KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 – Unforgettably hilarious as Dick Solomon in 3rd Rock from the Sun and electrifying as Winston Churchill in The Crown, John Lithgow always does a phenomenal job in any role he takes on.
In a career spanning five decades which began with Shakespeare plays produced by his father, the theatre, film and television veteran actor has collected multiple accolades and awards including two Tony Awards, six Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.
Lithgow currently stars in the HBO miniseries Perry Mason where he plays Elias Birchard “E.B.” Jonathan, a struggling lawyer and mentor to the titular character who would go on to be one of the most iconic criminal defence attorneys in American fiction.
Much in the way his performances have touched audiences throughout the years, there is one role that changed Lithgow profoundly.
During a video interview with Asian press members yesterday to promote his latest show, Lithgow was asked if there was a part he played that deeply affected him on a personal level.
The Harvard alum cited the groundbreaking 1988 play M. Butterfly by Asian-American playwright David Henry Hwang that’s loosely based on a true story and inspired by the Italian opera Madama Butterfly.
In the play, Lithgow plays a French diplomat who falls in love with the star of the Peking Opera (played by actor BD Wong) whom he discovers is a spy for the Chinese government and a man.
“It was the first major, straight play big hit on Broadway, written by an Asian-American about very essential issues between the East and the West — a wonderful bold play and won the Tony Award that year,” Lithgow said.
“It’s become a major part of the American cannon ever since and the role was terrific.”
He added that the character who cross dressed was able to deceive a Western diplomat.
“An extraordinary preposterous story but David Henry Hwang took that and turned it into an extraordinary metaphor for the differences between the East and the West, in particular about Western men and Eastern women — I found that a real life-changing experience.”
He also considered The World According to Garp, 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Crown and Dexter as his other “life-changing” performances simply because they attracted so much attention.
At 74, the roles just keep on coming for the father of three, who said his career now is more interesting than ever.
“Most of my parts are old men now so I’m playing all sorts of variations on age and the fear of age, fear of growing old and losing your viability, your frailty, your insecurity and your defiance.
“These roles are so unique and I don’t have nearly as much competition as I used to have — I’m the one who survived so I’m on a short list of people who play these roles,” he added.
On the subject of age, Lithgow, who frequently works with younger actors, said in an interview last year he doesn’t know how younger actors perceive him, that they might even ridicule him behind his back which is hard to imagine.
One has to wonder how a seasoned actor like him perceives youth culture today.
“In so many ways, I have no access to it,” Lithgow said.
“I’m terrible at social media, I do my best, everybody wants me to promote everything I do on social media and I do feel like an old man.”
But one quick glance at the self-deprecating actor’s Instagram proves otherwise.
With 33,900 followers, Lithgow’s posts on the photo-sharing platform is peppered with his first love of drawing and painting which has culminated in two books of satirical poems within the span of one year.
The books which touch on current US politics, Dumpty: The Age of Trump in Verse and Trumpty Dumpty Wanted a Crown, are all hand-illustrated by Lithgow.
The down-to-earth actor added that he loves working with young actors, praising the talents of his Perry Mason co-stars Nate Corddry and Gayle Rankin.
“They are exhilarating to me and the fact that they consider it an honour to (work with) me, I consider it such an honour to be regarded that way.
“I do remember feeling that way about working with splendid actors whose work I had seen over my entire young years.
“It’s wonderful and you do a job like this and you walk away with 10 brand new friends for life and they’re all young, exuberant people,” Lithgow said.
Perry Mason airs same time as the US on Mondays at 9am exclusively on HBO GO and HBO (Astro Ch 411 HD) with a same-day encore at 10pm on HBO.
