
Back to One
A podcast about acting -- just the work. by Peter Rinaldi
“That’s the Beauty of Theater, It Parallels Your Life In Sort of Mysterious Ways”: Adeel Akhtar, Back To One, Episode 338

Adeel Akhtar is a versatile British actor known for his powerful performances across film, television, and theatre. He gained widespread acclaim for his BAFTA-winning role in the BBC drama Murdered by My Father, and won another one, a few years later, for Sherwood. His other credits in front of the camera include Four Lions, The Big Sick, Enola Holmes, Utopia, and Sweet Tooth. On stage, Akhtar has appeared in productions at the National Theatre and the Royal Court. Currently he wows audiences as Lopakhin in a new production of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn. On this episode he talks about the pleasures of performing “with complete freedom” in that production, interacting with the audience, and the interesting connections he finds between that character and his own return to theater. Plus he explains why he no longer finds himself over-preparing for a role, shares something a valued teacher gave him that changed his approach to the work, and much more.
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