The stakes are high in Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero, which re-opened the Hayes Theatre as Second Stage’s first foray into Broadway. Tension between Michael Cera’s Jeff and Brian Tyree Henry’s William, a night desk manager of a Manhattan apartment building and his boss, run high when William confesses something to Jeff and Jeff considers telling the cop he has a crush on.
But at the Tony nominee press junket, the onstage strain is wiped away completely. When Cera and Henry are in the same room, they can’t help but mess around.
“It's different every night,” says Cera of their onstage interactions, “which I love. It's really alive and I love watching Brian every night.”
“You do? You never said a thing to me about that!” jokes Henry. Best known for their screen roles—Cera for Superbad, Juno, and Arrested Development and Henry for his Emmy-nominated guest role on This Is Us and on FX's Atlanta—the two excel onstage. Though the pair may be nominated in the same category (Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play), it’s all laughs with them.
Watch the full video interview above.