“ ‘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.”
2. Relatable fictional character?
“At times, I feel like Captain Willard, Martin Sheen’s character in [Francis Ford Coppola’s] “Apocalypse Now” (1979), se réveillant à Saigon et se demandant ce qu'il fait encore là-bas. En attendant une mission, tu sais ? Ce que Saigon représente pour moi varie.
3. Favorite museum?
“The Noguchi Museum in Queens because you get a real sense of [the sculptor Isamu Noguchi]. Il a honoré ses matériaux – et, en partant, je me suis retrouvé plus conscient de la matérialité dans les rues de New York. Je pouvais sentir la pierre.
4. Unforgettable painting?
“ ‘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.”
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[0–>The actor marvels at the beauty of a beloved jazz classic. [-1–>[0–>By Snake Garcia and Megan Lovallo
5. Restaurant dish to try?
“The chicken feet from Chinatown’s Jing Fong. I make my own chicken feet on occasion, but these are the best in New York.”
6. Memorable monologue?
“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.”
7. Greatest onstage performance?
“I can give you three. Cicely Tyson in [Horton Foote’s] “Le voyage à Bountiful” (1953). Elle avait 90 ans, peut-être ? Et un autre avec quelqu'un du même âge : Peter O'Toole dans [Keith Waterhouse’s] “Jeffrey Bernard ne va pas bien” (1989). Ils avaient mûri au cours de leur carrière et apportaient tout ce qu'ils connaissaient. Le troisième est Christopher Walken dans le rôle d'Iago [in William Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ (1604)] à Central Park en 1991. J'étais dans ce spectacle et sa performance m'a influencé plus que toute autre pendant que je travaillais.
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[0–>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. [-1–>[0–>Photograph by Roe Ethridge. Styled by Stella Greenspan
8. What about onscreen?
“Albert Finney in [Peter Yates’s] “La commode” (1983). Pour moi, c'est le film qui aime le plus le théâtre : il donne une prestation théâtrale magistrale qui est aussi une prestation cinématographique magistrale. J'avais l'habitude de le regarder au moins une fois avant d'ouvrir une nouvelle pièce.
9. Most visually influential film?
“There’s an Akira Kurosawa film, ‘Dreams’ (1990), in which Martin Scorsese plays Vincent van Gogh [in one of the segments]. Il y a cette idée qu'il explore d'entrer dans l'œuvre de Van Gogh. Cela a fait une impression durable parce que c’était un tel fantasme réalisé.
10. Best movie no one’s heard of?
“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.”
11. Show tune you know every word to?
“Oh, God. Probably something from [Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s] “Histoire de West Side” (1957). Qu'est-ce que c'est? 'Ce soir.'»
12. Building to live in?
“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.”
13. Nicest furniture piece?
“My bed.”
14. Top New York movie?
“[Stuart Rosenberg’s] “Le Pape de Greenwich Village” (1984). Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Burt Young, Geraldine Page – oh, mec. Je l'ai regardé avant de déménager à New York, et c'était un de ces films qui ressemblait à une invitation à la ville.
15. Poem everyone should memorize?
“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.”
16. Most enjoyable fairy tale?
“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.”
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[0–>Berluti jacket, top, pants and shoes, berluti.com; Frederique Constant watch, us.frederiqueconstant.com; his own glasses; and stylist’s own socks. [-1–>[0–>Photograph by Roe Ethridge. Styled by Stella Greenspan
17. Go-to chocolate?
“Anything milky and nutty.”
18. Recipe everyone should know?
“How to roast a chicken. I’m not afraid of spatchcocking or [using] une brique ou deux – parfois je choisis cette voie, avec de bons résultats. Mais, et je dis cela en amateur d’épices, mieux vaut la simplicité : du beurre, du sel, un peu de romarin. Laissez le poulet travailler.
19. Best play no one’s heard of?
“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.”
20. Memorable live musical performance?
“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.”
21. Enduring Shakespeare work?
“All of the sonnets together. Variations on the theme of love.”
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22. Role you’ve always wanted to play?
“[The Russian writer Alexander] Pouchkine. J'explorais la possibilité avec [the director] Milos Forman et [the producer and composer] Quincy Jones. J'avais entendu une rumeur selon laquelle Milos avait un scénario quelque part, puis je l'ai rencontré à Prague. Nous sommes restés en contact, mais cela n’a jamais abouti. Quincy était quelque peu obsédé par Pouchkine. C’était son pseudonyme lorsqu’il s’enregistrait dans les hôtels.
23. Favorite flower?
“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.”
24. Unforgettable building?
“When I was filming [Rian Johnson’s] « Wake Up Dead Man » (2025), j'étais dans l'Essex, bien à l'est de Londres, et notre camp de base était situé à côté de ces vieux Templiers [barns] érigé dans les années 1200. Le site s'appelle Cressing Temple. C’était juste la forme de leurs toits et de leurs carrelages – c’était l’un des ensembles de lignes les plus gracieux que j’aie jamais vu, et si ancien.
25. Nicest fabric to wear?
“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.”
26. City with the best style?
“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
