Jefferson Mays

Jefferson Mays stars as 'The Duke' in Theatre for a New Audience's production of Measure for Measure, which played from 6 Feb - 14 Mar 2010 at the Duke On 42nd Street.

Birthday is?
8 June, 1965

Place of birth?
New London, CT

You now live in?
The East Village

Did you go to training school, if so which one?
UCSD. (University of California, San Diego)

As an actor, do you have a preference for stage, tv or film?
I keep my options ever open.

Your first stage performance?
"The King of Tam" in Mrs. McCarthy's 1st Grade Class's adaptation of B. Elkin's The King's Wish.

Career highlight to date?
My current gig.

What roles would you most like to play?
I like to be surprised.

Whats the best advice you have ever received?
"Check your teeth for spinach."

What has been your most embarrassing moment on stage?
Vomiting into an ashtray during a particularly poignant monologue of Josh Hamilton's.

What is the most annoying part about your job?
Being apart from my wife.

Briefly tell us how you became involved with Theatre for a New Audience's production of Measure for Measure?
I received an offer I couldn't refuse.

Briefly tell us about the character you play?
The Duke "of dark corners." The sixth largest role in the canon. Contradictory, mysterious, elusive, confounding, slippery.

If you had not become a performer, what might you have done instead?
Archeology.

Who are your favorite actors/actresses?
The cast of Measure for Measure.

Favorite after-show haunts?
Home

What was the last book you read, and name some of your favorite authors?
The Glass Room by Simon Mawer. Joseph Roth, C. Dickens, E. Nesbit, A. Trollope

What was the last film you saw, and name some of your favorite movies?
The Red Shoes Favorites: M, The Third Man, I Know Where I'm Going, Brief Encounter, In Which We Serve, I Was Nineteen.

Favorite TV programs?
No TV.

Favorite holiday destinations?
Rome, Berlin, Sydney

Do you have any superstitions?
None, but I observe most of them.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 items would you take with you?
One Susan E. Lyons, a duffel of Penguin Classics, a sola topi.

What are your future plans?
I never plan.