Andy Nyman

From Ghosts to Hangmen: Interview with Actor Andy Nyman

Actor, director, author and magician Andy Nyman has been passionate about being creative from his earliest years. Nyman studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and he began making appearances in popular TV shows in the late 80's. Over time, his artistic journey took him from screen to stage to major motion films. His roles in film includes Ghost Stories (a stage production that was later adapted to a feature film), Dead Babies, Death at a Funeral and The Commuter. Treading the stages of theatres across the UK, Nyman has starred in several roles including Abigail's Party, Fiddler on the Roof and Hello, Dolly!

Nyman recently began a limited run of the critically acclaimed Hangmen on Broadway. Nominated for an impressive 5 Tony Awards, the show has garnered much attention and praise from audiences.

It's easy to see why he has become such a much-loved actor over the years. Nyman always brings something fresh, engaging and authentic to his projects, and there is a deeply emotive quality to his performances. Whether it's on stage or on screen, Nyman has been steadily building a reputation for himself as one of Britain's favourite actors.
I invited him to discuss his current role on Broadway, his lifetime of acting, tips to avoid stage fright and what fans can hope to see from him in the future...

First of all, congratulations Andy - I hear Hangmen has been nominated for 5 Tony Awards. You must be feeling proud?

I'm absolutely delighted and incredibly proud. It's such a great show (though it's not an easy show – it treads a knife-edge!) Yes, very excited that it's received such an accolade.

You've been in New York for a few weeks for Hangmen, right? Can you tell me a bit about the play and what it's been like hitting the Broadway stage?

I came here in Mid-March and we've been open for about 5 weeks now. It's Martin McDonagh's play, and I actually played the role of Syd six years ago for him, and now it's finally made it to Broadway. It's a story set in 1965, and it's the day that hanging has been abolished. The man who has been acknowledged as the second-best hangman now owns a pub, and Syd, who I play, was Harry's right-handman in the hangings.

It's a remarkable play, very dark and yet hysterically funny. It has fantastic twists and turns. It ultimately has a profound thing to say. One of the thing that's amazing about it – when it plays in England, people think how incredible it is that we used to execute people, whereas here in the US they're still doing it. A massive difference from the audience here, watching these acts of barbarity.
It's also a broad, Northern comedy. So you know that an American audience spends some time tuning into the language of it.
My character, Syd, he gets some of the broadest laughs with the daftest humour, then goes straight to twisting the knife within a moment. It's thrilling to play.

How has the response been to Hangmen? I know the critics have been applauding it but what about the fans in the seats? From what I've read the audiences have been loving it...

They've loved it! They don't know what to expect. You can't quite believe what you are laughing about at times, and that's part of the mastery... that it's shocking and yet so funny. Such a brilliant way to get your point across, rather than banging the audience over the head with your message. The audiences love it.

Going back a bit, over the last couple of years the pandemic had a huge impact on the arts and theatre workers. How did it effect you, personally?

It was absolutely devastating. For me personally, I just thank God I had finished doing Fiddler before the pandemic because it would have been horrendous to be in the middle of something and to have to cut it dead. I was rehearsing a play that got cancelled because of Covid, and I was also in the middle of filming a series that I was in - that was postponed for a few months. I was quite strict about it [lockdown], me and my wife didn't go out of the flat for 14 months...But I continued writing and continued creating. Thank God because I really needed it.
I was also working on Derren Brown's Secret too. It was very important to me to keep being creative.

You've been acting on stage and screen now for many years. What would you say you prefer, as an actor and creator? How do the worlds differ?

I love it all. I'm very blessed to say I'm 35 years into my career now... I can't quite believe it. There is a unique joy to theatre because you're telling the story live and in the moment, and getting that reaction there and then. In that way, theatre is just unbeatable. Having said that, there's the most amazing joy to filming. You don't rehearse the same way and the decisions are much more from the gut. The film set feels like a dream, and yet Broadway feels that way. It feels incredible and I love them all. I always feel incredibly grateful.

Do you ever feel nervous at all, before going on stage?

I try to train myself not to. I've written a couple of books for actors, they're very popular and full of tips. They ended up bestsellers. About 15 years ago (I hadn't done a play for about 10 years at that point) and I did a play at the Tricycle, Moonlight and Magnolias. We got to the dress rehearsal and my nerves were getting the better of me. I was sitting there thinking, “this is bad, bad, bad...” I worked with Derren Brown and started looking at what happens neurologically when you're nervous and the physiology of it. And it transpires, when you're nervous it's the same emotions and reactions as when you're excited, it's just we give it a different label. You get the same response: fast heartbeat, butterflies etc. So I trained myself to look at it that way, I decided to stop saying I'm nervous and instead said 'I'm excited'. It's transformed my outlook. I don't get nervous, I get excited. It's a positive way of looking at it.

I couldn't interview you without mentioning Ghost Stories. I absolutely love it. The film has been played a lot in my house! You must feel happy at the love it has gotten over the years?

Oh my God, massively. It's an absolute career highlight for us both (me and Jeremy Dyson). We are so proud of what we achieved, the fact that there's been a whole slew of horror shows that have been borne out of it too.
I love how much people love the jumps and the scares, and the twists and turns of it. It was amongst the happiest times of my career, creating that. And the film, it ended up becoming such a wonderful sister to the play. The play is much more melancholy.

What was Jeremy Dyson like to work with? Are you working on any new projects together in the future?

Jeremy is an absolute joy. He's my oldest friend, we met when we were 15. We've been friends since and love working together and love collaborating. The work is hard but we adore working together...we're actually collaborating on a new play which will hopefully be on stage next year.

Different themes to Ghost Stories?

Completely different. Bold entertainment. It's not like Ghost Stories 2, but if you loved Ghost Stories you will love this. It's very exciting. There's a new film script too and a novel coming out next year, hopefully.

Obviously, Ghost Stories is full of paranormal themes. You've worked with Derren Brown in the past who is known as a sceptic....would you describe yourself the same?

I have quite a different relationship to it. I'm deeply sceptical as a person but I'm also very intrigued by the spiritual relationship we have with religion and that stuff is important to me. I'm constantly wrestling with it. I'm not a black and white person. I spend a lot of time talking about it with Jeremy.

For my final question... it's a broad, general one, but, what keeps you inspired and motivated in your craft? Where does that come from?

I just love it so, so much. I can't believe I get to do it. I always get choosy about what I do. No matter how big or small a project, I put myself fully into it. I adore it and would never dream of complaining – there's so many people who dream of doing this, and they've not had the chances that I've been blessed with, so I see every single second of it as a gift.