Andy Drachenberg – You are most recognized for your very exciting role as Cabot on Law & Order: SVU…how has working on such an iconic show been as an experience?
Stephianie March – I did [Law & Order] for a long time – four full seasons. I started to play the attorney before I was old enough to have graduated from law school. I left for a little bit, got married, I moved, traveled a lot, and I’ve been back for two seasons on and off. It’s a great job that way, I know everybody on the show, they are some of my greatest friends. I actually think Law & Order is quite pertinent to the theatre community because it’s one of the very few television franchises that shoots in New York, and has been for over 20 years. It has employed more people in the theatre community than probably any other large-scale production on the planet.
AD – What many people may not know is that you’re also high on the Broadway charts from your work opposite Liev Schreiber in Talk Radio, and you also began your career studying theatre!
SM – Yes, I went to Northwestern University and I studied theatre and Latin-American literature (my parents were probably wondering what sort of a job I would get with those!). I moved to New York to do a play (which was the perfect way to come to this city), and had ten minutes of stage time in a show that won 5 Tony Awards… I was 24 years old, and it was an incredible experience! I think a lot of people come to New York and either love it or hate it – and I instantly loved it! I thought, “This is life!” It is the greatest city in the world… there is nowhere else I’d rather live! So, I just stayed. I did Talk Radio, and another piece at Second Stage, I did a show at Hartford Stage – it was the first production of Enchanted April – which later arrived on Broadway. I wasn’t able to participate on Broadway with it, because I just gotten the job at Law & Order during the time it transferred. I don’t know if I’m very well known, but I am as much of a fan as anybody else of the Broadway community!
AD – How did you prepare to play your character in Talk Radio? What challenges did you have to face, and what did you learn from it in comparison to other productions?
SM – It was really fun not to be a lawyer, hehe. It was so refreshing to be really vulnerable, and a bit of a mess – not ridiculous, not crying all over the place, not crazy, not quirky, not bipolar, not with a tick, just a normal, vulnerable human being in a relationship that’s not so good. There are a lot of real women like that. I’ve been a woman like that – it was fun to explore that part. On television, particularly smart attractive women are often depicted as friendless, cold and lonely characters. You have to be a lone wolf, or an unhappy person, or a vaguely detached presence unable to communicate in a relationship. A professional woman is somehow the “other,” standing apart from a wife, a partner, a friend…
In comparison to other projects I’ve worked on, it’s hard to say, because I think the experiences always depend on the production you’re doing. I don’t think there’s “theatre experiences” and “television experiences.” With Talk Radio, a lot of it depended on how Robert Falls (the Director) worked. There wasn’t a lot of chit-chat. We were around a table the first 4 days of rehearsal, really dissecting the work, and we also had the great luxury of having Eric Bogosian (the playwright) present as well… In fact, I’ve been lucky both times on Broadway having the playwright around during the rehearsal process! Anyway, we really dissected the text, read and re-read – learning to forget; trying out so many variations and methods until you reached the point you were just dying to get up and move around. It’s pretty terrifying to stand in the total void that is the rehearsal room: a giant space with mirrors, scotch tape telling you where to stand, and a sea of people behind tables staring at you. It was ultimately a really good, and productive environment, though it’s actually much more terrifying than the camera; you feel so vulnerable out there.
AD – What roles do you think women have played in developing and shaping the theatre & film industries for today?
SM – If I’m not mistaken, the female population is 52% of the planet. You know, you (studio heads, execs, producers) might want to tap into that a little bit… I think right now it’s in a sorry state. There are so few women behind-the-scenes and it parallels how many women are on stage, driving shows. Of course there are notable and venerated exceptions, but there are very few women who direct and write. Leading roles are by–and-large male roles, where women are often (acting) in relation to the male lead of that show. I remember seeing Wicked and thinking what a triple exception it was to every rule. First of all, it’s so fun to see. Second of all, I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a show with two equally strong female leads that, thirdly, didn’t focus on their being in love. They were just full characters in their world, without worrying about how they were in a relationship to some guy. It really struck me. There’s also Alice Ripley in Next to Normal, and it’s fair to say Lady Macbeth has played her fair part, but there she is next to Mr. Macbeth.
AD – Are there any women in theatre and film today who influence your work and personal growth?
SM – Kate Buddeke has been really wonderful. She showed me the ropes. She was my roommate the first three months in New York (she makes great coffee and has lovely house plants she always waters, fyi). She introduced me to everybody she knew, she told me the bars I had to go to, we shared a dressing room, and she was such a wonderful friend to have. Her body of work speaks for herself – she is one of the few people I’ve ever met who really makes a living in being a theatre actress. She originated the role in BUG, and she was incredible. She has been a huge inspiration for me, as well as a great friend. She’s an original. Then there’s Jane Gray – she is the best stage manger ever! Her sensitivity to a piece, her uncanny ability to always keep a production on track and always helping the actors with their performance. She lets you work through your process. She’s very organized, smart, and she rides a motorcycle. She is an incredible woman in this industry.
AD – Are there any dream roles or other aspirations you might still be aiming for in the industry?
SM – More of all of it! I would love to be hired to be funny on television for a while – to be a part of a comedy ensemble would be great – I would love to have a shot at that.
Stephanie March is known for her sharply intelligent and sympathetic portrayals of a variety of characters in television, film and theater. March’s television credits include “Law & Order: SVU”, “Conviction”, “30 Rock”, “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Rescue Me.” Her film credits include “The Invention of Lying”, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”, “Head of State,“ “Flannel Pajamas”, “East Broadway” and “The Treatment.” March appeared on Broadway in the multiple Tony Award nominated revival of Eric Bogosian’s “Talk Radio” and in the critically acclaimed off-Broadway revival of Howard Korder’s “Boys’ Life”.
March is an activist for causes benefiting women and education including World of Children, OneKid OneWorld and Safe Horizon.
March is a graduate of Northwestern University. Despite being a proud, native Texan she resides in New York City with her husband, chef Bobby Flay.