“It’s very rewarding”: the 2015 role John Goodman called “the best experience I ever had”
John Goodman described his 2015 London production of *American Buffalo* as “the best experience” of his professional life, despite his usual reluctance to praise his own work. The stage run at Wyndham’s Theatre marked a return to theatre and an effort to revive what he felt was a stagnating acting career.
Directed by Daniel Evans, David Mamet’s play also starred Damian Lewis and Tom Sturridge. Goodman said theatre was rewarding, though he arrived lacking confidence; after London, his only stage appearance in the following decade was in Broadway’s 2016 revival of *The Front Page*.
- Goodman called *American Buffalo* his best professional experience.
- The 2015 production was his first major theatre run in over five years.
- He later returned to the stage for *The Front Page* in 2016.
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American Buffalo is a play by American writer David Mamet, first staged in 1975. It centres on three men in a Chicago junk shop whose plans to steal a valuable coin set off arguments about trust, money and friendship.
The 2015 London production at Wyndham’s Theatre was directed by Daniel Evans and starred John Goodman, Damian Lewis and Tom Sturridge. Goodman was best known to many audiences for screen roles, and the production marked a return to the stage.
Theatre work involves performing a play live for audiences over a run of performances, rather than filming scenes separately. Goodman later appeared on stage in Broadway’s 2016 revival of The Front Page; his comments about the London run offer a rare account of how he viewed that period in his career.