Aaron Taylor-Johnson is feeling "scared and nervous" about returning to the London stage.
The 29-year-old actor has been desperate to be "pushed outside of [his] comfort zone" so jumped at the chance to star in drama ‘The Pillowman’, even though he’s feeling apprehensive.
He told the Daily Mail newspaper’s Baz Bamigboye: "I’m feeling scared and nervous at the same time. It’s that rush that I haven’t had in a long time."
The ‘Million Little Pieces’ actor – who will play Katurian, the author of cruel fairy tale who is being interrogated by police about some gruesome child murders in the totalitarian country where he lives with his disabled brother – hasn’t been on stage since a production of ‘All My Sons’ at the National Theatre when he was a child.
He recalled: "I was nine, and I was on stage at the National — with Julie Walters!"
Another of his childhood theatre performances was in a touring production of ‘Macbeth’ with Rufus Sewell, which he can still remember clearly.
He said: "I was eight years old and I had to have a bath on stage. It was my first nude role. A lot of things were different back then. I was naked eight times a week. I was a kid, so I went home at night and was at school the next day. It gave me my foundation and acting became my first love."
Playwright Martin McDonagh was keen to get Aaron on board for the Matthew Dunster-directed production after seeing his "dangerous" performance in ‘Nocturnal Animals’.
He said: ‘I saw him in Nocturnal Animals. He was dangerous in that. He’s an edgy actor."
Steve Pemberton is also part of the cast because Martin admitted he was "always terrified" by the star in comedy series ‘League Of Gentlemen’.
‘The Pillowman’ which is returning to the London stage for the first time in 17 years – will run for 12 weeks at the Duke of York’s theatre from 24 July.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson returning to London stage
