I Didn’t Think I Was Going To Become An Actress – Cobie Smulders

In Noël Coward’s wickedly witty comedy Present Laughter, Kevin Kline plays Garry Essendine, a talented and narcissistic actor jostled by a mid-life crisis. Through the whirlwind of his life, he is trying to to manage a variety of characters: ingénues, a wacky playwright, his ex-wife and a smoldering seductress.

Cobie Smulders [known to many for her role on the hit TV show How I Met Your Mother] plays that smoldering seductress, Joanna Lyppiatt, in the hit Broadway play directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel. “Everyone is so talented, so nice, so supportive of each other,” says Smulders of her Broadway debut. “And this is a Noël Coward play, so you have to be quick, on your toes, be there for everybody in the scenes.” The talented cast also stars Kate Burton, Kristine Nielsen, Bhavesh Patel, Reg Rogers, Matt Bittner, Ellen Harvey, Tedra Millan and Sandra Shipley. “If you need to have a good belly laugh, it’s a good show to see,” says Nielsen.

Smulders, who next year stars in Avengers: Infinity War shared more with Parade.

When did you know you had to be an actress?

Cobie Smulders: I didn’t really know I wanted to do this for a living until was about 19. As a child I lived in my head a lot. I would create weird characters and talk to myself in the mirror. Now upon reflection, I realize that attributes to what I’m doing now. But at the time I thought, I’m just playing. When I started doing theater and found an acting community in Vancouver, that is when I decided to pursue acting as a career.

If you could play any Noël Coward character, who would it be?

Smulders: Kate Burton once played Daphne. And now she is playing Liz [Garry’s ex-wife]. Maybe in about 10, 15 years I’d like to take a crack at Liz. That would be a lot of fun. There are some great scenes between Garry and Liz. They are just so well-written and delicious.

What went through your mind when you got the part of Joanna Lyppiatt?

Smulders: I was super emotional, so excited, so nervous and amazed. Being in a play on Broadway has been a dream of mine. I kind of can’t believe that it’s happening.

What was the first Broadway show you ever saw?

Smulders: There might have been one before, but the show that really resonated with me was Rent. I saw the original cast when I was 16 and living in Vancouver. I didn’t really understand a lot of what was going on, but it affected me in a way that I hadn’t experienced before. I was so moved by the show. I became obsessed with the soundtrack and the characters. The shows I heard before were more operatic. But this felt a bit grittier and more rock and roll.