Emilia Suárez Sees her Juliet at the ART as 'Sharp' and 'a Little Zany'

EDGE: What's it been like having Rudy Pankow, who plays Romeo, be your on-stage love interest?

Emilia Suárez: It's been wonderful. He's such a hard worker. He's so professional. We had a really lovely rapport from the beginning, of communication and trust. In theater, when you're out there and something goes wrong, you're so naked and you just have each other. I think we've continued to find the trust that will hopefully hold us through that space. We've had a lovely time working together.

EDGE: You've also got the privilege of working with Diane Paulus as director for this production. What has that been like?

Emilia Suárez: Diane is a force. I don't want to spoil anything, but she has such beautiful plans for how she weaves everything together. I don't think she felt the need to make us imagine anything scarier or more divided about our world. I think we can all connect to that at the drop of a hat. And the play is so relationship-driven and actor-driven, and she allowed us to find every single place in the play where there is love, so that when it's lost, we can see what these characters are going through.

I'm very fortunate in a role that a lot of people think is boring, and I think they're boring for thinking that. I think my take on Juliet is a little zanier. I think she's really sharp, and Diane has taken that and grown it even more. I feel lucky to be in this production. I know there's a million [productions of "Romeo and Juliet"] going on right now, and there will always be a million going on, but I feel very lucky to be doing this one.

EDGE: What other Shakespearean women might you want to play?

Emilia Suárez: Juliet really is top of the list, so I'm very grateful to be doing it. But I think when I'm a bit older, I would love to do Amelia in "Othello." I'd love to do Cleopatra, and I would love to do Ophelia.

"Romeo and Juliet" runs through October 6 at the American Repertory Theater, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA. For more information,
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