After decades of acclaimed film work, Adrien Brody is finally stepping onto the Broadway stage. The two-time Oscar winner will star in The Fear of 13 alongside Tessa Thompson, bringing the real-life story of a wrongly convicted man to the Great White Way.
Brody calls the moment “another dream come true,” reflecting on a journey that began when he first fell in love with theater as a teenager.
Adrien Brody talks about The Fear of 13
Adrien Brody is set to step into the shoes of Nick Yarris, a man who spent more than two decades on death row for something he didn’t do before DNA proved he was innocent. Thompson will play Jackie, a volunteer who visits Yarris behind bars. The story, adapted for the stage by playwright Lindsey Ferrentino, is drawn from Yarris’s first-person account and has already been told in his bestselling memoir, Seven Days to Live, and in the 2015 documentary of the same name.
Looking back on his Broadway debut, Brody says, “I started doing theater as a teen before I really got any film work … so it’s been a long journey. It’s another dream to make it to Broadway.” He calls theater a uniquely intimate experience, explaining, “The beauty is you get to listen and communicate with each other and commune with an audience. You go through this whole journey, and you share that with that intimate group of people — and then it’s gone. Then you’re up again tomorrow and do the same ( via People).”
Brody first played the role in a 2024 London run at the Donmar Warehouse, and he’s excited to bring the story to New York audiences. The Broadway production also partners with The Innocence Project, the nonprofit that fights to free the wrongfully convicted and push for justice reform. This organization played a key role in Yarris’ release. Christina Swarns, one of Yarris’s former lawyers, now leads the nonprofit as executive director.
On working with Thompson, Brody is full of praise. “It’s exciting to work with a great actor, and there’ll be many additional people involved who I think will elevate it, regardless of whether they’ve been on Broadway or not,” he says.
Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya on ComingSoon.
