You know people talk about chemistry?
I think its bollocks, says Indira Varma.
Next to her, Rami Malek nods in agreement.
Indira Varma wears a Loewe wool coat. Manolo Blahnik shoes. Rami Malek wears a Loro Piana sweater. Mr P trousers. Adieu shoes.Fashion Editor: Edward Bowleg III.
Im the same way, he drawls, his voice all American base, thick with vocal fry.
People say, We have to have a chemistry read.
It doesnt requireyouto decipher that, thats for us to figure out.
Malek wears a Dior Men jacket. Varma wears a Michael Kors Collection cashmere sweater.
The pair lock eyes.
They may well be right.
The roles in question?
Givenchy coat. Monica Vinader gold vermeil and diamond hoop earring.
Malek wears a Dior Men jacket.
Varma wears a Michael Kors Collection cashmere sweater.
Varma, an Olivier-award-winning powerhouse, originally from Somerset, is synonymous with gold-standard theater.
The Row jacket. Connolly sweater. Mr P trousers. Adieu boots. Cartier watch.
She has done it all: Shakespeare to Shaw; Pinter to Coward.
Both nurse green teas in takeaway cups.
With rehearsals yet to begin, the two have largely been getting to know one another over the phone.
Varma wears a Khaite trouser suit. Malek wears a Dunhill polo sweater.
In Warchuss mind, Oedipus sits somewhere between a rock star and a lost boy.
In Malek, he points out, you get both.
His intensity can be pretty thrilling.
Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello suit, shirt, and tie.
Monica Vinader gold vermeil and diamond hoop earring.
Oedipus resolves to do just that, to find the truth no matter the cost.
And does it matter if you believe in them, if theyre going to smite you anyway?
Rami wears sweater, Dunhill. Indira wears jacket, Khaite.
Warchus has set the production in an unspecified time in an apocalyptic future.
Stifle those yawns, though, peoplenaturally the visionary director wont leave it at that.
In truth, Warchus had more than 30 years to consider his approach.
Ideas for his own retelling came after assisting Adrian Noble on theOedipustrilogy at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1991.
And I thought, Well, that is the structure of a Greek play.
The choruses originally were sung and danced.
Its a bit like prototype musical theater.
Enter Tony-nominated choreographer Hofesh Shechter, who will be responsible for electrifying the movement on stage.
For both Varma and Malek, the prospect of working with him was a huge pull.
But we both instinctively went down that route ourselves.
Not everyone does that, she tells him, admiringly.
Varma wears a Khaite trouser suit.
Malek wears a Dunhill polo sweater.
Indeed, physical theater was Varmas introduction to the world she now inhabits.
It was mime, or dance, or music.
I was always playing old men or a clown, she recalls, laughing.
Thats what I was interested in.
He had struggled so much as a freelance artist, she explains.
Malek knows something of this struggle.
Robotbut theater is where he honed his skills.
(Today, he can still remember the Scottish professor who taught him First World War poetry.)
But its been 18 years since he was last on stage.
I feel so at home here, oddly.
Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello suit, shirt, and tie.
What stopped his stage return until now?
A little bit of fear, he admits.
Plus, he knows how particular he can be.
I can get quite hands-on with the work in all iterations of the production.
Ill be with my partner and theyre like, Leave it.
Just take a beat.
You dont have to produce and attempt to direct everything on your own.
Allow things to evolve.
I mean, he pauses, smiling, I consider myself an intuitive person.
But if theres an opportunity to lift something, I leave no stone unturned.
And I think sometimes that could be a detriment.
When it comes to theater, control isnt always possible.
Its out of our hands.
And Rotten Tomatoes does not do theater, says Malek, smiling.
Oedipusis doubtless a bold, deliciously tempting, high-stakes choice for a West End debut.
The cast were chained to pillars in the auditorium.
In 2008, Ralph Fiennes had a stab at the National.
It is said those who were present could recall the off-stage screams decades later.
The Vics newest lead is far from keen to take a look at the theaters history books.
It turns out Oliviers is very much a name I should not have brought up.
Instantly the intense, thoughtful, kind American is consumed with visible angst.
So the question is, how do I compare myself to Laurence Olivier?
Malek replies, prickling, no hint of a smile.
The answer is: I dont.
Rami wears sweater, Dunhill.
Indira wears jacket, Khaite.
You know this, Rami, Varma says, comfortingly.
He seems rattled, though.
Well, have you ever had anOedipuswhere the choreographer-slash-director has also done the score for the project?
That immediately sets [ours] apart.
Suddenly hes on his feet, arm outstretched to shake my hand.
Hopefully someone will look to this and say, How do we make it different tothat?
And he heads out the door.
And how knowledge isnt always a good thing.
Their production has all the allure of a must-see.
Oedipuswill be at The Old Vic in London from January 21 to March 29, 2025.
In this story: hair, Chi Wong; makeup, Crystabel Riley.
Maleks grooming: Fay De Bremaeker.
Nails: Simone Cummings.
Set design: Miguel Bento.
Production: Phoebe Asker.
