ANDY DRACHENBERG: How did you end up on Broadway in The Best Man?
DONNA HANOVER: You know my background is primarily as a journalist; I didn’t start out as an actor (although I did play Penelope Trueheart in my high school melodrama… and in the second grade I was the silver angel!). So, I really came to acting as a reporter who ended up getting to work for directors like Ron Howard and Sydney Lumet. One day I met Milos Forman (director of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), and he asked me if I would ever consider playing a different kind of part… After that, I started seriously studying acting and have done work for TV, film, and stage since!
AD: Starting from journalism, what first encouraged you to go into acting?
DH: I always liked meeting really interesting people. That’s what I wanted to do, that’s why I was a journalist. Now directors tend to be pretty interesting, and what’s not exciting about a film set? I originally came to that as more of a journalist examining what it was like to be in that environment / profession, until suddenly I decided to pursue it as a career!
AD: What has that environment been like on The Best Man?
DH: Well, we started, as usual, with the table read. And then Gore Vidal came and visited us! We all gave him a standing ovation… after all, this is one of the best political campaign plays ever written, and he was just as witty as ever when we chatted at the roundtable. I remember he told us ‘It’s always best to write about people who have left the planet. That way no one can complain… like ‘Lincoln’.’
AD: Having had a career in journalism, what was it like working within Gore’s perspectives on journalists?
DH: He is dead on right with them. The woman I play had to be incredible to get into this male-dominated environment, so I envisioned her as having to be tough – with a good sense of humor. In my personal reporting, I’m probably a little less ‘in your face’ than this woman, because we’re further down the road. I’ve also personally noticed you tend to get more flies with honey. I think she (my character) had to prove that she was just as strong as the guys, so she had to spar with them.
AD: Did you find large differences between the politics and journalism found in The Best Man and what we see today?
DH: When we first did the read through, I thought ‘I can see how this could feel a little dated.’ Then, all of a sudden, current American politics caught up to the issues we’re addressing from the sixties in The Best Man! That’s really been astounding. But there are also things that won’t change: people in pursuit of power, how much are they willing to sacrifice to get it, and what they are saying to themselves as they make these compromises of their ethics.
But the twenty-four hour news cycle has changed everything. Some people can ride things out when the story happens, even if it’s a 2-3 day conversation. But now with every channel having their own voice, the twenty-four hour news creates a conversation much larger than it actually is, so things don’t always stick around. The multiplicity of voices all saying the same things makes an issue feel strong at first, but most seem to disappear pretty quickly. That’s very different from earlier in history.
AD: In a way though, the journalists and reporters in The Best Man are quite strategic and influential in how events play out.
DH: Yes, I get to raise the question that is the first red flag for the political party. As an actor, it’s fun to have those moments! There is a tea party scene where a reporter (me) meets with the two potential first ladies and Mrs. Gamidge (who represents the women’s’ vote). By the way, Angela Lansbury is deservedly a legend. All she has to do is turn her face a quarter of a degree…. and it’s brilliant.
AD: What sort of things are you discovering from the audience during performances?
DH: Well, I don’t want people to think this is heavy theatre – it isn’t! Gore has written it so that there is humor to be found! In fact, Michael was quoted saying he intended to find the deep humanity and humor in The Best Man when he talked about directing it. I think it shows even in the casting. You have Candice Bergen, John Larroquette, Eric McCormack – these are all people who have done humor (not standup!) for a living. And the audience has been very smart – catching all the humor. It’s been wonderful!
DONNA HANOVER(Barbara Brinkley, Mrs. Cantwell, Delegate, u/s Alice Russell, Mrs. Gamadge). Theatre: Picked, The Vagina Monologues, Hillbilly Women. Film: The People vs. Larry Flynt, Someone Like You, Keeping the Faith, Ransom. TV: Louie, Rescue Me, Law & Order, The Practice, Sex and the City. Journalist: CUNY TV–Science & U!; 1994-2002 First Lady, City of NY. Loving thanks: Andrew, Caroline, Ed, Mom, Dad, Sue, Joannie, Sondra & Ellen.