“ ‘We’ (1924) by Yevgeny Zamyatin, one of the first to be censored in the Soviet Union. It’s a portrait of the ways technology serves as a tool of autocratic control, a precursor to George Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ (1949) and a stunning read.”
“At times, I feel like Captain Willard, Martin Sheen’s character in [Francis Ford Coppola’s] „Apocalypse Now“ (1979), in dem er in Saigon aufwacht und sich fragt, was er dort noch macht. Ich warte auf eine Mission, weißt du? Was Saigon für mich ist, ist unterschiedlich.“
“The Noguchi Museum in Queens because you get a real sense of [the sculptor Isamu Noguchi]. Er würdigte seine Materialien – und als ich ging, wurde mir die Materialität auf den Straßen von New York bewusster. Ich konnte den Stein fühlen.“
“ ‘The Arnolfini Portrait’ (1434) by Jan van Eyck. I went to see the painting last year at London’s National Gallery. I think it’s the allure — the magic — of that convex mirror in the background.”
The actor marvels at the beauty of a beloved jazz classic. By Snake Garcia and Megan Lovallo
“The chicken feet from Chinatown’s Jing Fong. I make my own chicken feet on occasion, but these are the best in New York.”
“When I was about 8, I went with my mother, my aunt and my godmother to see Ntozake Shange’s ‘For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf’ (1976). The Lady in Red’s monologue about Beau Willie holding the kids out the window was so moving, and that theater was tense with silence when she said he dropped them. Then there was a voice to the left of me that cried out with laughter.”
“I can give you three. Cicely Tyson in [Horton Foote’s] „Die Reise nach Bountiful“ (1953). Sie war vielleicht 90? Und noch einer mit jemandem in einem ähnlichen Alter: Peter O'Toole [Keith Waterhouse’s] „Jeffrey Bernard geht es nicht gut“ (1989). Sie waren im Laufe ihrer Karriere reifer geworden und brachten alles mit, was sie wussten. Der Dritte ist Christopher Walken als Jago [in William Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ (1604)] im Central Park im Jahr 1991. Ich war in dieser Show und seine Leistung hat mich während der Arbeit mehr als jede andere beeinflusst.“
Jeffrey Wright, photographed in Brooklyn on March 8, 2026, wears a Zegna suit, shirt and necktie, zegna.com; Frederique Constant watch, us.frederiqueconstant.com; and his own glasses. Photograph by Roe Ethridge. Styled by Stella Greenspan
“Albert Finney in [Peter Yates’s] „Die Kommode“ (1983). Für mich ist es der Film, der das Theater am meisten liebt – er liefert eine meisterhafte Theateraufführung, die auch eine meisterhafte filmische Leistung ist. Ich habe es mir mindestens einmal angeschaut, bevor ich ein neues Stück aufgemacht habe.“
“There’s an Akira Kurosawa film, ‘Dreams’ (1990), in which Martin Scorsese plays Vincent van Gogh [in one of the segments]. Er untersucht die Idee, in van Goghs Werk einzusteigen. Das hinterließ einen bleibenden Eindruck, denn es war so eine verwirklichte Fantasie.“
“Robert Wiene’s ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’ (1920), which is German Expressionism, and so surreal. American cinema has grown to have such a dependence on realism, but I don’t think verisimilitude is the culmination of performance.”
“Oh, God. Probably something from [Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s] „West Side Story“ (1957). Was ist das? 'Heute Abend.'“
“Growing up in Washington, I used to pass the Watergate, this hotel that was also a residence, on my way to school. There was so much mystery and history surrounding it, and I was curious about what ghosts haunted that place.”
“My bed.”
“[Stuart Rosenberg’s] „Der Papst von Greenwich Village“ (1984). Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Burt Young, Geraldine Page – oh Mann. Ich habe ihn gesehen, bevor ich nach New York gezogen bin, und es war einer dieser Filme, die sich wie eine Einladung in die Stadt anfühlten.“
“William Butler Yeats’s ‘The Second Coming’ (1920). Making sense of things now requires a lot of corroborating and triangulation of sources and means, but this poem could certainly assist.”
“I used to love reading L. Frank Baum’s stuff to my kids when they were younger, and beyond ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1900) — all his stories.”
Berluti jacket, top, pants and shoes, berluti.com; Frederique Constant watch, us.frederiqueconstant.com; his own glasses; and stylist’s own socks. Photograph by Roe Ethridge. Styled by Stella Greenspan
“Anything milky and nutty.”
“How to roast a chicken. I’m not afraid of spatchcocking or [using] ein oder zwei Steine – manchmal gehe ich diesen Weg, mit schönen Ergebnissen. Aber, und das sage ich als Gewürzliebhaber, Einfachheit ist am besten: Butter, Salz, etwas Rosmarin. Lass das Huhn arbeiten.“
“In 1989, I went to a reading of a play by Judy GeBauer called ‘Bobby, Can You Hear Me?’ about Bobby Sands and his hunger strike in a Northern Irish prison. When I walked out of the space and into the night air, my whole body responded in a visceral way I haven’t experienced since.”
“One mid-90s night in Los Angeles, there was a benefit for Willie Dixon’s foundation at B.B. King’s place. It was sold out, but then the door opened and Kim Wilson from the Fabulous Thunderbirds let me in. John Lee Hooker performed, B.B. King performed, Koko Taylor — it was this parade of absolute blues legends just laying it down.”
“All of the sonnets together. Variations on the theme of love.”
“[The Russian writer Alexander] Puschkin. Ich habe die Möglichkeit mit untersucht [the director] Milos Forman und [the producer and composer] Quincy Jones. Ich hatte das Gerücht gehört, dass Milos irgendwo ein Drehbuch hätte, und dann traf ich ihn zufällig in Prag. Wir blieben in Kontakt, aber es kam nie zustande. Quincy war etwas besessen von Puschkin. Das war sein Pseudonym, als er in Hotels eincheckte.“
“The azalea, because it was my mother’s favorite flower to grow, and she grew them beautifully, as did both my aunts. It meant something to the women who shaped my life.”
“When I was filming [Rian Johnson’s] „Wake Up Dead Man“ (2025), ich war in Essex, weit östlich von London, und unser Basislager befand sich neben diesen alten Tempelrittern [barns] im 12. Jahrhundert errichtet. Die Stätte heißt Cressing-Tempel. Es war nur die Form ihrer Dächer und der Ziegel – es war eine der anmutigsten Linienführungen, die ich je gesehen habe, und so alt.“
“Cotton. I travel so much and have had to streamline my wardrobe, so there are a lot of cotton T-shirts. It’s a fabric that’s taken for granted on many levels. I’ve been reading a book called ‘Empire of Cotton’ (2014) by Sven Beckert, and it’s grown my appreciation for what cotton has meant relative to the establishment of the modern world, and how the power of Black labor fueled our country’s economic foundations.”
“Berlin. There’s just this creativity — and appreciation for both the aesthetic and the metaphysical.”
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Grooming by Chaz Hazlitt at Art Department. Set design by Peter Klein. Production: Hen’s Tooth Productions. Lighting director: John Law. Digital tech: Jonathan Nesteruk. Photo assistant: Matt Roady. Set designer’s assistants: Colin Phelan, Yonatan Zonszein, Jamen Whitelock. Tailor: Tae Yoshida. Stylist’s assistants: Ali Claire Marino, Casey Huang
The actress GRETA LEE, photographed in Los Angeles on Jan. 14, 2026, wears a Givenchy by Sarah Burton dress and bra, givenchy.com. Photographed by Roe Ethridge. Styled by Stella Greenspan. Hair by Johnnie Sapong at the Wall Group for Benjamin Salon. Makeup by Grace Ahn at Day One. Set design by Peter Klein
The actor JEFFREY WRIGHT, photographed in Brooklyn on March 8, 2026, wears a Zegna suit, shirt and necktie, zegna.com; Frederique Constant watch, us.frederiqueconstant.com; and his own glasses. Photographed by Roe Ethridge. Styled by Stella Greenspan. Grooming by Chaz Hazlitt at Art Department. Set design by Peter Klein
The actor BARRY KEOGHAN, photographed in Brooklyn on March 8, 2026, wears a Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello shirt, pants and necktie, ysl.com. Photographed by Roe Ethridge. Styled by Stella Greenspan. Grooming by Christine Nelli at Forward Artists. Set design by Peter Klein
See the rest of the issue
