Interview: Aasif Mandvi’s Ready to Tackle His Character in WAITING FOR GODOT

Up next at The Geffen Playhouse Nobel Prize winner Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot opening November 13, 2024 (with previews already begun). Judy Hegarty Lovett directs the cast of: Lincoln Bonilla, Conor Lovett, Aasif Mandvi, Jack McSherry, Adam Stein and Rainn Wilson. Got Aasif to whittle off some answers to my queries.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Aasif!

What originally attracted you to this production?

I have always wanted to do Godot. I think that Didi and Gogo are characters in Western theatre that every actor wants to tackle at some point if they have the chance.  

Had you seen a production of Waiting for Godot before?

Never seen a production, but I have read it and I seem to recall working on it in acting class... or maybe not.   

What would your three-line pitch for Waiting for Godot be?

It is a play that examines the ultimate existential human condition, i.e. we don't know for what reason we exist or how we got here or even what meaning our lives have and so our existence is made up of all the things we do, day in and day out as we pass the time and wait for ... Godot.  That's the play. 

If you were to submit Estragon on a dating site, what qualities of his would you list?

He's a poet who seems to fall asleep a lot, but there is no better person to spend eternity in an existential void with. 

What character flaws would you definitely omit?

His smelly feet and his penchant for kicking people when they are down. 

What kind of relationship would you say you your character Estragon has with Vladimir?

Anyone who has been married for a long time will recognize themselves in Estragon and Vladimir.

Have you worked with any of Waiting for Godot’s cast or creatives before?

No. I knew Adam Stein from back in New York in the 90's but we never worked together. 

What do you remember of the moment you found out you had won an Obie for your 1998 production of Sakina’s Restaurant you revived in 2018?

We won the Obie for Sakina's Restaurant in 1998, and I remember how proud I was to have been recognized by the Off-Broadway community for what was the first ever American play about the South Asian immigrant experience.  

What do you remember of the first time you stepped foot on a Broadway stage in the 2002 production of Oklahoma! as Ali Hakim?

My specific memory of opening night is foggy now but it was an amazing experience to not only have done that show but to have worked with the likes of Trevor Nunn and Susan Stroman. 

What’s in the near future for Aasif Mandvi?

In the near future there will be a lot of Godot, then Christmas, and then in the New Year an exciting project on AMC called: The Devil in Silver. 

Thank you again, Aasif! I look forward to meeting your Estragon.

For Waiting for Godot tickets through December 15, 2024; click on the button below:

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