At 26, most people are just figuring out what to do in life. But for Zoe Kazan, she’s firmly established herself as a star of both the stage and screen. Broadway buffs witnessed her acting chops in “Come Back, Little Sheba” and “The Seagull” while moviegoers have seen her in “It’s Complicated” and “Revolutionary Road.” So it’s no wonder she’s able to hold her own against Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken in “A Behanding in Spokane.” In the dark comedy, Kazan stars as a low-level criminal who tries to sell a man (Christopher Walken) what he desperately wants — his hand.
How has this trip to Broadway been?
It’s really fun. This play is 90 minutes long and I’m in and out in two hours. I get in at 7:30 and I’m out again by, like, 9:40. It’s bare minimum makeup and there is something to be said about not having to put on a corset.
So there are no preshow warm-ups with the cast?
No, not really. I definitely warm-up my voice and Sam Rockwell and I like to dance backstage sometimes. When I was younger I had more rituals I had to do to stave off the anxiety.
How is Sam Rockwell as a dancer?
He’s a fabulous dancer. I highly recommend him. It’s like he has no bones.
I have to ask you the required question of what it’s like to work with Christopher Walken.
He’s so amazing. He’s been working since he was a kid but he still has so much appetite for the work. So many actors become jaded and no longer curious. Chris isn’t one of those people. He’s on the top of his game.
Does he really have that vocal cadence in real life?
No, no, no! I mean, yes and no. I think part of it is that I don’t even hear the oddness of it anymore. Once you’ve spent enough time on stage with him and hear everything that he’s doing, he stops sounding so syncopated.
