Ben Rappaport is fortunate to be an actor who has no problem staying busy. He is currently a lead in the NBC series Grosse Pointe Garden Society, where he plays a suburban dad whose gardening club becomes entangled in a murder. Then beginning in July, he brings his version of Jack Paar to the London theatre audience in a West End run of Good Night, Oscar (a role he played in 2023), opposite Sean Hayes' Oscar Levant.
All episodes of Grosse Pointe Garden Society are streaming now on Peacock. Good Night, Oscar is currently scheduled to play through September 21 at the Barbican Theatre in London.
In the interview below, Rappaport reveals how costar Hayes became not only a great scene partner, but also a trusted friend. Plus, how his many years working in television helped set the stage for his portrayal of iconic late night talk show host Jack Paar.
Tell me a little bit about yourself as a performer. How did you get the acting bug, and how has it led to this amazing career that you've developed for yourself?
Rappaport: I started acting when I was about 15 years old in high school. I was always a very artistic kid. I would describe myself as a bit of a loner. And then I saw a performance of our high school鈥檚 version of Romeo and Juliet. I remember watching the performer playing Mercutio deliver the Queen Mab speech, and he just poured his entire guts into it. There was something about that moment where I was like, "I must be up there doing that." I started auditioning for the school plays and quickly started getting roles. I auditioned for the lead of Anything Goes that next year, and I almost got it, but my grades were so bad that the drama teacher was like, 鈥淲ell, you must get your grades up. I can't give you the lead of Billy Crocker." So, I improved my grades and then Allison Frost (who was head of the drama program there), after we were doing Annie Get Your Gun, she pulled me aside and was like, 鈥淟ook, I think you have what it takes to do this for real, and if you really want to, I support that, and I'll help you." And that was the first time anybody had ever told me that I had a real knack for something. From there, I auditioned for acting schools, and I got into Juilliard.
I love hearing these backstories, because it really was a pathway for you to find yourself and your voice. You hold on to memories like that.
I鈥檓 a very sentimental person, and anytime I'm working on Broadway or on a television set, I always take a second, whether I am backstage in the wings, or behind a wall on a soundstage or something. There's this very specific smell of, for example, cables and wood and electric equipment. It is in these spaces, no matter where I work, on what level, what location, there's a very specific smell that reminds me of being in the auditorium of my high school, doing plays and the things that I love. I always take a second, no matter what the job is, to click into that, and have that memory and it brings me right back there. It is just the best feeling.鈥�
It is worth noting that you are one half of a Broadway couple. Your wife, Megan Kane, made her Broadway debut in & Juliet, and now she's in Smash. What's the dynamic like having two performers in a successful marriage and be the parents of Ollie, your adorable French bulldog?
It's lively. Megan and I always say that we can't imagine ourselves being partnered up with anybody who isn't in this industry and isn't a performer, because the 鈥渇east or famine鈥� nature of it (the idiosyncrasies of it all), are very specific and unique, It's just amazing be able to come home after a tough day at work or a bad audition. Megan's been on Broadway for the past three years, so we don't go see shows together very often at this point. Whenever we do, it's so exhilarating, because we love grabbing dinner afterwards, and just dive in and talk about everything. We are very fortunate and lucky to have each other to lean on.
Let鈥檚 talk about Good Night, Oscar. You have had the unique experience of taking this character from the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, then to the Belasco Theatre on Broadway, and now to the Barbican and the West End. How does that feel to be able to create this character, bring him to life, and continue that journey?
Good Night, Oscar has been the honor of my career because I get to play Jack Paar, this legendary TV personality. There is a lot of footage and information out there about him. When I prepare for a role, I tend to get obsessive about detail. When I got the offer to do the Goodman, I had about six weeks to prepare, and I just dove headfirst into hours upon hours of YouTube videos of Jack Paar at different points in his life. I took on the assignment to inhabit this role and play this real guy鈥攏ot set out to do an impersonation, but rather some kind of amalgamation of who Ben is, who Jack Paar is, and something in the middle that is kind of its own unique creation.
I'm so honored to work with Sean Hayes because he's the best leader and he creates an environment of play and fun and light heartedness. Sean has become a very close friend and mentor to me and that is just invaluable. I remember the first rehearsal at the Goodman during the table read, and Sean had his phone open playing a YouTube clip of Oscar Levant. I heard him kind of muttering to himself, his eyes closed, his earphones in, and then he put the phone down. I asked him what he had been doing and Sean said, 鈥淚n order to get into the character, I listen to a few sentences of Oscar Levant speaking, and I just repeat those in the cadence. It immediately gets me into character and into the Oscar world.鈥� I loved this advice, and I completely stole that idea, and I did the same thing with Jack Paar.
Jack Paar was an American TV personality. How do you think that will play with a British audience?
I think it'll be interesting because Jack did have a presence in the UK. In my research, there are a lot of videos of him taking The Tonight Show to London. Jack was a big fan of the U.K. and British culture. In fairness, the only people that would really remember Jack are people who were around watching TV in the '50s. I am excited to reinvigorate him for people who remember him, but also introduce him to a whole new audience and generation of people.
With all your experience performing on television, did it give you any additional insight as you were rehearsing and performing Good Night, Oscar?
I am used to being in front of cameras over the years, and you kind of develop a relationship with the camera. The camera, in a lot of ways, is your other scene partner. In Good Night, Oscar, that's very much the case, because there's so much of the action is backstage preparing to be on camera. Jack Paar has a curated onscreen personality that's a little different than his backstage personality, that it's something that he wears as a suit of armor. Over the years, I was on many talk shows in my early career. I got to be on Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon, so I've gotten very intimate experiences of what that feeling is like when the lights are hot, and the interviews are fast and furious. There's this level of adrenaline that makes for an exciting exchange in the show.
I want to talk about Grosse Pointe Garden Society. There is a level of theatricality to this series that is akin to primetime soap operas and serials. How does one tamp down the theatricality for the small screen?
So much of that is due to the writing and the design. Eric Daman, our costume designer, is a very fashion forward, brilliant artist. He designed Gossip Girl and The Carrie Diaries, which AnnaSophia Robb also starred in. He has a very distinct eye for detail, and how the clothes help to tell the story. There is also Maggie Kiley, the one of our Executive Producers, who also directed the pilot, and two other episodes, including the finale. Maggie developed a fun way for the chyrons to explain the timeline to the viewer through everyday objects and signage. It is a clever way of bringing us in and out of the different timelines and the props department had a blast with that.
Tell me about your character Brett in Grosse Pointe Garden Society.
Brett is a divorced, single father of two. In the pilot, he finds his wife cheating on him with her boss at the law firm. The timeline then shifts and begins a couple years after that. He joins the Garden Society because he's the manager of the garden center, which is the store that provides all the tools for the Garden Society. This is how Brett connects with this specific group of people. Brett has been through a lot, so he's a little lonely. I think making friends and doing the gardening feels like it's good for him. At this point in his life, he also has a big dream of starting a car restoration business, which has been put on hold because he spent the first part of his original marriage helping his wife through law school. The viewers learn that Brett has a massive crush on his best friend, Alice, played by AnnaSophia Robb. Brett and Alice are both dreamers in a town where everyone is trying to keep up appearances, so this plays into their relationship further.鈥�
How does rehearsal work for a TV show? Outside of camera blocking, do you get rehearsal time?
Rehearsal on a television show is essentially, 鈥渓et's all gather and read.鈥� Once camera blocking begins, you are told where to stand where to move during the scene. The crew comes in and you show them the blocking and they put the marks on the floor and set up the first camera shot. You start shooting it and that is the rehearsal. You really need to trust your instincts and you don't really have too much time to get in your head about the scene. I'm an actor who really loves to cold read. I love cold reading because I really enjoy the unknown and the stuff that you can't plan. It is that risks that helps with the discovery moment at beginning of the scene. You then start to figure moments out, and then when they punch in for coverage, you are already essentially semi-rehearsed.
So, if they are writing as they go, does the writing team find ways to adjust the development of the character based on your performance and nuance?
The writing team begins to the observe personality traits and nuances that you just inherently bring. For example, in the series Brett wears a lot of old concert band t-shirts. I was an Emo rock fan from the late '90s and early 2000s and so we collaborated, having that be something that Brett might enjoy, and we ended up making it a part of his character.
Are there any fun behind-the-scenes mishaps or insider information that you can share?
There were no mishaps. Before we got to the episode where we find out who the dead body is, each day on set, the cast and crew would speculate about who it was. People were placing bets, and it became this ongoing guessing game. We finally got to the reveal, the only one of us for who got it right was Melissa Fumero.
What are your hopes for Grosse Pointe Garden Society season two? Is there anything that you'd like to see without giving anything away?
Most importantly, all 13 episodes are available on Peacock to binge which is exciting, because I personally think that binging this series is the way to watch it. There's so much happening in each episode, and I think the best way to fully experience the roller-coaster ride we take you on is to just to devour the series. At the end of season one, we left on a massive cliffhanger, so there a lot of unanswered questions. These characters are in very messy situations the entire season and I want to see it get even messier next season.
One last question for you Ben and it is regarding your theatre dreams. Do you have a dream role? Are there roles that you have always coveted?
I have a few. I mean, one thing I'll say is that I really excelled at and loved at Juilliard was Shakespeare, and I have not been able to do that for whatever reason. In my professional career, I am itching to get back on stage and do some Shakespeare. I feel like Romeo has probably passed me by. However, I think that I'm Hamlet age for sure, and maybe Henry IV. Those are two roles I would love to tackle and I'm excited to be in London this summer to maybe absorb some of the theatre culture.
Well, I don't know what will be playing at the Shakespeare鈥檚 Globe Theatre while you are in London, but it is worth going and seeing a show there or at any venue on or off West End. It's just a remarkable experience.
I'd love to go see something at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Oh, here's another answer for a dream role in a musical. In the future tackle Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof. As you know, I have a history with Fiddler [having played Perchik in the 2015 Broadway revival], and I'd love to play Tevye at some point.
See photos of Good Night, Oscar on Broadway below.
Ben Rappaport and Sean Hayes
Peter Grosz, Alex Wyse, Ben Rappaport
Alex Wyse and Sean Hayes
Sean Hayes
March谩nt Davis and Sean Hayes
Emily Bergl and Ben Rappaport
John Zdrojeski and Sean Hayes
Sean Hayes
