Latest news with #JayEllis
Forbes
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Jay Ellis And Stephanie Nur Illuminate Love Without Borders In ‘Duke And Roya'
Jay Ellis and Stephanie Nor in Duke & Roya In Duke and Roya, a young American rapper and an Afghan interpreter meet in Kabul under the most unlikely of circumstances—on a U.S. military base where he is performing for the troops. What unfolds is a cross-cultural story that defies expectations and borders, both literal and emotional. 'It's a love story,' says Stephanie Nur, who plays Roya. 'It's cleverly written and unexpected. You've never seen this combo onstage or on screen before. These are the kinds of stories we need—told from different perspectives and rooted in real human experience.' Nur, whose credits include 1883, Special Ops: Lioness, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, makes her New York stage debut. Written by Charles Randolph-Wright and directed by Warren Adams, the play, which is currently running at the Lucille Lortel Theater, has evolved over more than a decade. Randolph-Wright began writing Duke and Roya while a resident artist at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. A prolific writer, director, and producer across film, television, and theater, he was inspired by a book about women in Afghanistan that 'floored' him. 'I thought, we as Americans are so myopic. We have no idea about the rest of the world and are taught to stay in our own little box,' he says. So he wanted to share a story about human connection that transcends those boundaries. Jay Ellis, who plays Duke is known for his roles in Top Gun: Maverick and Insecure. He also makes his New York theater debut. Other than doing a solo show based on his book, Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)?, Ellis hadn't performed onstage since playing Will Parker in Oklahoma! back in middle school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ellis was drawn to the play's honesty and vulnerability. 'It was the human experience,' says Ellis. 'To watch two people from completely different worlds explore each other and themselves—it's magical. They're just having a conversation, saying, 'We're different, but that doesn't mean we have to scream at each other. That doesn't mean we can't find understanding. Their relationship is flirty, sexy, romantic, and beautiful.' Ellis performs original rap songs onstage—his first time rapping professionally. Songwriter and artist Ronvé O'Daniel collaborated with Randolph-Wright to create the raps that mirror the layered identities of the characters. From the creative team to the cast, the process of making Duke and Roya has been deeply collaborative. 'It's a very open room,' says Dariush Kashani, who plays Roya's father. 'We are with people who really care and are open to each other's ideas.' The team—including producers Kerry Washington and John Legend—was drawn to how the play centers the transformative power of love in a divided world. 'These are the kinds of stories we need,' says Noma Dumezweni, who plays Duke's mother. 'They are told from different perspectives and ask the big question: How do we connect?' For Randolph-Wright, Duke and Roya couldn't be more timely. 'People's rights are being taken away,' he says. 'Even if you are not exactly like the characters in this play, you will identify on some level. I love collisions—and this play has a lot of them. But the problem now is, we're not allowed to have collisions. We're not allowed to educate, or to have joy. And joy is imperative in the midst of devastation.' Duke and Roya explores intimacy, identity, and the universal need to feel loved. 'Without knowing anything about the play, anybody can buy a ticket, sit down and be moved,' says director Warren Adams. Producer Naturi Naughton-Lewis encourages audiences to 'come with an open heart and mind—ready to take the ride and go on the journey with us,' she says. 'I hope we make hearts flutter,' adds Nur. 'I hope people leave talking about what the play means. And I hope it brings more empathy into the world.' Dariush Kashani and Noma Dumezweni
New York Times
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Duke & Roya' Review: He's Got Swagger, She's No-Nonsense
With an American behaving brashly at an overseas military base, getting locals into trouble and considering consequences only later, 'Duke & Roya' feels like scarcely more than a retooling of 'Madama Butterfly.' Like that old problematic chestnut, Charles Randolph-Wright's new play is not without its pleasures, but lacking soaring melodrama, it's hard to believe in its music. Here, the visiting Westerner is Duke (Jay Ellis), a hip-hop star at the height of his fame. In a present-day press interview, he recalls his visit to Afghanistan in 2016, during the country's U.S. occupation, to perform for troops at a large air base near Kabul. The play, which opened Tuesday at the Lucille Lortel Theater, then flashes back to his arrival and his immediate attraction to his Afghan interpreter, Roya (Stephanie Nur). She's a no-nonsense type, and he's always on vacation mode. But Roya, who works for a women's education organization, has done her research, and knows that the party boy, born to British and American diplomats, was once a bookish English major. His quoting Rumi and James Baldwin impresses her, and Duke appreciates how she challenges him. It's the standard romance of a down-to-earth civilian who grounds a starry hot shot, and Ellis and Nur lend it enjoyable chemistry. Charm comes naturally to Ellis, a classic romantic lead in the HBO series 'Insecure' who makes an amiable stage debut here. His swaggering Duke teases out the word 'serendipitous' with the cascading, sweet-talking drawl of a Southern rapper, and he adeptly handles a few verses (penned by Ronvé O'Daniel). Nur finds appealing spaces for wit and agency in her more reserved, reactive role. But does the play know there's a war on? Despite an opening scene of martial seriousness, Randolph-Wright treats Afghanistan like a Harlequin romance playground. When the two sneak out of the base for Duke to buy a piece of lapis lazuli, they're thrown into unsurprising peril. Danger! Excitement! Two worlds collide! Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Jay Ellis Considers Colson Whitehead His Literary GOAT
So far this year, Jay Ellis has played a basketball coach in the Netflix comedy 'Running Point' and a record-setting M.V.P. in the action movie 'Freaky Tales.' This summer, he's swapping free throws for freestyles as he steps into the role of a hip-hop star in the Off Broadway play 'Duke & Roya,' at the Lucille Lortel Theater. The drama finds him stumbling into a cross-cultural romance with life-threatening consequences. 'At first glance,' he said, 'there's no reason why you think these two people would ever hit it off.' He added: 'We're in a world where everyone yells, no one listens. Everybody really just wants connection, to be seen, to be understood, and I just loved the idea that these two characters do.' Ellis, 43, temporarily relocated his family of four to New York from their home in Los Angeles. One particular aspect of the local culture suits him well. 'I absolutely love pizza,' he said, name-dropping his latest find, Fini. 'My daughter took a bite and was like, 'Why don't we have pizza like this in L.A., Daddy?'' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Washington Post
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Jay Ellis is ready to be a leading man. Step 1: Kick things.
NEW YORK Jay Ellis was ready for action. It'd been nearly a year since the 2021 finale of Issa Rae's much-loved HBO dramedy 'Insecure,' on which Ellis spent five seasons cementing his romantic lead CV as Lawrence. Primed for a pivot, the six-foot-three actor signed on to play a samurai sword-toting basketball player in the 1980s send-up 'Freaky Tales.' There was just one problem. Ellis hadn't done so much as a 'hi-yah' since earning a yellow belt in elementary school.
