Frontiers - December 2007

A New Twist Meet Brandon Ruckdashel an acclaimed, rising young actor with a sexy take on the famous Dickens pickpocket by Jonathan Riggs

FRONTIERS: Your very first acting role was as Westley in a high school play adaptation of The Princess Bride. BRANDON RUCKDASHEL: Honestly, it was one of my favorite movies growing up. We actually staged the entire performance throughout the auditorium using stairs as the great cliffs and small sets within the audience for the different stages in the journey. I always liked playing with swords growing up so I was allowed to stage the sword fights. What do you miss most about your hometown? The snow and cold [Laughs]. I loved Minnesota. Growing up in the Midwest gives you a certain perspective on the practical. By the time I hit college though, I had already spent two years in Utah and two years in Virginia. People are different all across America, and I had the pleasure of experiencing that firsthand. It must have taken some guts to pack your bags and move to New York, fresh out of school, to pursue acting. New York is wild. I loved every second of it. I think some people are just meant to live in the big city and gravitate towards it.

Let's talk about the new Drama Desk nominated and award winning pop-rock musical that you're starring in: Twist. This is not your mother's Oliver! [Laughs] I think most people think of Twist as a child. My Twist is a budding young man exploring both his dark and light sides. Many of the Disney-like qualities have been stripped out, and many in this cast feel that this is closer to the original book. Except with a sexy, shirtless Oliver and Fagin as a male dominatrix, right? Yes [Laughs] There is a bondage kink, and, of course there's a bit of an exploration of Oliver's masochistic side. But what I'm drawn to most about this character is that he is still exploring and finding out who he is as a person, a position I also find myself in. For your Off-Broadway debut as a dark angel in Ascension, you got rave reviews, including some that compared you to Brad Pitt, Marlon Brando, and James Dean. That blew my mind! They are my idols. I want to be part of their heritage of realism in the theater.

When you're not working, what's your favorite hobby? Photography. There's something about capturing a frame of beauty that keeps me going. What's a good cause that's dear to your heart? Charities such as Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS. They're important to me because they allow us to use the stage not only for the public's pleasure but also for making the public aware of some of the challenges that face us all as human beings.