Simon Russell Beale on A Piece of Work: Shakespeare, Stalin, and Sam Mendes

On this episode, we were joined by the legendary British actor, Sir Simon Russell Beale CBE, to discuss his first memoir from a life on the stage, A Piece of Work: Playing Shakespeare & Other Stories. 

Often described as the "best stage actor of his generation," Simon shares insights into the whopping 18 Shakespeare characters he has played throughout his career with the RSC and the National Theatre.

He generously invites us into his process as an actor and explains why the personal and working relationships he has formed with collaborators like Sam Mendes and Nicholas Hytner are essential to his extraordinary success.

Lastly, we discuss encounters with performing legends such as Stephen Sondheim and Lauren Bacall and an example of what it means to recieve a "bad note" from a director.