Video: Meet the Cast of THE THANKSGIVING PLAY on Broadway

Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World

Up next for second stage is the Thanksgiving play by Larissa Fast Horse

Under the direction of Rachel Shepkin, it begins performances on March 25th with a stellar cast, Darcy Cardin

Katie Finneran, Scott Foley, and Chris Sullivan, and I caught up with all of them during a break in rehearsal

Who would you say is your favorite co-star? Where is... I forget her name

But the taller brunette? Who would you say is your favorite male co-star

I think it's just you and me in the play. I think you are my favorite male co-star

You heard of here first. I am Scott Fulady's favorite actor. Back to you

Well, first of all, welcome back to the stage. Welcome back to Broadway. How does it feel so far

Thank you. It feels... Well, you just reminded me that... that we talked 20 years ago during the violet hour

So it feels grayer and less hairy, if I'm being honest. But it's exciting, man

I just moved to the East Coast. We bought a house right before COVID

And so I've been here, but been sort of stuck inside. And this is my New York resurgence

You know, I'm really excited to be back on stage. It's my sort of, the reason I started acting in the first place and to be back doing it

not just with this play, but with Rachel and with these actors is a real joy

Welcome home to Broadway. Welcome to Broadway. How excited are you? Richard Ridge. I just want to say, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Darcy Cardin

the new star of Broadway. I'm not kidding. She's incredible. I mean, she's, I'm so happy to be spending

every day with her Go ahead answer the question I feel the same way about you Go answer the question I am thrilled I mean I really like honored and it such a life dream you know and one that sort of like I sort of disappeared a while ago and to have it

Okay, she disappeared because she was starring on The Good Place, which was a huge hit for six years, seven years

What? 25 years. 25 years. And she looks amazing because she's been able to afford all of the plastic

I'm not fine. She was stunning on the show. If you know the show, you know that it's an exes, you know that it's an exas

such a positive, interesting, almost like a sci-fi show, and she comes in the same outfit, pretty much

until you turn into like, until you turn into like the sexy blonde. Yeah. I love that outfit, by the way

I know, I do. Oh, maybe I'll wear that to opening. The black outfit or the purple

The purple. The purple. Oh, I'm wearing that. No one will know what I'm doing, but I will be my..

The Broadway World fans, they'll know now. They'll all be looking for our opening night video of you and the purple

Can we get a hold of that outfit? Yeah, I have it. Oh, no! Okay, have it sent

You've got to help it now. Now you've got to decide what you're going to wear, right? I know. Do you have any of your costumes

No, we're not doing this. I have some underpants from, uh... What's that show I did in the other pants

No, it doesn't matter which show I'm wearing it. Uh, one of them. Noises off? Yes, yes, yes

Okay, great. The noise is off. I would be honored to wear the noises off

You'd look really good in it. Really good in it. The fans can't wait for opening night now

I don't know how you pull that off anymore. Okay, I want to ask you about when you first got this play

What made you each say, yes, I have to do this? I mean, it is..

Hi, Scott. Hi, Scott. You're going to be great. Come on. Phone Obama

Look at photo. Obama. Looks great in every picture. I just want to say

Every picture. Go. Go away. Go away. Yes, it was. Permission. It is..

So I read it. Yeah. And it's so well written. It's so funny

It's saying something. And then I met with Rachel Chavkin the next day

And it was just done It was just a done deal It was like this past I was it was so such easy I know I have to do this you know For you I scared You know I really heard the premise

And Rachel Chaffkin, I already, I mean, they don't know this and I like to play hard to get

But I kind of already said yes before I even ran the way. Yeah. Because I heard the premise and it sounded like something that I wanted to be a part of and that it was funny

Yeah. And if I can bring the funny and say something to the people

or have the playwright's words come out of my mouth and say something to the people

I'm on board. But then I read the first three pages, and I was like, where is this fast horse woman

Because I have to meet her. She's written an extraordinary piece that if you can give the medicine

tasting that, fantastic. Oh, my God. To be a part of it is a huge privilege

When you got this play, what made you say yes, I have to do this? I mean, first off, Rachel Chavkin

Rachel and I worked on Hadesown at New York Theater Workshop, and I fell in love immediately

knew I was going to have a friend for life, and then I read the play. And the play is incredibly funny, extremely challenging

and then I saw the cast, and it is a murderer's row of funny people

You know, when you've got Katie Finneran and Darcy Cardin and Scott Foley, it's an easy yes

Especially, now that I invite, we all get in the room, you'd think, you know, Katie Finneran is Broadway legend

Darcy Cardin, a comedy genius. And Scott Foley, might be the funniest person in the room

Sleeper. Sleeper. And I'm, again, another friend for life, I think. Well, first of all, welcome back to Broadway with this new play

When you first read it, what made you say, yes, I have to direct this? Oh, my gosh

I mean, I was just laughing aloud as I read the script

and I was so moved by the character's real, deep, genuine desire

to tell a woke Thanksgiving. a day story that honors the violence of the history and its present day legacies while also making it good for the kids And just like the basic impossibility of that task and the beautiful absurdity that rises from a commitment to doing that task I just was like I have to be there

You're about to make your Broadway debut. How excited are you? I am so excited. I'm really honored because I always have to say I'm following in the footsteps of the great Lynn Riggs, who was the last native member

no Native American playwright on Broadway, and unfortunately that was at the beginning of the last century

So my hope and prayer is that I will not be another century before we see another Native American play right here

What this honor means to you for Native Americans, you know, what it means to be represented on Broadway with your beautiful play

Oh my gosh, it means everything. I'm so honored. I'm, you know, I feel certain amount of responsibility because what's really important, like I just said, is that I want to make sure the door is open

and that there are more Native American playwrights, because there are so many, but there are more of them coming to Broadway

And so, you know, we have a lot of Native folks involved in the play

in different positions in production. I am mentoring several Native writers, and we're going to have some with me at opening

You know, I really want to make sure that this isn't the end

and that there are more, but it means so much to me. I really, I start crying every time I think about it

It really means the world to me to be here. and to be able to represent, you know, so many people

and also just, you know, represent myself. We're just enjoying each other at this point

where we don't know our lines yet, or, oh, I shouldn't say that, but, yeah. We know some of our lines. You know some of our lines

We've got time. We do, we do. We do have time. Richard Ridge lives with me and encourages me every day

I love her. I see her every day practically. Yeah. You have neighbors? Yes

We live together, but we live together. I like to keep our spouses out of it. Okay

We have a separate bedroom. I love that. I love that. I can't say those things anymore

I apologize, but he is my lover