Noah Bean

Hometown: Mystic, Connecticut

Currently: Playing Marcus, an ambitious young actor swept up in comic chaos after being mistakenly cast in an Asian role, in the Public Theater's production of David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face.

Shy Guy: "I would never have imagined myself being an actor when I was young," Bean says now. "I was deathly shy and basically scared of people in general. I feel awful for my mom because the school would call her and ask if there was something wrong at home—I just wouldn't speak!" Mom's encouragement led Bean to his high school's drama program, where influential teachers helped him find his voice by putting a script in his hand. "When I knew what I had to say, the pressure was off and I could open my mouth and say it," he explains. This newfound confidence led him to write and perform a monologue about an uncle's death from AIDS for a class assignment, which cemented his fascination with acting: "It was the first thing I'd ever written, and it's what hooked me. I realized acting wasn't just about applause and approval, there was a way to make a real connection and share an experience."

Leap of Faith: After a rigorous course of study at Boston University's College of Fine Arts, Bean spent two summers at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, which he lovingly refers to as his "grad school." Earning his stripes as a non-Equity actor, Bean's talent caught the eye of then-artistic director Michael Ritchie, who called on the young actor to save the day in a production of Brian Friel's Philadelphia, Here I Come! "I was playing a small part in the show already, and they lost one of the leads three days before it was supposed to open," he remembers. "Michael took me into his office, sat me down and said, 'I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. You're gonna play this part.' If he'd given me the option, I'm not sure if I would've done it—but the fact that he told me gave me the confidence to do something impossible." With a script in hand onstage, Bean opened the show to terrific reviews and earned his Equity card, too.

Face Value: Yellow Face blends fact and fiction in telling the story of "DHH" played by Hoon Lee, alter ego of playwright David Henry Hwang, who mistakenly casts a Caucasian actor named Marcus Bean in a role written for an Asian man. In an effort to save face, DHH begins a campaign to convince the media that Marcus is, in fact, Asian, his ancestors being "Russian Serbian Asian Jews." Wickedly funny complications ensue, as Marcus begins to believe the hype DHH creates. "When I first read it, I was like, 'Is anybody gonna like this play?'" Bean candidly admits. "If you don't know or particularly care about David, will you care at all? But I think you do, because he's not making himself out to be a hero. He does an amazing job of being honest, and he really tells all the dirty theater secrets, too. I think it's an extremely ballsy play for a playwright to write."

Deathly Damages: Bean recently wrapped season one of the hit FX legal drama Damages, a thrilling experience that allowed him to work with stage and screen stars Glenn Close and Zeljko Ivanek. "Glenn set a precedent from day one that we were an ensemble and that she had faith in everybody, much like you would in the theater," he says. "And Zeljko is one of my favorite actors; he makes these unbelievable choices with his characters but keeps it so real that it works." The series' time-bending structure saw Bean's character, David Connor, murdered in the first episode, with subsequent ones flashing back to piece together the crime. As a result, fans may be seeing less of him on Damages' recently announced second and third seasons "unless they do zombies for season three," he quips. "I'm sure Glenn could kick some serious zombie ass."

Power of the Public: Bean is relishing his time at the Public, a theater he's been enamored with since he saw his first live Shakespeare there in high school, F. Murray Abraham's King Lear. "You can feel the history when you walk in that place," he says. "The creativity just kind of oozes down the walls." He's also been supporting friends around town, most notably fellow Williamstown alum Jimmi Simpson, now starring in The Farnsworth Invention. "We were non-Equity actors up in the woods of Western Massachusetts, and a few years later, I'm walkin' down the street and seeing his name above the title on a Broadway marquee," Bean muses with a laugh. "It's fantastic to see your friends getting that kind of success. Talk about dreams coming true, you know?"