“Whenever I go away and do film, it's a completely different discipline. The camera's like a microscope,” the Tony nominee says
Credit: Jenny Anderson/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Mark Strong tells PEOPLE about returning to the stage after 10 years in his Tony-nominated run in Oedipus
- “Whenever I go away and do film, it’s a completely different discipline. The camera’s like a microscope,” he says
- Strong previously starred in the 2014 West End revival of A View from the Bridge, which later transferred to Broadway
Mark Strong loves returning to the stage.
The English actor, 62, is known for his roles in theater and on the screen. However, his Tony-nominated run as the titular character in Oedipus marked something special for him.
“I hadn't done a play for 10 years,” Strong tells PEOPLE at the Tony Awards 'Meet the Nominees' event at Sofitel New York on May 14. “The last time I was here was with A View from the Bridge, which was also Tony nominated."
“Whenever I go away and do film, it's a completely different discipline. The camera's like a microscope. It sees into your soul, your brain. There's something about live performance that's really good,” he continues.
Credit: TheStewartofNY/WireImage
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Strong began his career doing theater in London, starring in productions at The Old Vic and the National Theatre. He notably starred in the 2014 West End revival of A View from the Bridge, which later transferred to Broadway, before returning 10 years later to take on Oedipus — once again in London and then in New York City.
Through it all, the actor has also made a name for himself in television and movies. He starred in Oliver Twist, Sherlock Holmes, Zero Dark Thirty, and the Kingsman and Shazam! franchises. More recently, on the small screen, he nabbed roles in The Penguin, Dune: Prophecy and Nine Perfect Strangers.
As for his return to the stage in Oedipus, which concluded its Broadway run at N.Y.C.'s Studio 54 in February, he says, “I reminded myself that the reason I came back was to perform for a live audience.”
“There's something about every night, eight shows a week, gauging the response, gauging the vibration in the air from a live audience, that just helps you hone your craft,” Strong explains.
In fact, the Tony nominee says, the skill “actually helps when you go in front of a camera because that element of performance is so important for actors.”
Credit: Alastair Muir/Shutterstock
Strong values being able to jump between stage and screen work. “I like mixing them. Just when I get bored of making faces for film, I like to go back on stage and test myself," he says. "But then once you've done a play hundreds of times, you probably feel you'd mined it, so maybe it's time to get back in front of a lens.”
Robert Icke's Oedipus reimagined the Greek tragedy as a modern-day thriller that followed the titular character as a politician on election night. Both Strong and Lesley Manville reprised their performances from the London production.
Strong notes that British audiences were very different from those in the Big Apple.
“British audiences are quite reserved. We don't do a standing ovation every night. That's reserved for special occasions. On Broadway, I think people are just much more effusive. They want to let you know they're there. They're more voluble,” he says, recalling gasps and screams from the audience during the show's big reveal.
“On Broadway, they want to take part a little bit more. They want to let you know they're there. They laugh more. They feel more engaged,” the actor adds.
Credit: Julieta Cervantes
Oedipus received seven Tony nominations, including Best Revival. Manville also got an acting nomination for playing Jocasta.
Strong will next star in Tom Ford's upcoming movie, Cry to Heaven, as well as the Apple TV series Neuromancer.
The 2026 Tony Awards will take place at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 7. The show will be broadcast live to both coasts on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, and will stream on Paramount+.
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