Rosie Benton: A Special Talent Thriving in a Strange World

Photo from BroadwayWorld

I recently had the opportunity to spend time with Rosie Benton, who has immersed herself in the Netflix and duffer brothers new runaway hit “Stranger Things The First Shadow” , which is shocking Broadway audiences with its spectacular technical, visual effects, and illusions.

Benton is an actress known for taking on multilayered, complex roles, including the pivotal character Siobhan in the Tony Award-winning play, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.” Benton graduated from Syracuse University with a B.F.A in acting and from NYU/Tisch School of the Arts with a M.F.A. in acting. 

Benton originated the role of Anna Berezovsky in Broadway’s “Patriots” and was featured in numerous other Broadway productions including “Les Liaisons Dangereuses,” “Accent on Youth,” and “Stick Fly.” On screen, Benton has appeared in an impressive range of TV shows and movies, including Blacklist, Law & Order: SVU, Chicago Med and more. 

​Benton is best known for bringing characters to life through her dramatic portrayal in prominent stage and screen roles, as she conquers Broadway and beyond.

JP: “Stranger Things the First Shadow” is Amazing! What is it like bringing Virginia Creel and the Stranger Things universe to life daily with no cuts or edits?”

Benton: It's a lot more technical than I thought it would be, and that's why I always think about my training, especially at Syracuse. I’m so glad that you go there too! We did a lot of training. It's very rigorous - just doing it every day - the same kind of screaming and running around and just the same physicality over and over and over again. I like that challenge. It's nice and technical. But in terms of the “Stranger Things” world, the audience is so fantastic. People love it so much that it feels really rewarding to be a part of that.

JP: How have fans influenced the way you play your character?

Benton: That’s a really good question! The other night, I went outside and I wanted to sign autographs, and somebody said,Oh, you're just the most evil mom ever. And I thought, oh, I don't think that way about Virginia so I think that sometimes you hear how the audience reacts, and you hear how the fans want to put you in a box. And it can be something you sort of have to take out of your head and just focus on what your character wants and how you have been directed. But I'm glad that they like to show. That’s the most influential part.

JP: The audience is always shocked. How does it feel to perform alongside such intense technical effects and illusions?

Benton: It was really hard in the beginning. I'll be honest with you, I've never done a play like this where there's such intense tech. When we first started rehearsal, the turntable was the main part of our rehearsal - to learn how to work on the turntable. And then from there, everything we did was more technical and more technical. Fighters that come out and different pyrotechnics - everything feels like a well-oiled machine at this point. From the beginning,  the tech was the most important thing, and we had to think about our acting on top of making sure that we were safe.

JP: How has this role pushed you as an actor?

Benton: “Stranger Things” is its own world, and the emotions are right on the surface. So, where the past in some shows like, let's say, a kitchen sink drama, or something where you can really think a little bit while you're acting, this show you have to talk on the line, and you have to think on the line. You have no time to prep. You’re  just in it.  it's very sort of melodramatic in that way. And so it's its own genre, and I appreciate it, because I've never done something like that. I like the melodrama of it, because you have to work from a very present place – almost like Shakespeare on the line, and I like that.

JP: How do you prepare differently for a stage role versus a screen role?

Benton: I think mostly it's about just how far you're acting. When we do self takes at home, it's almost like how the camera is right now with you. So everything can be much smaller, and the eyes do so much more talking. Whereas in this show, it's so big and it's so technical that you have to use your whole body. I love doing both. I think at the center of it, it's still the same exact acting.

JP: What’s a misconception people often have about the rehearsal process in professional theater?

Benton: People think it's probably a lot cooler than it is. I think doing plays my whole life, the rehearsal process is the same from middle school. I mean, of course, it's professional, but it's really just a bunch of people in a room trying to tell a story. Even with Netflix involved, it didn't feel too corporate, and it didn't feel cold. It was just a really warm room where we all had to sort of test our roles out. I do think the one thing I'll say is, in a show this big, with this many people and the scale of it, we really had to move quickly. I don't think that's a Broadway thing. I think “Stranger Things” or “Harry Potter”, those plays, they're so big that they don't have time to sit and say, let’s take that scene again and try it ten different ways.

JP: You’ve worked on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in film/TV. What role are you most proud of and why?

Benton: I did a play called “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time” for a year. I loved that role because I played a teacher and  I felt very connected to that role as it was most like me. I thought that was a good story. I did that at a hard time when I just had a baby. So, I'm also proud of doing that because it's like life and acting come together. You connect to certain roles because they were harder in your life or easier in your life. I think that one I'm most proud of because I got through it with a newborn, if that makes any sense. But I'm also proud of this role and proud to be part of this cast.

JP: What advice would you give to younger actors?

Benton: Really familiarize yourself with how hard the industry is, as in, even the best actors. I know some of them, most of them have had to have second jobs. So, I think the reality of the business is that it's rare to be making a lot of money to support yourself and your family. So, I would say, make sure you understand that if you're going to be an actor, you might have to also have another degree. I have friends from Syracuse who were b.f.a’s and they would switch to getting just a Bachelor of Science, and then they would also get a teaching degree. I thought that was really smart. They were looking ahead in a way that I wasn't So I waited a lot of tables, and I've worked doing a bunch of different jobs. As long as young actors are understanding of how hard it can be, and are aware of what life can look like in your 30s and 40s, they'll be less disappointed if they have times of unemployment.

JP: What is the one question you wish people would ask you but they never do?

Benton: I like that right there that’s a good question. I would probably say maybe more about how being an actor is off stage, like what the life is like of an actor, and how strange it can be. How you can sometimes have an audition where you're dressed up to play an assassin on “Elementary” and then five hours later, have an audition where you're going in for an Irish drama. Your life is a little bit crazy when you're running around the city auditioning for things, and I think that is more part of the life of an actor than being employed. Even though we have jobs a lot, we still have lots of periods of time where we're auditioning that’s one of the biggest parts of being an actor and how to make a life doing that.