Arian Moayed is bummed out that his current project, “A Doll’s House,” is still so timely.
The three-part play, written by Henrik Ibsen in 1879, follows a married woman named Nora Helmer, who lacks opportunities for self-fulfillment in a male-dominated world. The play was hugely controversial when first staged and has been revived throughout the years all over the world.
“I really hate that it resonates,” Moayed exclusively told Page Six at the play’s Broadway opening on Thursday. “It’s so bizarre to me that 140 years ago this man wrote this play and we’re still dealing with the same bulls–t.”
Moayed, who was born in Iran and emigrated with his family as a child, said that the drama is especially important to him, coming on the heels of the Iranian revolution, which was sparked following the death of a 22-year-old woman for allegedly violating strict hijab rules.
The actor, 42, was in Berlin and had attended a protest for the revolution when he received the offer to be in the play.
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The Tony nominee told us there are obvious parallels between the play’s protagonist Nora and the women in Iran protesting against the ruling regime.
“The Iranian women are saying, ‘F–k this hijab and f–k telling me what to do with my life,’” he said, before noting that “the vast majority of my family is Muslim, practicing Muslims and they are also very much, ‘Why are you telling that person what to do?’”
It’s a busy spring for the “Spider-Man: No Way Home” star as he also has the final season of “Succession.”
“I am so sad about it [ending],” he shared, “I am so sad, but I’m so honored to be in the show. I think Season 4 is the best of the best.”
The play’s star Jessica Chastain was also at the opening, along with Ellen Burstyn, Christian Slater, Andrea Martin and Moayed’s “Succession” co-star Nicholas Braun.