Two-person act starring Sarah Snook as dual characters in 'Dorian Gray' play

You know Sarah Snook, the notorious Shiv Roy from Succession? Before she slipped into the cut-throat world of the Roy family, she was a bird of a different feather. Growing up in Australia, she was more fascinated with villains and offbeat characters than Disney princesses. In her own words, "I was the one who came out of that going like, 'Great, I want to be the genie, I wanna be Jafar. I want to be Iago. I want to be Ursula. ... I want all the characters who go and do stuff and who are funny and strange and weird and get great musical numbers.'"

Now, she's taking her love for larger-than-life characters to the stage, starring in the Broadway adaptation of Dorian Gray. In this twisted tale, Snook plays 26 different characters, each one a unique challenge for the multi-talented actor. "Each character sits somewhere differently in my body," she says. "Each of the characters had an accent, as well as what physicality came from that. It's very much a physical sensation."

The show blends huge video screens, cameras, iPhones, lightning-quick costume changes, and recordings to tell a dark and compelling story that culminates in Dorian Gray ultimately facing his sins and his mortality. Snook won an Olivier Award for this role when the play ran in London in 2024 and has now been nominated for a Tony Award.

Playing so many characters presents unique challenges. Snook has found herself slipping up on occasion, doing the slightly wrong voice for a character–but fear not, her director "Kip [Williams] happened to be in the audience on one of those shows and he didn't notice, so that was good."

** juggling multiple roles, timing and precision are crucial.** Snook likens her recording-filled co-stars to "[the] worst kind of actors that I'm working with. They don't wait for me at all. They'll just barrel on and if I don't keep up, it's my fault." The fast-paced nature of the show forces Sarah to be highly attentive and "really engage with [her] imagination."

Sarah almost turned down the role of Shiv in Succession. "Personally, I don't have any experience by association or proximity with wealth at that level," she explained. "I guess I didn't understand the show so much." It wasn't until her friend encouraged her to "read the lines, let's just have fun, let's just try and do it" that she landed the part.

The technical prowess Sarah showcased in Dorian Gray has influenced her work in Succession. Working alongside the constantly moving cameras on the Succession set has helped her navigate the fluidity required for Dorian, as both performances demand specificity and a subtextual awareness of the cameras.

Shiv's character, an observer of her family's chaos, has given Sarah a chance to flex her subtle, quiet acting chops. According to Sarah, "I'll just keep my mouth shut and have an opinion that I'll keep to myself. The camera will pick it up." The character's cunning quality and observer nature are key aspects of Shiv's appeal, demonstrating Sarah's skill in creating a compelling, complex character.

As for those heart-wrenching scenes of the Roy kids learning their father has died, Sarah employed an interesting approach. "I knew that I would ... lose the freshness if I stayed, 'in character all day' if I was, like, down in the dumps and dealing with the passing of my father all day," she said. To maintain her performance, Sarah engaged in mindful techniques, like doing "stupid stuff to actively put [herself] into a different space." However, she didn't forget her emotional connection to the character. "If you work hard enough, you can be elastic. If you lean on your imagination enough, you can come in and you can come out. You just have to be mindful of how you do it because you don't want to shortchange your performance."

Lauren Krenzel and Anna Bauman produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Beth Novey adapted it for the web.

Sarah Snook, who stars as Shiv Roy in Succession, is now making her mark on Broadway with a unique adaptation of Dorian Gray, where she plays 26 different characters.
The technical skills Sarah showcased in Dorian Gray have translated to her performance in Succession, particularly in the fluid dynamic required for both roles.
Despite initially considering turning down the role of Shiv, Sarah's performance has demonstrated her aptitude for creating complex, compelling characters, showcasing her subtle and quiet acting skills.