Interview: Shameless’s Cameron Monaghan Takes the Stage in the New Group’s Rope

From child star to teenage sensation to adult actor, Cameron Monaghan has impressed audiences with his many on-screen performances, most notably as the resilient Ian Gallagher in Showtime’s long-running dramedy Shameless and as the twins Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska, who serve as origins for the Joker on FOX’s Gotham.

Now, Monaghan is starring as Garrett Stern in the New Group’s production of Gordon Greenberg’s Rope, adapted from Patrick Hamilton’s play (which became a famous Alfred Hitchcock film) about two beautiful, brilliant, and bored lovers who throw a dinner party on the same night that they’ve murdered a fellow classmate, whose body they’ve hidden in a trunk in their apartment.

TheaterMania spoke to Monaghan about his renewed love of theater, how he views the morality of his character, the preparations he’s undertaken for the role, and his memories of co-starring in the 2003 TV version of The Music Man.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

You started as a child actor in Florida doing community theater. Now, over 25 years later, you’re making your way back to the stage. Has this been an important goal for you?
I’ve wanted to do theater for the past decade, but it didn’t end up making sense with all my different filming schedules. But after Shameless ended in 2021, it became my priority. I began training in Los Angeles with a small theater group, and I studied Shakespeare at RADA in London. Last year, I did a very short run of the play The Nephew at the Flea; it was my first dip back in the water and, after that, I was fully addicted. So, I talked to my team about finding me a play and finally this show came up, although I originally auditioned for another role.

What is it about Rope that made you want to do this play?
When I first heard about it, I knew it was based on some older material that I had tangential knowledge of—I am sure I saw some clips of the Hitchcock film in college—but everything about that film’s script seemed pretty dry to me. It just didn’t seem all that exciting or visceral. When I read this new script, however, I was amazed how Gordon had revitalized the work, and how all the ideas in the script were bold and in the forefront. And the way Scott Elliott is directing this piece is incredible. I love the audaciousness of this piece so much!

How do you view Garrett? Is he amoral, immoral, or just living by his own code of morality?
I see him as a pragmatist. He views the world through the lens of eat or be eaten, kill or be killed. So, he feels he has to be the predator. He also has both a huge amount of self-confidence and insecurity, which is fun to play. Ultimately, he becomes this hyper-controlling person who is turned on by power, because he probably didn’t feel in control in other parts of his life.

What kind of preparation have you done? Did you actually read Nietzsche (which is referenced heavily in the script)?
Yes, I read Beyond Good and Evil. And then Gordon suggested I read this book London Falling, which is about an English boy who poses as a Russian oligarch but ends up dead at 19. In many ways, that book became central to my interpretation of my character. Garrett doesn’t see himself as a monster. He’s the kind of guy who if you met him on the street or at a party, you’d instantly like him and find him magnetic and very interesting. In fact, he exerts a more insidious kind of control over people because he convinces you that his control is for your benefit.

Physically, the part seems very intense. Did you have to change your lifestyle?
Being onstage is physical, just on its face. And I have made lifestyle changes in the past few years that kept me ready for stage work. Still, I know Garrett cares a lot about aesthetics, so I’ve been running 5 miles a day and doing some body-weight exercises. I also stay away from drinking in my free time, in part because Garrett probably wouldn’t want to give up control or alter his personality because of alcohol.

Your first big break was the 2003 TV version of The Music Man with Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth in which you played Winthrop. Do you have specific memories of that project?
I was 8 years old at the time, and the ensemble was very sweet; they made the whole experience feel like playtime. And both of our leads were so kind. I remember Matthew would do this thing where he made me like a ventriloquist’s dummy, and I loved that. It was a beautiful primer for everything I’ve done since; I learned you can be professional and still find the playfulness in the work.

Do you know what’s ahead career-wise?
What I would love to do is work that I find challenging and out of my comfort zone, like Rope. If it means being on stage more, that would be lovely, but doing more film or TV is great also. The most important thing for me is that I get to work with artists who have something to say.