CheekyChicago

As a Theatre major, I am embarrassed to say that I have never read Edward Albee’s famous play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. But when I saw Steppenwolf’s production last week, I was quite glad my schooling had failed me because the element of surprise/unknown made the play that much more…intense.  Enter Carrie Coon who embodies the role of Honey; the sweet, sweet (albeit mostly tipsy) ingénue and wife of young professor, Nick, who holds her own playing opposite the most dysfunctional family in American theatre, Martha and George (the dynamic duo of Amy Morton and Tracy Letts, respectively). Cheeky sat down with the powerhouse actress and chatted theatre, Amy/Tracy and Thai food.

Cheeky: How does it feel to be making your Steppenwolf debut?

Carrie Coon: It’s amazing, absolutely amazing.  I really pinch myself everyday; everyday when I walk through the little security door, I get a big, stupid smile on my face.  I’m so thankful to be working there and with the people I’m working with and it’s been a wonderful, supportive experience from the beginning – an amazing group of people to be working with.

Cheeky: Going into a massive project like Albee’s Virginia Woolf, were you excited/nervous/intimidated to be working with such Chicago icons as Amy Morton and Tracy Letts?

CC: I think you have to be delusional not to be.  Yes, I was, but I also felt prepared – well, I had done my work and I knew I had done my work during the audition process as well.  I felt like this was the opportunity I had been waiting for – I knew I was prepared to do a good job and that I could play this role.  And that’s kind of a shift for an actor in terms of their confidence – I feel like the work I’ve done for the past few years has prepared me for an opportunity like this so I wanted to make sure I was bringing myself to the table and didn’t let being intimidated get in the way of my work; I think I was successful doing that, partly because of the generosity of Amy [Morton] and Tracy [Letts].

I’ve told this story a few times: I was in rehearsal the first day and Tracy walked in the door – we almost bumped into each other – he shook my hand and looked me in the eyes and said ‘I’m really glad you’re here.’  It meant the world to me.  Just that as an endorsement, that tiny act of generosity made all the difference for me that day and I could put away that nervousness.

Cheeky:  Have either of them offered you any bit of advice that you’ve kept with you or you’d like to share?

CC: Little things along the way – a moment there or a moment there.  Amy one day said something to this note:  I came down the stairs and entered the stage and said to her, ‘Amy, anything you’ve got, I’ll take it.’  She answered:  ’Hey – you’ve got something for me, I’ll take it!’  We’re actors working on a play together.  The company is really about collaboration and there was a director who really embodied that spirit.  She was cool as a cucumber.

Cheeky:  Your character is tipsy/drunk for most of the play – was that fun for you?

CC: Playing tipsy on stage is terrifying – it can go very poorly because everyone kind of knows what that looks like, but every individual has a different way of being drunk.  My little secret is that my cousin every Christmas for the past ten years, she would get broken up with and would get completely sloshed every Christmas and would go through this crying/laughing thing; she’s really funny in real life so she got even funnier. A few years ago, she was in her ‘state,’ and I said I have to take notes on this because one day this is going to get me a role.  So I actually sat with her for a couple of hours to watch her – I’m dead serious.  The happy ending is she’s married with a beautiful baby boy.  So the joke of the family was that her pain was not in vain because something came out of it!  She wants to be thanked in the program and if I win a Tony, she wants to be there.  She taught me everything I know…literally!

Cheeky: Had you studied Virginia Woolf at any point as a Theatre major or was this new for you?

CC: I felt very ignorant in terms of my theatrical education – I didn’t have a family that went to the theatre or a town that even offered theatre, so I didn’t know very much.  I had read Virginia Woolf as an undergrad out of my own volition, but my grandfather showed me the movie a couple of years ago.

Cheeky:  What’s the best piece of theatre that you’ve seen lately?

CC: My boyfriend was just playing Jack in the Importance of being Earnest at Remy Bumppo – really fun to see him.  That might be it because of my schedule!  I have so many friends that are working right now and am really aware that amazingly talented people I know have great plays coming up – it’s been a great year!  It shows that the economy is getting better and I’m really proud of everyone as I look around me and see working actors.

Cheeky:  Are you a Chicago native?

CC: I’m from Akron, but live here now.

Cheeky:  What is your favorite Chicago restaurant?

CC: Indie Café on Broadway.  Fantastic Thai and sushi restaurant – best sushi I’ve ever had in the city, it’s fantastic.  We go there regularly.

Cheeky:  Last but not least, what is the Cheekiest thing you’ve done this week?

CC: That’s a great question!!!!! I ran and slid across the snowy Steppenwolf parking lot in my big, old rubber snow boots (I purposefully wear boots with little-to-no-tread for this very purpose). It is my preferred method of travel on the winter sidewalks of Chicago.

Cheeky adores Steppenwolf and Tracy Letts.  See why.

To read more about Erica and why she is so Cheeky, please click here.