Meet the cast of Twentieth Century - David James

What made you want to do the role of Oscar Jaffe?

I wasn’t sure I did want to do the role of Oscar Jaffe.

Did you not like the role?

No. To be honest I was afraid of the role.  This rings true for all the roles in Twentieth Century, but it is exemplified in the role of Oscar. In order for any actor to do more than just bring his character to life, they must be willing to take risks. Go a little beyond their comfort level. Comedy demands this more than anything.  An actor’s first responsibility in a performance is always believability. In reading the script, I thought it to be, for me anyway, an almost impossible task to bring Oscar to life without making him a cartoon. I did not think I could do this level of comedy. I lacked the experience in this comedic genre. When an actor creates a role he must make definite choices and he must commit himself to them 100 percent. When the choices are so insanely broad, to put it mildly, as they are in the role of Oscar, any level of tentativeness will ruin the performance. An actor has to really trust his instincts. I was not sure I trusted mine.                   

After having said all that, why did you choose to do it?

I mentioned an actor must be willing to take risks to succeed, so I decided to take the risk. But I was not alone and I did not take the risk blindly. Trust is also a tool an actor must possess to succeed, and I trusted my director, Roland Gomez. I have done two previous shows with Roland and he saw something in me that I did not. Whatever it was, it lead him to believe I could do it. This is also very convenient for me because if I stink the place up, I can blame Roland!

Are you happy with your choice of doing the show?

Yes, I am! I have learned a great deal from this cast and crew and they have been very supportive. There are many fine performances being turned in by my fellow actors. It has made my job much easier having so much to work with on the stage. This cast is very committed and the audience will be delighted with all their efforts and hard work.