We may have lost him to New York for a while, but Jeremy Schwartz is back in Dallas with a bang. The actor has been racking up the juicy roles lately, playing everything from a menacing ex-husband in Kitchen Dog Theater's world-premiere Se Llama Cristina to the rough-around-the-edges brother in Second Thought Theatre's acclaimed production of In a Forest, Dark and Deep.
He returns to Kitchen Dog on September 26 to star in the regional premiere of Detroit, Lisa D'Amour's "funny and incisive look into the subterranean psyche of the suburbs."
Schwartz recently took the time to fill out our survey of serious, fun and sometimes ridiculous questions.
Name: Jeremy Schwartz
Role in Detroit: Kenny
Previous work in the DFW area: God’s Country; Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me; Shiner; The Seagull; Sarajevo; All He Fears; Loot; Ice Cream; Cherry Docs; How I Learned To Drive; A Christmas Carol; Triumph of Love; Ardy Fafirsin; Se Llama Cristina; In a Forest, Dark and Deep
Hometown: Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, but raised in Plano from age 5.
Where you currently reside: Lakewood
First theater role: The Kid with The Cuckoo in The Kid with The Cuckoo. His name was Clarence. The kid. Not the cuckoo.
First stage show you ever saw: The Fantastiks at Plano Community Theater.
Moment you decided to pursue a career in theater: When I heard “The 2,000 Year Old Man.” I had it memorized by the second grade and did it every time we had company.
Most challenging role you’ve played: Stashu Okonsky in Shiner.
Special skills: I can cook, yo. For real.
Something you’re REALLY bad at: Dancing and mental telepathy. I haven’t the gift for either.
Current pop culture obsession: That’s not really my thing.
Last book you read: A Barry Hannah collection called Long, Lost, Happy.
Favorite movie(s): Zelig, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Right Stuff, The Philadelphia Story, Cool Hand Luke, Black Narcissus, Michael Clayton, All The President’s Men, Apocalypse Now, Being There, Dr. Strangelove, Young Frankenstein, Meet John Doe, The Big Lebowski
Favorite musician(s): Frank Black, Super Furry Animals, Los Lobos, CCR, Pearl Jam, Eric Dolphy, MMW, Blind Melon, Steve Earle, Mike Patton, Art Blakey, Four Tet, Madlib, Can, XTC, MF Doom, John Zorn, Stereolab, Nels Cline, Minutemen, Stevie Wonder, Tortoise, Led Zeppelin, Willie Nelson
Favorite song: I cycle songs in and out. Right now it’s the Bryan Ferry version of “Re-make/Re-model” from Let’s Stick Together.
Dream role: Narrating NFL films.
Favorite play(s): Right now it's Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth.
Favorite musical(s): Sweeney Todd
Favorite actors/actresses: Joseph Cotten, Lionel Barrymore, Jimmy Stewart, Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Barbara Stanwyk, Daniel Day Lewis, Jean Arthur, Mickey Rourke, William Powell, Nick Nolte, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Judy Holliday, Edward Arnold, Jason Robards, Bill Murray, James Spader, Peter Sellers
Favorite food: I love a nice sandwich.
Must-see TV show(s): Veep
Something most people don’t know about you: I can hypnotize a chicken.
Place in the world you’d most like to visit: Petra
Pre-show warm-up: It changes with every show. The only consistent thing I do is arrive two to three hours early.
Favorite part about your current role: I sure do love working at Kitchen Dog.
Most challenging part about your current role: The extended dance sequence.
Most embarrassing onstage mishap: I accidentally punched a well-known comedian in the face during rehearsal for a bit on Conan. For some reason I was released that day.
Career you’d have if you weren’t a performer: Tactical driver. Funky drummer. Chef.
Favorite post-show spot: I’m a homebody these days, but if I go out, I stop by the Lakewood Landing.
Favorite thing about Dallas-Forth Worth: It’s home.
Most memorable theater moment: I played Marley’s Ghost when Raphael Parry directed A Christmas Carol at DTC. For my entrance I was dropped in head-first from 40 feet up. Still the most fun I’ve had working on a show.
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Detroit plays at Kitchen Dog Theater September 26-October 26.
Ira Steck (Ben), Tina Parker (Mary) and Jeremy Schwartz (Kenny) in Detroit at Kitchen Dog Theater.
