So, even though I rarely publish stand-alone convos, (as opposed to incorporating them into my reviews,) I figured this would be an entertaining one to share with you. (I apologize in advance that I have few full-length<\/em> quotes from James because, let\u2019s just say, the dog ate my notes.)<\/p>\n James Tupper. Photo by Miguel Perez.<\/p><\/div>\n By the way, I haven\u2019t yet seen the show. No, you cynics out there, I am not<\/em> dragging my feet because I\u2019m not a fan of the old school Russian playwright. It\u2019s just that opening night was sold-out, and I was also otherwise occupied then. (But no worries\u2014I switched from seeing a show about a seagull to one about a duck that day, so at least I kept it in the avian family.)<\/p>\n I\u2019m actually planning on seeing it this week-end, now that the events celebrating the much-postponed Critics Choice Awards have been cancelled. So keep an eye out for my review next week.<\/p>\n All I know about The Seagull<\/em> now is that I don\u2019t have to worry about the play being a downer, as I had thought it would be, because James told me that there\u2019s actually a lot of humor in it! Who woulda thought??? (Well, I guess the answer to that is Anton Chekhov, because the playwright himself declared it to be a comedy. I really can\u2019t imagine it, but I guess that I\u2019ll<\/em> be the judge of that!) When James said it\u2019s funny, I thought that perhaps he was thinking of a story about my friends, the Brooklyn Siegels<\/em>, not Chekhov\u2019s story of a bird. But then when he admitted that the ending<\/em> is not exactly a \u201claugh riot,\u201d I knew his assessments are good ones.<\/p>\n My conversation with Mr. Tupper covered a lot more than just this play, although he did sound very excited about the production. (I\u2019ll get more into his feelings about the presentation in a moment.)<\/p>\n James Tupper and Karen Salkin, back in the day. Photo by Lauren Bennett.<\/p><\/div>\n But first I\u2019m happy to report that he and I had actually met once before, at a fabulous fashion industry party in New York, when his son was just a baby. He told me back then that having his child was the \u201cgreatest thing\u201d he had ever done! And, even with Atlas being a teen-ager now, (which I<\/em> always think can be a challenge, since I often act like one myself,) James still feels the same way. I love that. He was very proud to tell me that Atlas is a serious tennis player, so now I have a new athlete for whom to root in one of my fave sports to watch. I need to get in with the teen right now<\/em>.<\/p>\n I\u2019m impressed by what a supportive dad James is; if we had spoken\u00a0solely<\/em> about his son the whole time, he would have been happy. My own<\/em> beloved little mother once told me that she was surprised I hadn\u2019t become an ice skater, with my love of the sport, background as a dancer, and personal acquaintances with many of the pro skaters at the time. I was shocked by that, and explained that in order to pursue the sport, I would have needed to actually go skating<\/em> when I was little!!! (But no complaints from me in that area\u2014my teacher parents took me to every cultural event, including ice shows, that New York and surrounding areas had to offer. All that made me a fan<\/em> rather than a sportswoman<\/em>, which is just the way it\u2019s supposed<\/em> to be. But I did<\/em> wind-up joining a circus, so maybe they should have passed on that one.)<\/p>\n Back to James now, (since, as the title of this e-zine states, It\u2019s Not About Me<\/em>.)<\/p>\n He\u2019s from Nova Scotia, although I\u2019ve never heard a Canadian accent from him, not on TV nor in talking with him personally. And never once did he say, \u201cEh?\u201d in our conversation. Or mention a moose. But he is<\/em> nice, which his country\u2019s people are known for, so that proves his heritage.<\/p>\n Sasha Alexander and James Tupper. Photo by Miguel Perez.<\/p><\/div>\n In addition to his many TV series, (Men In Trees<\/em>, Mercy<\/em>, Revenge<\/em>, Big Little Lies<\/em>, and A Million Little Things<\/em> among them, all shows I\u2019ve seen and enjoyed!,) James has done tons of theatre, which he told me he loves. I got the impression that of all the arts, live theatre is his favorite to do. I came to that conclusion because when I asked him about his feelings on all the mediums, he told me, \u201cFilm is for directors, television is for writers, and stage is for actors.\u201d I was a bit surprised when I was telling him of my<\/em> time doing improv to learn that he<\/em> had done a lot of it, as well. Perhaps my slight bewilderment was because I always think of people who do improv as being a bit funny-looking, (no offense to myself, yet some taken) and James Tupper is far from that.<\/p>\n He said he\u2019s having a great time doing this play. He was so very complimentary about his fellow cast members of The Seagull<\/em>, and especially of its director, Bruce Katzman, whom he labeled \u201ca genius.\u201d He told me the guy knows everything<\/em> about Chekhov, (which another mutual friend of Bruce\u2019s and mine confirmed a few days later.) James said he\u2019s having a blast working with all of them.<\/p>\n (L-R) Cece Kelly, Parker Sack, Sasha Alexander, and James Tupper in The Seagull. Photo by Sophia Dawson.<\/p><\/div>\n This play was written in 1895, and is not set in the future, but the wardrobe in the photos of this particular version looks modern. So I asked James about that, and he replied that to him, it all appears to be \u201ctimelessly classic,\u201d and looks like about the 1920s. (There\u2019s another thing that I\u2019ll<\/em> be the judge of when I see it. But I admire a man who can pinpoint fashion.)<\/p>\n When I expressed surprise that I had seen him on Ride<\/em>, a sort-of obscure cowboy series from the Hallmark Channel, (do not judge me\u2014I saw the episodes elsewhere,) he told me that he really enjoyed doing that show. I did not expect that. Actually, he told me that, although he\u2019s really enjoyed doing all<\/em> his series, he would now love to do a three-camera sitcom! And since I know how amusing he is, I hope he gets his wish.<\/p>\n But after<\/em> the run of The Seagull<\/em>, so Angelenos get to see him on stage. From Chekhov to sitcoms\u2014now that\u2019s<\/em> a range!<\/p>\n If you just can\u2019t wait for my review, you can get more info about the run of The Seagull<\/em> right here: www.theseagull-la.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CONVO WITH JAMES TUPPER ABOUT HIS NEW (YET OLD) PLAY, THE SEAGULL I had the pleasure of chatting with handsome actor James Tupper ahead of the opening of his play, Chekhov\u2019s The Seagull, which is a visiting production at the Odyssey Theatre in LA. I\u2019m sure our t\u00eate-\u00e0-t\u00eate was supposed to be more of an<\/p>\n![\"James](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Seagull_HiRez_PCA0415.jpg\")
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