He charmed us in “Bridesmaids” and alarmed us — and Jessa, briefly his wife — in “Girls.” Now Chris O’Dowd is bringing theatergoers to tears as Lennie, the sweet, slow-witted migrant worker of John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men.” For this, his Broadway debut, the 34-year-old Irishman is up for a Tony Award — an honor denied James Franco, who plays Lennie’s pal, George. Happily, that fact hasn’t rained on their bromance.
“They’re like two kids offstage, they get along so well,” says co-star Jim Norton. Backstage at the Longacre Theatre, O’Dowd — a strapping, bushy-bearded 6-foot-3 — spoke about finding his inner Lennie, and what it’s like sharing the stage with that poster boy of Instagram, James Franco.
Is Steinbeck big in Ireland?
Surprisingly, yes. The first book I read in high school was “The Pearl.” We did “Of Mice and Men” when I was 15 or so. Steinbeck is interesting to Irish people because so many of us have people who’ve chased the American dream.
Was this your first gig with Franco?
For sure. You spoke at a benefit recently, right after a man and woman performed a duet on a mattress in their underwear. And you called it . . .
“The stage adaptation of James Franco’s Instagram account.” [Hearty laugh] That would sell out!
Some critics seemed to go out of their way to attack him.
I haven’t read any of the reviews, but I did hear The Times was a little scathing. I didn’t discuss them with [James] at all. I don’t find reviews helpful in any regard. Even a good review doesn’t make your performance better.
What did you draw on to play Lennie, and what’s with his fluttering left hand?
When you’re playing anyone with a cognitive disability, it’s a bit of a minefield. For me, it was just about finding something specific to latch onto. There was a neighbor of mine who had mild Down [syndrome], so essentially I’m just mimicking this person. He had a little tic, a tapping thing with his hand, and I decided to go further into that and to treat my left hand as if I’m conducting an orchestra, and this story I’m trying to get George to retell me is the symphony.
So you’re musical?
A little. In fact, our dressing rooms have turned into a hootenanny! There’s a lot of guitars and banjos. I bought Franco a banjo for his birthday a couple of weeks ago, so he’s learning. I play a bit of ukulele. Jason Segel gave it to me when we did “Gulliver’s Travels” in London.
Do you and James have any theater rituals?
We all have a big hug before we go on. There are various moments through the play where I’m kind of whispering stuff to him. And that’s become filthier and more ridiculous as the days go by: “Why don’t we open a farmers’ market somewhere, George?” I think it’s important for actors to have things like that on stage. It keeps things alive.
Was it a jolt, coming from Ireland to Hollywood?
Not as much as you’d think. I’m the youngest of five, and I come from a long line of migrants who aren’t terrified of migration. I moved from rural Ireland to Dublin to London and was there for 10 years before I came to the States. I know people just see red carpets and think that’s what Hollywood is about, but most of the time, it’s quite chill, compared to New York and London. It reminds me of home — I can see the sky.
And New York?
What’s next?
I have no idea. I’ve been working nonstop for three years, so I thought after this run, I might have a stop and think.
Is there anything else we should know about you?
I’m a Libra. I presumed this [interview] was supposed to be star-signs stuff . . . I think everything else is irrelevant except the Libra thing. It tells you everything you needed to know!
Where you know him from
Girls
Bridesmaids
Family tree
Monsters vs. Aliens
