Interview: Jenna Russell On DR FAUSTUS And Kit Harington!

Hi Jenna! Now, I've not seen this production of Faustus yet, but I studied it at university and I remember it being scary and sinister...what should we expect? And what's it like for you as performers?

It's a strange one! In a brilliant way. I hadn't read it, I had no idea about it at all. I didn't know that the middle section has always been questioned - whether Marlowe wrote it or not. That's been up for interpretation. It's great stuff to do.

The production pictures look very bloody!

What would you expect from Jamie Lloyd - and from Marlowe?! It really does investigate the idea of Hell, and these souls lost in torment, wandering around in limbo - that lost existence is very much depicted on stage.

When the casting was announced, you playing Mephistopheles was a bit of a surprise.

I didn't know anything about the role! I was working with Sheila Hancock at the time and I said, "I've been offered something in Dr Faustus," and she said, "There's no parts for women in that! The only thing I can think of that he might have done - but I don't know - it's possible to play with the gender of Mephistopheles." So I looked at the email, and said, "Oh, yes, it's Mephistopheles," and she said, "Oh, that's a GREAT part." I read it and yes, it's fantastic. It can so easily be played by a woman. It makes the relationship with Faustus interesting. Here she's a woman - but she has been a man in the past, a commander of armies. Good on Jamie for being so diverse in his casting and putting a bit of equality there for women on stage.

Helen Mirren was saying recently a similar thing about roles - she'll look at a part and say, "Well, there's no reason this couldn't be played by a woman."

I think there's a sea-change going on, especially with younger directors. They don't see age, race, colour, sex - it's a very different landscape these days. I'm not sure about film and television, but certainly in theatre you can feel it - they're not scared of messing around with stuff and trying different things out, because it's theatrical, and especially with the classics, people know them so well that they can go with a different view of it, like the Henrys at the Donmar, which worked very well in the mouths of women and opened up the play in a different way. I'm noticing that with Mephistopheles - I imagine if it were played by a man it might go down a more macho route, but here you can use different tactics. One minute I'm a girlfriend, then his mother, then his teacher - she shapeshifts to deal with Faustus and move him on however she can.

How do you approach playing a role like this?

Because, how lovely, it was just an offer, I never even got in a room with Jamie to talk about it, so we spoke about a week before we started, and he said, "Do you want to chat about it or do you want to turn up on the day and see what the set design is?" and I said, "Yeah, let's just leave it!" So that's what we did. I had lots of little ideas - then I looked at the set and talked to Jamie about costuming, and any thoughts I had went out of the window, because the design is very different to how it's done normally. It's just been a voyage of discovery. It seemed to be the best way. When I did Grey Gardens, that was an actual real-life person and you research something like that very differently because of course people want to see that person on stage - it would be wrong to not pay attention to that. With this kind of thing, I think it's best to walk into the rehearsal room and see what you're being given and what ideas people have and work with that.

Jamie is someone you obviously enjoy working with and vice versa. What is it about your relationship that works so well?

Again I find that history with people is such a beautiful thing to have. Not a lot of people put a lot of stock by it. Jamie does. We first worked together when he was assistant director on Guys and Dolls, and we got on very well and stayed in touch. I've been thrilled to watch his meteoric rise - it's extraordinary, and he's got so many ideas. We worked together on Urinetown and we had such a laugh, and we always said, "We've got to find something else." I think he was doing this [Faustus] anyway, and came to see Grey Gardens and thought, "Ah, she'd probably be all right playing Mephistopheles," and he trusted me. We've got a good, straightforward relationship, and I really enjoy his attitude. Some people you work well with, and it doesn't feel like work. I'm excited about his work and by his energy - he's an endless pot of ideas and enthusiasm. Look at the people he works with - they all work with him a lot, he's very loyal.

And I have to ask - what's Kit Harington like?

Oh, he's LOVELY! He is adorable, a sweetheart - as are all the people who are very successful. That's a lesson for young actors who are desperate to get somewhere. They're all good, all great company members, all decent human beings. He's a real gent, a kind person, and lovely to work with. I can't speak highly enough of him.

Jenna Russell plays Mephistopheles in Dr Faustus at the Duke of York's Theatre.

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