Pop Culturalist Chats with Laila Robins

From gracing the stage as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra and Masha in Three Sisters, to roles on the screen in Homeland, The Good Shepherd, and Deception, Laila Robins has had an extensive and rich career as an actress.  

Currently, you can catch Laila at the Barrington Stage Company as Nora in A Doll’s House, Part 2. We were able to learn a little bit more about the show, her character, and what other characters she’d like to portray someday.

PC: What drew you to A Doll’s House, Part 2?
Laila: I love Lucas Hnath’s work. I saw his play The Christians and wrote him a fan letter on Facebook. I had never done that before. I saw this play twice in New York and thought it would be a lot of fun to work on it and perform. It is an amazingly timely play and presents ideas in such an entertaining and amusing way. A beautiful play about finding your own voice.

PC: What is the biggest challenge for you in portraying Nora? And the best part?
Laila: She has a philosophy about marriage that some audience members may not agree with and it is hard to feel that disdain at times, although there is a wonderful speech at the end that I really enjoy delivering. The best part of playing her is the complexity of her spirit. She is a ferocious pioneer and there is a freedom in that that is satisfying.

PC: Do you have a favorite scene to perform each night?
Laila: I enjoy all of the scenes as my fellow thespians are a delight and we keep finding new things. The play just gets richer and deeper.

PC: You’ve had an extensive career not just on the stage, but also on camera. Is there a character that you’d still like to play someday that you haven’t yet?
Laila: I would love to play Arkadina in Chekhov’s The Seagull and Mary Tyrone in O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night.

PC: If there was a show you could adapt/act in for stage from screen (or vice versa), what would it be?
Laila: Don’t have an answer for that, but I should give it some thought!

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

Last TV Show You Binge-Watched
The Handmaid’s Tale

Favorite Movie
So hard to pick a favorite film…Raging Bull, It’s a Wonderful Life, and American Beauty.

Favorite Book
I enjoyed Anna Karenina, Rules of Civility, and The Lovely Bones.

Favorite Play/or Musical
Play: A Streetcar Named Desire and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf; Musical: Next to Normal and Guys and Dolls

Musician or Band You Could Listen to on Repeat
I could listen to Joni Mitchell forever!

Place You Most Want to Go
I would like to go to Machu Picchu, Japan, and the fjords of Norway.

Person You Most Want to Meet
I would love to meet the Obamas! God, I miss those people!

For more information on A Doll’s House, Part 2, click here. To keep up with Laila Robins, follow her on Twitter.

Photo Credit: Jake Attermann