When Rainn Wilson played Vladimir in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot at the Geffen Playhouse last year, two audience members were paying particularly close attention.
It was Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, the Bill & Ted duo who are set to star in their own production of Waiting for Godot on Broadway in late 2025, in a production directed by Jamie Lloyd.
Wilson, currently in rehearsals for the Encores! presentation of Urinetown, revealed that Reeves and Winter not only saw the show, but asked for tips from Wilson, Wilson's costar Aasif Mandvi (who played Estragon) and the director Judy Hegarty Lovett afterwards. “They were so curious and investigative about it,” Wilson recalled. “We had this long conversation about how to do Godot, [as well as] what not to do.”
Wilson encouraged the duo to borrow any moments from the production that they liked. “We told them, ‘Hey, if you like any of our bits, feel free to use them.’" He also praised Reeves and Winter’s evident dedication to the project (which was Reeves' idea). “I really applaud what they're trying to do. I think a lot of people are going to be like, ‘Oh, Bill and Ted are doing Beckett on Broadway. That's bullsh*t.’ But no, these are two excellent actors—really smart actors that have been taking a good year to explore Samuel Beckett, and they really want to excavate it, and learn, and make a rip-roaring production.”
Wilson added, “It was just a pleasure to be fellow Beckett enthusiasts talking about the challenges, and the ups and downs, and the rewards of doing Beckett.”
Wilson, who described performing Waiting for Godot as “the hardest thing I've ever done in my life,” said that Reeves and Winter’s passion for the play underscores its universal appeal. “Beckett gets his finger on the pulse of the human condition in deep and dark ways, but also strangely hopeful ways. That’s why people keep coming back to it."
Hear more from Wilson in his interview with Paul Wontorek on this weekend's episode of The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal.