A lot of people don’t think I can act. Wallace Shawn talks about Hollywood, therapy, and speaking out on Palestine.

Lists inside elements with `data-print-layout=”hide”` don’t have background images.

Finally, a custom font called “Guardian Headline Full” is loaded in light weight (300) from Guardian’s asset server. It comes in three formats: woff2, woff, and truetype.@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
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url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-LightItalic.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-LightItalic.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 300;
font-style: italic;
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@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
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font-weight: 400;
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@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
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font-weight: 400;
font-style: italic;
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@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
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url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Medium.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 500;
font-style: normal;
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@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-MediumItalic.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-MediumItalic.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-MediumItalic.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 500;
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@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Semibold.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Semibold.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Semibold.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 600;
font-style: normal;
}

@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-SemiboldItalic.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-SemiboldItalic.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-SemiboldItalic.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 600;
font-style: italic;
}

@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Bold.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Bold.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Bold.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 700;
font-style: normal;
}

@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-BoldItalic.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-BoldItalic.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-BoldItalic.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 700;
font-style: italic;
}Here is the rewritten text in fluent, natural English:

“`
@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-BoldItalic.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-BoldItalic.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 700;
font-style: italic;
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@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Black.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Black.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Black.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 900;
font-style: normal;
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@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-BlackItalic.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-BlackItalic.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-BlackItalic.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 900;
font-style: italic;
}

@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Titlepiece’;
src: url(‘https://interactive.guim.co.uk/fonts/garnett/GTGuardianTitlepiece-Bold.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://interactive.guim.co.uk/fonts/garnett/GTGuardianTitlepiece-Bold.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://interactive.guim.co.uk/fonts/garnett/GTGuardianTitlepiece-Bold.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 700;
font-style: normal;
}

:root:has(.ios, .android) {
–darkBackground: #1a1a1a;
–feature: #c70000;
–darkmodeFeature: #ff5943;
–new-pillar-colour: var(–primary-pillar, var(–feature));
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
:root:has(.ios, .android) {
–new-pillar-colour: var(–darkmode-pillar, var(–darkmodeFeature));
}
}

body.ios #feature-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
body.ios #feature-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + .sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
body.ios #feature-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + #sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
body.ios #standard-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
body.ios #standard-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + .sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
body.ios #standard-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + #sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
body.ios #comment-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
body.ios #comment-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + .sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
body.ios #comment-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + #sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
body.android #feature-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
body.android #feature-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + .sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
body.android #feature-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + #sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
body.android #standard-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
body.android #standard-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + .sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
body.android #standard-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + #sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
body.android #comment-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
body.android #comment-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + .sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
body.android #comment-article-container .element-atom:first-of-type + #sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter {
color: var(–secondary-pillar, #000);
}

body.ios #feature-article-container .article__header,
body.ios #standard-article-container .article__header,
body.ios #comment-article-container .article__header,
body.android #feature-article-container .article__header,
body.android #standard-a
“`The article header in the container is hidden by setting its height to zero. On iOS and Android, the furniture wrapper inside the article containers has padding of 4px on top and 10px on the sides. The labels within the furniture wrapper use bold text, the font “Guardian Headline” (or similar fallbacks), and are capitalized with the pillar color. The headline (h1) inside the furniture wrapper is 32px, bold, has 12px padding at the bottom, and is colored dark (#121212). Images inside the furniture wrapper are positioned relatively, with a 14px top margin and a left margin of -10px. Their width is set to the full viewport width minus the scrollbar width, and their height is automatic. The inner elements of the image (figure__inner, img, a) have a transparent background and the same width, with height set to auto. The standfirst text in the furniture wrapper follows similar styling.For `.standfirst`, `body.android #comment-article-container .furniture-wrapper .standfirst`, add padding: 4px on top and 24px on bottom, with a right margin of -10px.

For `body.ios` and `body.android` in `#feature-article-container`, `#standard-article-container`, and `#comment-article-container`, the `.furniture-wrapper .standfirst__inner p` should use the font family: Guardian Headline, Guardian Egyptian Web, Guardian Headline Full, Georgia, serif.

For links (`a`) and list items with links (`li a`) inside `.furniture-wrapper .standfirst__inner` on both `body.ios` and `body.android` for all three article containers, set the color to `var(–new-pillar-colour)` (with `!important`), remove background images, add an underline with a 6px offset, use `var(–headerBorder, #dcdcdc)` as the underline color, and remove the bottom border. On hover, change the underline color to `var(–new-pillar-colour)`.

For the `.meta` section in `.furniture-wrapper` on both `body.ios` and `body.android` for all three article containers, set the margin to 0. For elements like `.byline`, `.byline__author`, `span.byline__author a`, and `.meta__byline span` inside `.meta`, apply the same styling as above.Here’s the rewritten version in fluent, natural English:

The byline author links and byline spans inside the comment, feature, and standard article containers on both iOS and Android now use the new pillar color. The meta misc sections in these containers have no padding. The SVG icons inside those meta misc sections use the new pillar color as their stroke.

For showcase elements inside these containers, the caption button is displayed as a flex item with 5px padding, centered content, and a size of 28×28 pixels, positioned 14px from the right.

The article body in all three container types (feature, standard, and comment) on both iOS and Android has 12px padding on the left and right.

For images inside the article body that are not thumbnails or immersive elements, they have no margin and their width is set to the full viewport width minus 24px and the scrollbar width. Their height is automatic. The figcaption for these images is not affected.Here’s the rewritten text in fluent, natural English:

For image captions that are not thumbnails or immersive elements, the padding is removed on both iOS and Android devices across feature, standard, and comment article containers.

Immersive images in these containers take up the full width of the viewport, accounting for any scrollbar width.

Blockquote quotes in the article body use the new pillar color for their decorative element on both iOS and Android.

Links within the article text are styled with the primary pillar color, have no background image, and are underlined with a 6px offset. The underline color matches the header border. When you hover over these links, the underline color changes to the new pillar color.

In dark mode, the furniture wrapper background becomes dark gray (#1a1a1a). The content labels inside it use the new pillar color, and the headline (h1) has no background and uses the header border color.For iOS and Android devices, the text color in the standfirst paragraph of article containers (including feature, standard, and comment articles) is set to the header border color. Links and author names in the standfirst and byline sections use the new pillar color. SVG icons in the meta section also have a stroke in the new pillar color. Captions for showcase images in these articles use the dateline color. Quoted blockquotes within the article body are styled with the new pillar color. Additionally, various content sections—such as article body, interactive content, feature body, and comment body—are formatted consistently across iOS and Android for feature, standard, and comment articles.For iOS and Android devices, the background color of article and comment sections is set to a dark theme using a custom CSS variable. This applies to various containers like article bodies, interactive content areas, and comment sections.

Additionally, on iOS devices, the first letter of a paragraph that follows an element atom (such as a widget or embedded content) is styled in a special way. This styling also applies when the paragraph comes after a sign-in gate or a sign-in gate with a specific ID. These rules cover feature articles, standard articles, and comment articles across different container types.Here is the rewritten text in fluent, natural English:

On iOS, in the comment article container, the first letter of a paragraph that comes right after an element atom—whether or not there’s a sign-in gate before it—should be styled in a specific way. This applies to paragraphs inside the article body, feature body, comment body, and any section with the data attribute `data-gu-name=”body”`. The same rule applies to interactive content sections.

On Android, the same styling applies to the first letter of a paragraph that follows an element atom, with or without a sign-in gate. This is true for the article body, feature body, comment body, and `data-gu-name=”body”` sections in the feature article container, standard article container, and interactive content areas.Here’s the rewritten version in fluent, natural English:

On Android devices, when a paragraph follows an element-atom inside a comment or article body, the first letter of that paragraph should use the new pillar color (white by default). This applies to various containers like standard articles, feature articles, and comment sections.

For iOS and Android comment articles, the standfirst section inside the furniture wrapper should have 24 pixels of padding at the top and no margin above it.

The prose heading level 2 should be 24 pixels in font size.

On iOS, caption buttons in feature, standard, and comment articles should have 6 pixels of top padding and 5 pixels of left/right padding, with no bottom padding. On Android, these buttons should have 4 pixels of top padding and 4 pixels of left/right padding.

When the user’s system prefers a dark color scheme and the page doesn’t have a light color scheme set, the following styles apply: follow text and standfirst text should be a light gray (#dcdcdc), and follow icon fill, standfirst link text, and standfirst link border should use the dark mode pillar color. The byline should also use the dark mode pillar color.

The dark background color is set to a very dark gray (#1a1a1a).

On both iOS and Android, the article header in feature, standard, and comment articles should be completely transparent (opacity set to 0).

The furniture wrapper in all article types should have no margin on both iOS and Android.

Inside the furniture wrapper, the content labels should use the new pillar color (or the dark mode feature color as a fallback).

The headline (h1) inside the furniture wrapper should also follow the same color rules.Here’s the rewritten CSS in fluent, natural English:

The headline inside the furniture wrapper should be a light gray color (#dcdcdc). On iOS and Android devices, the article header links and title links within the furniture wrapper—whether in feature, standard, or comment article containers—should use the new pillar color variable (or the dark mode feature color as a fallback).

For the meta section on iOS and Android, the element before it should have a background that repeats a horizontal line pattern: a 1-pixel solid line in the header border color, followed by 2 pixels of transparency. The byline text inside the meta section should be light gray (#dcdcdc). Links within the meta section should also use the new pillar color variable (or the dark mode feature color as a fallback).

Finally, for the meta miscellaneous icon (svg) inside the feature article container on iOS, no additional styling is specified beyond what’s already defined.Here’s the rewritten version in fluent, natural English:

For iOS and Android devices, the SVG icons inside the meta section of feature, standard, and comment article containers use a stroke color that comes from the pillar color variable (or the dark mode feature color as a fallback).

Also on both iOS and Android, the alert labels in the same meta sections are forced to use the color `#dcdcdc`.

Additionally, any `span` elements with a `data-icon` attribute inside these meta sections—on both iOS and Android—use the pillar color variable (or the dark mode feature color as a fallback) for their text color. The same applies to the `:before` pseudo-element of those spans.Here’s the rewritten version in fluent, natural English:

– For elements with `[data-icon]:before`, and on Android devices within the comment article container’s furniture wrapper, the `[data-gu-name=meta] span[data-icon]:before` uses the new pillar color (or the dark mode feature color as a fallback).

– On screens wider than 71.25em, on both iOS and Android, the meta section and `.meta.keyline-4` inside the furniture wrapper of feature, standard, and comment article containers are displayed as block elements with a top border. The border color is set to the new pillar color (or the header border color as a fallback). The `.meta__misc` inside these elements has no margin, except for a left margin of 20px.

– On both iOS and Android, paragraphs and unordered lists inside the article body of feature, standard, and comment article containers have a maximum width of 620px.

– On both iOS and Android, quoted blockquotes inside the prose of the article body use the secondary pillar color for the `:before` pseudo-element.

– On both iOS and Android, links inside the prose of the article body use the primary pillar color, have no background image, are underlined with a 6px offset, and the underline color is `#dcdcdc`. When hovered over, these links change color.When I ask Wallace Shawn how he cast his latest stage work, What We Did Before Our Moth Days, the actor and playwright smiles matter-of-factly: “Well, I think that’s a secret. I don’t think I’ll tell you.” It’s polite, direct, and sets a clear boundary—something I quickly learn the charming 82-year-old is completely comfortable with.

On an overcast Wednesday, we’re in a restaurant atop the hip Manhattan arthouse cinema Metrograph, watching people trickle in a few days before a retrospective of his films opens there. Spending time with Shawn feels like stepping into his own constant sense of wonder—somewhere between a knowing shrug and puzzlement at his immediate surroundings. When the cinema’s publicist offers him a Twix bar, he cocks his head and asks what it is, but politely accepts one. (When she returns with more options, he opts for popcorn instead.)

Born in New York and a theater mainstay since the late ’60s, Shawn has traveled farthest from his native island through memorable roles in Hollywood hits like The Princess Bride and Marriage Story. After his first big-screen appearance in Woody Allen’s 1979 film Manhattan, he popped up in cult favorites like Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz and Alan J. Pakula’s Starting Over, before unforgettable leading turns in My Dinner with Andre and Vanya on 42nd Street—both co-written with Shawn’s longtime collaborator André Gregory. Acting is a miracle, he tells me, because while actors “look like us, like we could do what they do … we can’t, really.”

It’s a curious comment from someone with more than 200 screen credits, but Shawn haHe’s been pushing himself to the limit this spring. On the two nights a week when Moth Days isn’t performing, he’s been restaging his intense 1990 monologue, The Fever.

[Image: ‘Obviously, a lot of people don’t think I can act because otherwise they’d give me different parts.’ Wallace Shawn and Alicia Silverstone in Clueless (1995). Photograph: Aquarius/Paramount/Allstar]

I saw Shawn perform that solo show two nights before we met. He walked on stage to a round of applause, asked for understanding if he needed to check the script he’d brought with him, and good-naturedly acknowledged the play’s length: “Admittedly, two hours is a long time, but it won’t be longer than that,” he said. He didn’t end up needing the script, and his critique of capitalism and moral decay poured out of him like lava right up to the two-hour mark. “That’s a physical challenge that pushes me to my absolute limit,” he says. “I’m surprised I can get through it without falling apart.”

But outside of his work with Gregory, Shawn feels disappointed that his talent for playing friendly, comic relief characters in Clueless or Gossip Girl hasn’t led to more varied roles. “I don’t think the results are in yet,” he tells me. “Obviously, a lot of people don’t think I can act, because otherwise they’d offer me different parts. I’m clearly not highly respected as an actor by many people, even though I’ve been here for decades, always available. When I see myself, say, in Young Sheldon” – the seven-season series where he had a recurring role – “I think: they cast me in that part, and I did fine. I don’t think they made a terrible mistake.”

Film fans agree that Shawn is a treasure. Earlier this afternoon, I went with him to sign film posters at the nearby Posteritati gallery, where the entire staff – including those not working that day – had come in to see him. When he heard that, Shawn waved off the praise. He was thrilled to see an original British poster for My Dinner with Andre, then asked if signing a postcard for Toy Story 2, where he voiced a toy dinosaur, would lower its value. When they praised Jonathan Demme’s A Master Builder (2013), which Shawn adapted from Ibsen’s classic and starred in, he noted its poor box office performance.

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Shawn’s own financial situation was mostly sorted out by his late 30s. “I started to realize I could make money by being a funny actor,” he says. “I was quite happy to find that, even though my [stage] writing didn’t appeal to many people, my acting apparently did.” This realization saved him from having to tone down his writing, leading to 17 very unique stage works so far, including translations of Machiavelli’s bawdy comedy The Mandrake and The Threepenny Opera, his only Broadway credit.

Moth Days, his latest work, feels like a return to basics – whether he knows it or not. Structured as a series of direct addresses to the audience, it features four intellectuals (it could be called The Man, The Son, Dad’s Wife and His Lover) describing how a father’s affair shaped their lives up to their dying “moth day.” Performed by Hope Davis, Maria Dizzia, John Early, and Josh Hamilton, the play is a touching yet darkly funny look at one upper-class family trying to deal with their grief. Shawn’s own father, William, was editor-in-chief of the New Yorker for over thirty years and, for about as long, had a semi-public affair with one of its writers, Lillian Ross.

[Image: Wallace Shawn in Louis Malle’s My Dinner with Andre, 1981. Photograph: TCD/Prod.DB/Alamy]

Shawn says he never picks up thHe doesn’t know where the pen will take him. As for the inspiration behind his Moth Days, he points to the “absolutely true and well-documented” facts of his life. I ask if he’d heard Barbra Streisand’s reason for avoiding therapy—”I’m not that interested in myself”—given the two were born a year apart. He laughs and says no. “I think she doesn’t care, perhaps, why she behaves the way she does. It’s never gotten in her way. I understand it.”

Academic institutions have given in to their donors and to the evil administration of Trump. Shawn has preferred to leave his motivations unexplored. “It’s about being self-protective,” he says. “I think I avoided psychedelic drugs up until this point, and psychotherapy probably for the same reason.” This makes The Fever’s caustic, often hallucinatory impact that much more surprising, in retrospect. Shawn describes the monologue as “a very frank assessment of the role of that class of Americans”—the bourgeois—”as predators preying on the planet.” In it, an unnamed protagonist, shivering on a hotel bathroom floor, considers their oppressive role in the world while visiting a developing country. Its existential gallows humor is Kafka by way of Marx, prompting a nausea of, as Shawn puts it: “Uh-oh, my life that’s been very enjoyable has really come at the expense of people who have been crushed. If people in Sudan were prosperous, and if America hadn’t had slavery and if there hadn’t been a genocide of the Indigenous people, I wouldn’t be able to be doing what I’m doing.”

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Shawn began performing The Fever in apartments in 1990 before staging it at New York’s Public Theater, where a New York Times reviewer savaged it as “a musty radical-chic stunt.” Does the artist mind the critics? “I’m afraid I read reviews, because I grew up in a print-loving household and I hate the idea that people are saying things about me behind my back.” He kept going, and eventually HBO produced a film version starring Vanessa Redgrave in 2004. Being disliked, as well as earning the kind of respect he feels Arthur Miller was afforded by his 30s, was a motivator.

“I feel bad talking this way now because people have been extremely nice since I crossed the line into being 80, maybe even 70 or 75,” he says, almost embarrassed to acknowledge his writing career’s delayed acclaim. “But, before that … I always had higher expectations for myself.”

Shawn is aware of the impression he makes; every word out of his mouth is as considered as a final written draft. Sensing I have more to discuss as he excuses himself for an appointment, we make plans to speak the following day. (Refreshingly, it doesn’t seem he employs a publicist.) Over the phone, I steer our conversation from the battle between hunger for esteem and artistic certainty into how that might reflect itself in his politics.

Shawn designed The Fever’s time and place to be intentionally “vague and abstract,” but its rebel militias and warm climates evoke the mid-century destabilization of Central America. Wallace, who often visited the region, says it was “written at a time when the United States totally dominated El Salvador [and] indirectly dominated Guatemala and Honduras.” Its lack of specificity is helpful for the play’s continued relevance (though less so for the state of humanity), and feels like a contemporary wake-up call from Shawn, who is also a longtime member of the leftwing, anti-Zionist organization Jewish Voice for Peace. “In my social behavior, I tend to be quite bland and agreeable, but there have been times …” he trails off, hinting at moments where he hasn’t shied away from confrontation.

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Wallace Shawn in The Fever, 2026. Photograph: Julieta Cervantes

He was shocked.When Columbia University—where his partner, Deborah Eisenberg used to teach—punished students for peacefully protesting the school’s ties to Israel, Shawn said, “Instead of defending these students, these academic institutions have given in to their donors and to the evil administration of Trump.”

“There have been some consequences to my becoming politically aware,” he added. After the events of October 7, 2023, actors like Susan Sarandon and Melissa Barrera have said they were blacklisted by Hollywood for supporting Palestine. Has Shawn’s open support of Palestine cost him opportunities? He hesitates, saying, “I don’t know any people who are enthusiastic supporters of the genocide in Gaza. I know a couple who would rather not think about it, but I don’t hang out with people who would defend that.”

“Undoubtedly,” he notes, “there are criticisms of me that I haven’t even read.” Shawn remains committed to his beliefs and his work. Once Moth Days wraps, he’ll return to his usual dual roles: voicing a character in Toy Story 5 and playing the visionary 1960s architect Buckminster Fuller in the upcoming drama The Man Who Changed the World. As for the few people around him who disagree, he jokes, “Either they secretly know I’m right, or they like me personally and can make adjustments, thinking, ‘Wally is odd, and that’s just how he is.'”

What We Did Before Our Moth Days and The Fever are at Greenwich House Theater, New York, until May 24.

Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the topic of Wallace Shawns interview about acting Hollywood therapy and speaking out on Palestine

BeginnerLevel Questions

1 Why does Wallace Shawn say people dont think he can act
He often plays quirky intellectual or comedic roles Many people assume thats just his real personality not a performance He finds this frustrating because he takes his craft seriously

2 What does Wallace Shawn think about Hollywood
He has a complicated view He appreciates the opportunity to work but criticizes the industry for being shallow obsessed with money and often avoiding real political or moral issues

3 Why did Wallace Shawn speak out about Palestine
He believes in using his platform to speak against injustice He has been a vocal critic of Israeli government policies and supports Palestinian rights arguing that silence on the issue is complicity

4 Does Wallace Shawn go to therapy
Yes In interviews he has discussed how therapy has helped him understand his own fears motivations and the emotional weight of his work and political views

5 Is Wallace Shawn a serious actor or just a comedian
He is a serious actor and playwright He intentionally chooses roles that explore deep human questions even if the tone is funny His work in theater is often dark and philosophical

AdvancedLevel Questions

6 How does Shawns view of acting differ from the typical Hollywood approach
He believes acting is about saying the words truthfully rather than creating a flashy persona He rejects the idea of method acting and focuses on the text and the audiences reaction

7 What specific criticism does Shawn have about Hollywoods response to political issues
He argues that Hollywood often supports safe causes while avoiding the most controversial ones especially Palestine due to fear of losing funding or being blacklisted

8 How does Shawns personal therapy inform his political activism
He says therapy taught him to confront his own discomfort and fear of rejection This helps him speak out on Palestine even though he knows it may cost him roles or friendships