Though she’s moved on to plenty of tv roles, including in The Boys and the upcoming prequel Vought Rising on Amazon Prime, Aya Cash got her start on the New York stage. But funnily enough, she’s never been on Broadway. That changes this spring with Giant, written by Mark Rosenblatt and directed by Nicholas Hytner. In the play, it’s 1983, and the famous British children’s author Roald Dahl (an indelible John Lithgow) has just published The Witches as well as an incendiary, anti-semitic book review. A Jewish rep from his American publishing house (played by Cash) comes to confront him. Cash took over the role from the actress Romola Garai after the play moved from London’s Royal Court to the West End. Now she brings it to the Great White Way. She talks about it here.
What was it like playing in Giant on the West End?
I went to drama school in London for a semester abroad and studied at The National Theatre, so to come back was really fun. I have spent quite a bit of time in London the last few years, and I love it so much. I have a real community there now. I knew how incredible the play was but I had no idea people would be so desperate for it. It is a conversation that people are afraid to have right now.
How do you imagine the response will be different or similar in New York?
I am trying not to have expectations. I am trying to let New York tell me what it thinks rather than coming in with assumptions. The only assumption I’ll make is they’re going to be louder and in some ways I am down for that. New York is not a quiet city.
What’s exciting about bringing it to New York?
New York is my home. I’ve been here 20 years. I’ve never lived anywhere else for that long. I moved here because I knew that being an actor was an incredibly unlikely career and I would spend a lot of time not getting acting jobs. I knew I would be happier failing here more than any other city. I love the energy of New York, I love the style, the challenge, the New Yorkness of New York. And I was right, I spent a lot of time waiting tables here but it always felt like home. I am so happy to be working from home. It rarely happens these days.
What’s your relationship with Roald Dahl’s canon from when you were a kid?
I grew up reading his books and watching the movies based on them. Funnily enough, my favorite was The Witches. The Anjelica Huston movie was on repeat. I think his books are fantastical and fun, but they get at what it feels like to be a kid, to live in your imagination before you really live in the real world. And they teach you how to process the world you will enter as an adult.
How did your relationship with Dahl change with being a part of the play?
I didn’t know about the controversy before the play. I can’t separate every artist from the art, but I can separate Dahl. In this day and age, we draw hard lines around these things, but I think for me it’s more personal and intuitive. I can still love his work despite having deeply conflicted feelings about him as a flawed human being.
Does playing the role make you wish you worked in publishing at all?
My mother is a writer and there was a moment in my life when I thought about it. Briefly. But no, this play doesn’t make me want to pivot! Working in publishing seems like a lot of babysitting. Let’s be honest: I am an actor. We’re the babies not the sitters.
What’s most exciting to you about making your Broadway debut?
My 18-year-old self is still screaming. I didn’t know if I’d ever make it to Broadway. I know it’s silly to ascribe meaning to it in that way. I’ve done over 30 plays in my life, and I don’t think just because something makes it to Broadway that means it’s better. But it’s still a thrill and to have it happen with this play is the most exciting thing possible. I have known since the moment I read it that I would do it wherever it was. To get to take it to Broadway is beyond my wildest dreams.
Aya Cash and John Lithgow in Giant
