VIDEO: Forest Whitaker Says Broadway's HUGHIE 'Gave Me a Great Opportunity'

Forest Whitaker is best known for his Academy Award-winning performance in "The Last King Of Scotland," but the actor is now taking his talent to the Broadway stage for the first time in Eugene O'Neill's classic play Hughie.

This morning he stopped by NBC's TODAY to speak with Al Roker and Natalie Morales about the play and making his Broadway debut. "I've been looking for something to work on on stage , and then I read the play," he explained. "I had never heard of the play actually, and so it was exciting to find this material that was written so well and was really rich, and gave me a great opportunity." Watch the appearance below:

The Broadway revival of Hughie, starring Academy Award winner, Golden Globe Award winner & BAFTA winner Forest Whitaker and Tony Award winner Frank Wood began performances on Monday, Feb. 8, 2016 at Broadway's Booth Theatre, with opening night on Feb. 25, 2016.

Summer, 1928. New York City. Beyond the bright lights of the Great White Way, a small-time gambler and big-time drinker returns to the faded hotel he has made his home. He encounters a new night clerk at the front desk and as the early hours of the morning give way to another dawn, he continues to chase the American Dream in order to survive.Hughie is a rarely seen theatrical masterpiece that beautifully investigates the themes of loneliness and redemption and offers a unique insight into the human condition.

Michael Grandage reunites with the entire creative team from his Tony Award® winning production of Red and his current West End hit Photograph 51 starring Nicole Kidmanincluding Tony Award®winner Christopher Oram (Sets & Costumes), Tony Award® winner Neil Austin (Lights) and Tony Award® winner Adam Cork (Sound). Each designer received a Tony Award® for their work on the production of Red.