Sean Hayes Just Being Himself in AN ACT OF GOD

"The smartest thing that an actor can do is embrace the thing that made them famous as opposed to run away from it or deny that it happened," says Sean Hayes as he prepares for the Los Angeles opening of AN ACT OF GOD. "That does a disservice to most actors. To me, it looks like you're ungrateful."

Playing the almighty creator of the universe may not seem a likely vehicle for embracing the role he's most known for, the wacky and flamboyant Jack McFarland from NBC's "Will & Grace," but in David Javerbaum's hit Broadway comedy, God is not exactly the voice commanding voice of Charlton Heston.

In fact, the play is structured in a way so that it's tailored to whichever celebrity may be the star. When Jim Parsons played the role on Broadway, the premise was that God had taken the form of the star of CBS' "The Big Bang Theory." With Sean Hayes in the role, it's a little more "Just Jack."

Hayes describes this interpretation of the almighty to the Los Angeles Times as "very self-righteous, egotistical, sarcastic, sardonic." But he also "becomes, through the course of the play, self-aware. Which I love. So there is actually a narrative to the play."

"I went through five or six pages and said this is some of the best writing I've read in my life," says Hayes. "And oddly, it's in my voice. It was bizarre."

With a new star and a new city, Javerbaum tailored his play to fit both Hayes and L.A., with new topical references and jokes.

Then Hayes took on the unenviable task of memorizing 45 pages of text, most of which is monologue.

"I go to a specific spot in my house, every time. It took about five hours to learn each page. You just do it. It's like going to the gym. It's the same muscle. You power through it word by word, line by line."

"I actually thought it was easier to memorize this than most scenic work that you do for TV or film," he notes. "When you don't have an interruption, there's a flow, so it's easier to memorize. Monologues are easier to memorize than dialogue."

Hayes admits to be a quiet, obedient child whose clownish side didn't emerge until high school, when he began performing pratfalls in the hallways.

"Half the people would look at me like I was an idiot. And maybe a quarter of the people thought it was funny. So I would hang out with those people."

In adapting AN ACT OF GOD for its new southern California surroundings, Hayes and Javerbaum began wondering what they should do for Oscars night on February 28th, which will be a two-performance day.

"Is anyone going to go?" Hayes asked.

"We should do something special," Javerbaum said.

After bouncing around a few ideas, they landed on a conceit that they would write into the play.

You'll have to be there to find out what it is.

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The hit Broadway comedy An Act of God starring Emmy Award winner Sean Hayes is currently in previews at the Center Theatre Group /Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. The limited six-week engagement officially opens on Wednesday, February 10 and continues through Sunday, March 13.

Written by God, transcribed by 13-time Emmy® Award winner David Javerbaum and directed by Tony Award® winner Joe Mantello, An Act of God premiered on Broadway on May 7, 2015, and ran in an acclaimed, limited run through August 2. It was the first Broadway production of the 2015-2016 season to recoup its initial investment.

After conquering Broadway, the King of the Universe is coming to Los Angeles for the first time ever! God takes the form of Emmy Award winner Sean Hayes in An Act of God, the sinfully funny and critically acclaimed new play where God and His devoted angels answer some of the deepest questions that have plagued mankind since Creation... in just 90 minutes! He's finally arrived to set the record straight... and He's not holding back!

An Act of God is based on the critically acclaimed book written by God and transcribed by David Javerbaum. Javerbaum is a 13-time Emmy Award winner for his work as a head writer and executive producer for "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," and also curator of the Twitter account @TheTweetOfGod, which has over two million followers.