(gentle guitar music)
- Aaron Sorkin's "To Kill a Mockingbird"
is back on Broadway with original cast members,
Jeff Daniels and Celia Keenan-Bolger.
But there's another returning cast member
who has broken new ground on Broadway.
We're talking about Russell Harvard.
Here's Paul with the story.
- Thanks, Tamsen.
After making a splash in the off-Broadway drama "Tribes"
almost a decade ago,
deaf actor Russell Harvard has built an incredible career,
both onstage and onscreen.
Now he's bringing ASL to Aaron Sorkin's
"To Kill a Mockingbird" after a long hiatus
of self discovery and making history along the way.
(inspiring music)
What was the last year and a half like for you?
I know you were doing the show,
performing the show at the time of the shutdown.
- I had my downfall here after Broadway shut down.
I'm sure many have felt this way too,
but it was like,
would it be a perfect time to address the things
that I've been maybe were fearful of,
but I'm gonna be open, completely transparent.
So, I'm a person in recovery.
So, I decided to go in to rehab
and that was the best decision I've ever made.
And I've had many people that were supportive
and very helpful with my new journey.
If this, I know,
I hate to say, but if COVID didn't even happen,
I mean, it's a blessing in disguise.
I hate to say it.
I was able to meet many deaf people in recovery
and be able to go to meetings.
It was a very,
I would say magical journey.
So, I'm happy that it happened.
- So how are you now
and what is it like reentering the world of "Mockingbird"?
And do you feel there's like a new purpose to things
and how do you feel?
- It's surreal, first.
It's surreal to be back in New York I wanna say.
I didn't see when it would be happening
and now that I feel like I need more time at home,
even though you already had so much time,
but I do wanna say I'm grateful
to be given this opportunity,
because I am so much like Link,
and in recovery, they teach you to
admit if you're wrong just like that.
And before, you know,
I probably didn't and you would be avoiding it,
but now it's just like,
(Russell snaps)
and I see myself in other people's shoes.
I'm an empath.
You know, a lot did happen,
and I should feel that Link in that character,
so who better to play that role but me?
(cheery music)
- You've been able to do amazing things
on the New York stage.
What are you proudest of when you look at your journey
and what do you really hope to accomplish
in the coming years?
- I wouldn't trade anything for what I'm doing.
I've often said I wanted to do "Rocky Horror Picture Show".
I wanted to play Frank-N-Furter,
and have all the characters played by deaf actors.
So one day, hopefully, we can do that on Broadway.
- And what's really exciting is that
you are getting the opportunity to play roles
that were not intended to be played by a deaf performer.
Talk about what that means for you
and just for the community,
what it means to have those opportunities?
- You don't have to be deaf to play that role,
just like when Bart Sher was trying to tell me,
'cause I was trying to find the backstory of Link Deas,
like how did he become deaf?
Now I'm questioning how did he meet his wife
and everything,
and it's like, he's not deaf.
We'll just leave it at that.
And I think many theaters can follow that model
and how the narrator help tell that story,
that line that I'm expressing,
because you know, Scout and Dill and Jem
are speaking my lines,
telling what I'm saying.
I think many theaters can do that.
- What is it like to be a part of a company
where not everyone in the company
can necessarily communicate with you 100%?
- Everyone in the room has been warm.
Like in the beginning,
obviously it was a little like butterflies.
When you're in the room there's joke happening,
and then now it's just like a warm ooey, gooey feeling,
and so I feel at home, you know?