I want to say thank you to Tiffany (Managing Editor) and Occhi Magazine for giving me the opportunity to tell what I experienced in New York the last week of June and to tell you about my passion for Lee Pace’s amazing career.
On Monday, the 25th June, I attended the benefit reading for The New Group The Destiny of Me at the Lucille Lortel Theater, in honor of the 83rd birthday of Larry Kramer and New York City Pride 2018
The evening opened with a magnificent introduction by the playwright Tony Kushner (Angels in America, currently on Broadway at Neil Simon Theater until July 15th).
Laughter, tears, emotion, have made this evening special, every actor performed with great aplomb. The audience was taking on a magnificent journey. It was an extraordinary experience and an honor for me to be present at this important event, to celebrate Larry Kramer’s birthday.
For all the info and official photos of the evening you can visit: https://www.thenewgroup.org/thedestinyofme.html and this article.
CAST
Rena Weeks – Ellen Barkin
Richard Weeks – Eric Bogosian
Alexander Weeks – Gideon Glick
Dr. Thomas Hamilton – Josh Hamilton
Benjamin Weeks – Lee Pace
Ned Weeks – Mark Ruffalo
The Destiny of Me is a play by Larry Kramer. The play follows Ned Weeks, a character from Kramer’s play The Normal Heart is about the fear and ignorance of AIDS and how it managed to nearly destroy a generation.
Angels in America
Neil Simon Theater
250 W. 52nd St.
Midtown West
Credits Written by Tony Kushner
Directed: by Marianne Elliott
CAST
Andrew Garfield, Nathan Lane, Susan Brown, Denise Gough, Beth Malone, James McArdle, Lee Pace, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Patrick Andrews, Glynis Bell, Amy Blackman, Curt James, Rowan Ian Seamus Magee, Mark Nelson, Matty Oaks, Genesis Oliver, Jane Pfitsch, Lee Aaron Rosen, Ron Todorowski, Silvia Vrskova and Lucy York
Closing July 15, 2018
I went to see the play the week of June 25th. Angels in America is by Tony Kushner, directed by Marianne Elliot. I bought my ticket in November and I waited June with such impatience.
About the Show
A quarter-century after stunning the theatre world, one of the greatest theatrical journeys of our time returns to Broadway in a production from London’s National Theatre. Tony Kushner’s play tackles Reaganism, McCarthyism, immigration, religion, climate change, and AIDS against the backdrop of New York City in the mid-1980s.
Congratulations to the whole cast FOR SUCH A wonderful performance.
Roy Cohn (Nathan Lane), Prior Walter (Andrew Garfield) Harper Pitt (Denise Gough), Louis Ironson (James McArdle), Joe Pitt (Lee Pace), Hannah Pitt (Susan Brown), (Belize) Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, and The Angel (Beth Malone). The cast made us laugh, cry, making everything really special and touching.
Lee dominates the stage, showing his true talent. The range of emotions he had to display was brilliant. The fragility and the weakness of his character, making him look even more fragile in the eyes of the audience, made us feel for him.
Angels in America is the most beautiful and intense theatrical show that I have ever seen, It is a pure masterpiece and will change your life after seeing it.
I wanted to thank all the people who work at the theater. They’re kind people. After the show, Lee and the other cast members met fans at the stage door. They spent time greeting and thanking people for attending. They took pictures and signed autographs. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them again for their kindness and friendliness. It has been one of the best experiences of my whole life. This journey, these experiences, have truly changed my life and I know that I will always carry it in my heart.
Chickasha, Oklahoma is where Lee was born on March 25, 1979. When Lee was a child he spent several years in Saudi Arabia before moving to Houston with his family. Lee took a brief hiatus from school to attend Alley Theater’s drama school, then resumed his studies and graduated. During the years at Alley, he appeared in the production of The Spider’s Web and The Greeks. In 1997, he was accepted to attend Juilliard School. During his studies, Lee participated in various performance, such as Romeo and Juliet where he played Romeo, Richard II, and Julius Caesar.
After graduating, Lee took part in many off-Broadway shows The Credaux Canvas (2001) and The Fourth Sister (2002). He also participated in the production of Small Tragedy (2004) by Craig Lucas, for which he was nominated for the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Actor. In 2006, he starred in Peter Morris’s Guardians, playing two parts. Guardians earned Lee his second Lucille Lortel Award nomination.
Lee received his first major role in 2003 playing the lead in Soldier’s Girl. He played the role of Calpernia Addams, a transgender woman who was in a relationship with an Army soldier, Barry Winchell played by Troy Garity. Winchell is murdered for his sexual orientation and his relationship with Addams. Lee won a Gotham Award for Best Emerging Actor and was nominated for many other awards, including a Golden Globe.
In 2008, he starred in the film Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day and Tarsem Singh’s The Fall, which he stills receive accolades for. Additionally, Lee performed second lead in such films as The White Countess, Infamous, When in Rome, and The Good Shepherd. In 2010, he starred as Phil Winslow in the film Marmaduke.
In 2009, Lee starred in the horror film Possession, with Sarah Michelle Gellar. From 2007 through 2009, he played Ned in the television series Pushing Daisies directed by Bryan Fuller, which co-starred Anna Friel and Kristin Chenoweth. In 2012, playing the magnificent Elven King Thranduil ignited an additional firestorm of interest in “who” Lee Pace is. His role as Thranduil, father of Legolas, in The Hobbit still spawns fan artwork of the character. It was this and his role as Garrett, a vampire in the last chapter of the Twilight movie series, Breaking Dawn – Part 2, gaining considerable visibility worldwide.
In July 2011, it was announced that Lee was chosen to appear in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, as the former mayor of New York, Fernando Wood, one of the first supporters of the Confederacy. Spielberg has revealed that he has decided to offer Lee the part, after seeing his interpretation in Ceremony, which co-stars Uma Thurman.
In 2014, Lee is cast to play Ronan the Accuser in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. I, and in the same year he stars as lead, protagonist Joe MacMillan, for four fantastic seasons in the television series Halt and Catch Fire [2014-2017].
In 2018, Lee reprises his role as Ronan the Accuser in Captain Marvel, which will be released in theaters in 2019.
His list of credits is impressive. Check them out below. His films and television series are available for purchase via Amazon.
2003 Soldier’s Girl (Calpernia Addams )
2005 The White Countess (Crane)
2006 Infamous (Richard Hickock)
2006 The Fall (Roy Walker / The Masked Bandit)
2006 The Good Shepherd (Richard Hayes)
2008 Polarbearman (Short film)
2008 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (Michael Pardew)
2009 A Single Man (Grant)
2009 Possession (Roman)
2010 When in Rome (Brady Sacks)
2010 Marmaduke (Phil Winslow)
2011 The Resident (Jack)
2011 Ceremony (Whit Coutell )
2011 30 Beats (Matt Roberts)
2012 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (Garrett)
2012 Lincoln (Fernando Wood)
2012 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Thranduil)
2013 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Thranduil )
2014 Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. I (Ronan the Accuser)
2014 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (Thranduil)
2015 The Program (Bill Stapleton)
2017 The Keeping Hours (Mark)
2017 The Book of Henry (Dr. David Daniels)
2018 The Party’s Just Beginning (Dale)
2018 Driven John DeLorean (Post-production)
2019 Captain Marvel (Ronan the Accuser)
Television
2002 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Benjamin Tucker Episode: “Guilt”
2003 Soldier’s Girl Calpernia Addams Television film
2004 Wonderfalls Aaron Tyler Main cast (13 episodes)
2007–2009 Pushing Daisies Ned Main cast (22 episodes)
2014–2017 Halt and Catch Fire Joe MacMillan Main cast (40 episodes)
2015 The Mindy Project Alex Eakin Episode: “San Francisco Bae”
2015 Robot Chicken Heinrich Himmler (voice) Episode: “Zero Vegetables”
Awards and Nominations
2003 Gotham Award Breakthrough Award Soldier’s Girl Won
2004 Golden Globe Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Soldier’s Girl Nominated
2004 Satellite Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Soldier’s Girl Nominated
2004 Independent Spirit Award Best Male Lead Soldier’s Girl Nominated
2007 Silver Bear Outstanding Artistic Contribution Shared with cast The Good Shepherd Won
2007 Satellite Award Best Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical Pushing Daisies Nominated
2008 Satellite Award Best Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical Pushing Daisies Nominated
2008 Golden Globe Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy Pushing Daisies Nominated
2008 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Pushing Daisies Nominated
2008 Saturn Award Best Actor on Television Pushing Daisies Nominated
2014 Satellite Award Best Actor in a Series, Drama
Theater
Angels in America [Broadway] Broadway Revival, 2018 Joe Pitt
Golden Age [Off-Broadway]
Manhattan Theatre Club Production, 2012 Performer
The Normal Heart [Broadway] Original Broadway Production, 2011 Bruce Niles
Lee is not only a talented actor but also an environmentalist and a Panda Ambassador. This includes his continued role in assisting in the conservation efforts of Conservation International projects.
Check out a few of the videos below.
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwxtDZ_QWr8″]
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJHcdKf5iHs”]
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idhF3g1Llbo”]
Lee is also Executive Producer of the documentary Dulce, with Margarita Mora, and Anatasia Khoo in collaboration with Conservation International and Jungles in Paris.
Occhi Magazine’s Review of Dulce
Connect with Lee Pace
Twitter : https://twitter.com/leepace
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/leeepfrog/
Lee Pace Italy ( Italian Fan Page)
Twitter : https://twitter.com/leepaceitaly1
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/lee_pace_italy/
Additional Resources
Twitter: twitter.com/conservationorg
Twitter: twitter.com/JunglesTV
Twitter: twitter.com/DulceFilm
Web: junglesinparis.com
Web: conservation.org
Editor’s Note: You can rent movies and television series starring Lee Pace via DVD Netflix.
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Fantastic interview! Thanks for telling your experience 🙂