Since his breakout role in “A Serious Man” in 2009, Michael Stuhlbarg has played a movie mogul in “Hitchcock,” a mobster in “Boardwalk Empire,” a newspaper editor in “The Post” and a loving father in “Call Me by Your Name,” to mention just a few of his acclaimed performances — and memorable Jewish characters. His latest film, “Shirley,” premiering on Hulu, VOD and at select drive-in theaters on June 5, checks both boxes.
It stars Elisabeth Moss in an electrifying performance as the increasingly unhinged writer Shirley Jackson (“The Lottery”), with Stuhlbarg as her unfaithful college professor and literary critic husband, Stanley Hyman. Their toxic, manipulative relationship, a constant battle of caustic wits, becomes more complicated when Hyman hires a newlywed couple (Logan Lerman, Odessa Young) as live-in help.
Enamored of Moss’ talent, Sarah Gubbins’ screenplay, and the bantering dynamic between the characters, Stuhlbarg signed on and delved into researching Jackson and Hyman, speaking to several of their acquaintances and reading articles and the book on which the film is based. “It was a progressive learning curve for me, starting with what was true and moving to the novel and our screenplay,” he said. “There’s a lot of dramatic license, but these are real people, so it behooved me to learn as much about them as I could so I could apply that to what I was given.”
“Each [acting] experience brings with it new challenges. Some change your life, but all of them live within you, and that’s part of the fun of what we get to do.” — Michael Stuhlbarg
While he felt the responsibility that always comes with playing a real person, the fictional story provided more leeway. “It was up to me to decide how closely I wanted to look like Stanley Hyman and at what age, and should I have the beard, wear glasses and which kind. He changed his appearance quite significantly over the years,” Stuhlbarg said.
Stuhlbarg acknowledged the preponderance of Jewish characters on his resume, dating back to an unnamed Chasid in his film debut, “A Price Above Rubies,” and including Grandpa Chaim in “Transparent” and Edward G. Robinson in “Trumbo,” but noted they’re all very different from one another. “If it’s new ground, that’s great for me,” he said.
“My life has been peppered with wonderful opportunities that I did my best to take advantage of,” he added, starting with early stage roles in “Hamlet,” “Richard III” and “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” that he calls “pivotal experiences.” Joel and Ethan Coen’s “A Serious Man” was “life changing,” providing a step up to a higher caliber of roles on screen. But Stuhlbarg also relishes the challenging roles he’s had in the theater, including Tom Stoppard’s “Travesties” in 2003 and more recently, Tim Blake Nelson’s “Socrates” last spring. “Each experience brings with it new challenges,” he said. “Some change your life, but all of them live within you, and that’s part of the fun of what we get to do.”
His first theatrical experience came at age 11, when his mother signed him and his sister up for a community theater production of “Bye Bye, Birdie.” He initially just wanted to build the sets, but acting in the show “sparked something in me. I think it had everything to do with making people laugh,” Stuhlbarg said. “It took me out of myself and let me focus on other things. It was great fun.”
Raised in Long Beach by parents with Russian, Hungarian, German, Austrian and English roots, Stuhlbarg was bar mitzvah and confirmed at a Reform synagogue. “My parents were culturally and charitably active. They wanted us to know our heritage and grounded us in that world so that it would inform the decisions we made as adults,” he said. Today, Judaism “is a social and communal aspect of my life in terms of observance, much more than a devout religious experience.”
Stuhlbarg was midway through filming the Showtime series “Your Honor” opposite Bryan Cranston when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, suspending production, and although he hopes to be on board for the “Call Me by Your Name” sequel “Find Me,” plans are in limbo for now. He has recorded the audiobook version for André Aciman’s novel, which takes place a decade later. The movie bio “Gore,” in which he plays Gore Vidal’s longtime partner Howard Austin, is finished, but there’s no word on its release.
Beyond these projects, “I’m wide open,” he said. “Part of the delight in doing what I do is being surprised about the things that come along. I look forward to any opportunity to collaborate on pieces in the theater and hope to do that more regularly. I’m fascinated by the idea of being part of something from the ground up, and perhaps applying different elements of who I am in the upcoming years to writing and directing and producing, as well as acting. I long to be a part of bringing things to life every aspect of what they are, and to engage myself as thoroughly as possible.”
Meanwhile, he’s “trying to stay safe and smart, be patient, and keep my head clear” while spending his days writing, getting exercise and staying in contact with friends and family via phone, FaceTime and Zoom.
“Shirley” won critical raves at its debut earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, and Stuhlbarg hopes the general public will be equally receptive. “It’s a very particular kind of piece, where people might be served best not to know much about it, just throw themselves into it and enjoy it for what it is and for its particularly unusual perspective and artistry,” he said. He’d love for people to learn about Jackson and her work as a result of the film. “She was a remarkable artist who is having a kind of renaissance in the last few years, and that’s kind of thrilling,” he said. “Maybe it will open people’s minds up to an artist they weren’t aware of.”
“Shirley” premieres June 5 on Hulu, VOD and at select drive-in theaters.
