bond, you know, that these characters have. He loves not wisely, but too well.”

“Othello” has been staged on Broadway more than 20 times. For most of those performances, Othello was played by a white actor in blackface. That changed in 1943, when Paul Robeson gave a legendary performance in the role. The last actor to play him on Broadway was James Earl Jones, in 1982.

“James Earl Jones was my northern star when I was in college,” said Washington. “He was who I wanted to be. I didn’t get to see his Othello, but I know it wasn’t as good as my 22-year-old interpretation! But you know, it’s my turn.”

And what a turn it’s been. The show is already a box office hit. But record-breaking sales have driven prices sky-high; prime seats go for nearly $1,000, drawing some criticism.

But audiences are showing up, and by the sound of it are enjoying themselves – as are the stars.

Gyllenhaal said, “You get to a point where you’re like, ‘Oh, I’ve worked my whole career for this, for this moment.'”

“That’s what it feels like for me, too,” said Washington. “I worked my whole career for this moment. This is a 48-year journey for me. It’s fascinating to have been too young for the part, and some may say now too old. But 48 years of experience, so 48 years of pain and pleasure and life has informed my approach to playing the role.”

Gyllenhaal added, “I feel tremendous gratitude. And he makes me feel it when I walk in that rehearsal room every day.”

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Watch an extended interview with Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal (Video)

       
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Story produced by Wonbo Woo and Sara Kugel. Editor: Remington Korper.