Actor Johnny Galecki Stars In ‘Kowalski’ At Lookingglass Theatre

Sasha-Ann Simons (0:12)

Hey, Chicago, I'm Sasha-Ann Simons, and this is In the Loop.

Be sure to listen all the way through the podcast for a breakdown of the day's top local stories. But first, most people know actor Johnny Galecki from the small screen, whether it's as Leonard in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Fairy, or one of my personal favorites, David in ABC's Roseanne. But now he's taking on a very different kind of role. Galecki is portraying legendary playwright Tennessee Williams in a new play at Lookingglass Theatre called Kowalski. The play walks us through Tennessee Williams' early collaboration with a young, not yet famous Marlon Brando.

So in this episode of the pod, we're going to dig into what it's like to step into the mind of a theater icon and to make the jump from television to live theater. At the table with me was none other than actor Johnny Galecki. I started by asking Johnny what made him want to play the Tennessee Williams. Here's his response.

Johnny Galecki (1:15)

I'm a fan of Tennessee Williams, certainly. And the role itself felt like a massive challenge. You know, I knew there was nothing to hide behind. It was well written.

He does not leave the stage, you know. And so I knew that it was going to be, if it failed, it would be on me.

Sasha-Ann Simons (1:43)

It would be all your fault.

Johnny Galecki (1:44)

Yep. So that became very incentivizing.

Sasha-Ann Simons (1:51)

Yeah. You left acting after The Big Bang Theory, right?

You took quite a long break.

Johnny Galecki (1:57)

Seven years, yeah.

Sasha-Ann Simons (1:58)

Why was that?

Johnny Galecki (1:59)

You know, I think I lost sight of what the work was, and therefore my enjoyment of the work. You know, I think my love for it was always there, but the work got drowned out by the machinery that surrounds it at times. And so.

Sasha-Ann Simons (2:19)

What do you think causes that? Is that a result of just doing it for too long?

Johnny Galecki (2:23)

I think it's a slowly boiling frog kind of analogy. You know, I think at a certain point, you know, I've made the analogy, you know, if all a chef is doing is hiring and firing and writing up the menu for the next season and publicity and marketing and H&R, he or she might come to the conclusion that, I don't know if I like to be a chef any longer without asking themselves, well, when was the last time you just cooked?

Sasha-Ann Simons (2:52)

You're preaching to the choir. My husband's a chef, so we've had many conversations like this at times. But I get what you're saying. I'm curious what you did though, in those seven years.

Johnny Galecki (3:05)

Well, I think we're either in observance or we're in participation. I was very deeply in observance of life.

You were dadding? I was popping. Yes. I have a nearly seven-year-old and a three-year-old. The three-year-old was not cooperating with Slumber last night after two shows, so you'll have to excuse my voice and my black coat.

Lisa Lavez (3:28)

Listen, I'm just glad you made it in. Appreciate it.

It could be rough.

Johnny Galecki (3:32)

Yeah, but it was wonderful. And so I felt like after just being in life and living life and watching others live lives, I felt like I had a new perspective and something fuller to offer in my work and towards an audience.

Sasha-Ann Simons (3:53)

And so you decide to come back and do theater. Why was now the time for that?

Johnny Galecki (4:01)

You know, the question of whether or not my love for it was still there was kind of haunting, honestly. I mean, I don't mean to be melodramatic about it, but you know.

Sasha-Ann Simons (4:14)

You mean your love for acting?

Johnny Galecki (4:15)

Yes, yes, I'm sorry. And so, you know, I've started in the theater out here in Chicago when I was seven. It was my first love for the majority of my life. It was my only love. It was what defined me and what was really my sole purpose for the majority of my life. So the fact that any interest, even for it, I was bereft of was more than confusing. It was concerning at times. And so I just, I knew it was something I needed to, to explore and not return to. Because I think in that seven years, so much had changed. I don't think of it as much of a return. It's kind of a reorientation.

Because I scrapped and burned my entire process that I've learned or that I've used for years and really wanted to rebuild it, how I approach the work from the ground up.