Jessica Chastain’s Ways to Break the Fourth Wall
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New York, March 2023
While most people are familiar with the theatrical convention of the invisible Fourth Wall, only a few know there is a Fourth Wall that is not an artificial structure but is made of real bricks. Its function is not to divide the stage from the audience but to unite them in a shared experience.
This wall is the back of the Hudson Theatre, on Broadway, and I found out about its existence almost three months ago, when, by chance, I set down on its stairs to take a break and catch up with my reading.
I had just opened my book and, all of a sudden, it started talking to me.
For something being so still by nature, the wall turned out to be very outgoing and, most of all, a keen observer of what happens around it, both inside and outside the theater.
What follows is its peculiar point of view about the new production of “A Doll’s House”, a play by Henrik Ibsen, now in its final week at the Hudson Theatre.
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It doesn’t happen every day to have an Oscar-winning actor performing on stage and I was really looking forward to seeing how Jessica Chastain’s version of Nora was going to be.
Like all Ibsen’s dramas, also “A Doll’s House” is meant to represent the universal condition of society and, through their performances, the actors have the incredible responsibility to convey a story that doesn’t only pertain to their characters, but to all Men and Women – it is quite an endeavor!
In this play, Nora is a woman, who comes to realize that the patriarchal structure of society prevented her from becoming her own person, thus experiences one of the most painful things there can be: not being seen for who she is.
Even if, at times, she takes advantage of a life spared from responsibilities, Nora finally recognizes that she can’t go along with the passive part that was assigned to her and which she is tired to pretend she enjoys.
Revolutionary for his times, after a complex arc, Ibsen has Nora take the shocking decision to leave the sheltered House she has been living in and go out into the world to educate herself, free from any imposition.
The story is still so modern and relevant, and I was curious to watch Nora’s journey under a fresh angle.
The show has now been running for over a month, but even after all these performances, I still get emotional throughout the play and, in particular, when Nora embraces her ultimate decision to leave the House.
Bold, as in all her characters’ choices, Jessica Chastain addresses the universality of this moment by literally breaking the Fourth Wall and leading not only Nora, but the entire audience outside the House.
You see, this gate where you are sitting right now, opens up, and as Nora walks out through the breach in the wall, everyone in the theater leans in to follow her, into the wonderful mess that is New York City. It is a powerful collective moment, because everyone in the theater is now, at least in spirit, venturing into the streets of New York with Nora to find out a bit more about themselves.
The very first night of previews of the show, I was taken aback by this dramatic choice and I remembered that some theater directors talk about witnessing the magical moment when actors enter into character. They describe it as a minimal, but palpable, transformation, which happens right before the actor goes on stage.
I couldn’t help but thinking that, vice versa, the moment when actors get out of character is never as distinct. It must be a difficult process to separate from the person you are portraying, especially after an intense performance. It may be like waking up from a dream that troubled you: it takes some time to adjust to reality, and even if you are awake, your mind keeps drifting to the feelings just experienced.
In this case, despite the intensity of the role and the depths of the emotions, Jessica has to set her character free very quickly, because with all the pain and strength it took Nora to leave the House, she could not bring her right back into the place that held her captive for so long – it would not be fair to Nora, nor to the audience, who escaped with her.
Since that very first show, though, I have had the privilege of observing the rare instant of an actor letting go of their character. It is a subtle change, a recovered awareness only revealed by a slight change of pace in the steps that separate the exit from the gate to the entrance of the stage door. In these six-feet span, Jessica always manages to part from Nora and to reenter the theater for the curtain call fully out of character. Although she looks tried, there is no trace of Nora when she joins the cast members to receive their much-deserved ovation from the audience.
Chastain’s way to break the Fourth Wall does not end with curtain call, because after every show, the actress meets with her fans by the stage door, right here on 45th Street. It is so touching to see them gathering in the same spot where, only a few instances earlier, Jessica had led Nora to start her adventure of self-discovery.
The atmosphere is serene, well organized and calm; it’s nothing like the hectic chaos you’ll find at movie premieres. When Jessica arrives, I’m always impressed by how dedicated she is in engaging with everyone. More than fans, I believe that the people who come to say “hi” are creatives, perhaps looking for a little reassurance and inspiration.
Some of them share their own stories: many are aspiring actors, others are still finding their own paths. Sometimes, they ask for a piece of advice, more often, they are just eager to learn how she approached and prepared for the part.
She tells them that she always uses tricks to remind herself of the character she is playing, even when she is not on stage. If I overheard correctly, for this role, for example, she saved Arian Moayed in her contacts under “Torvy”, and, like Nora, she now doesn’t have the key to open her own mailbox, experiencing the fear that her Italian husband could find out about her secret subscription to “La Revue du vin de France”, which is the most famous magazine of French wines: it would be the worst disgrace of all!
To me, it is so inspiring to see how warmly she connects with each and every one, providing encouragement and continuing to infuse the precious message of the play: don’t let anyone define you, try to get to know your true self, because there is nothing more beautiful than being seeing and understood for who you are.
