The Art of the Balancing Act: Will Brill on Fame, Felines, and the Future of Character Acting
In the high-stakes, fast-paced ecosystem of New York’s entertainment industry, few performers have mastered the art of "being everywhere" quite like Will Brill. You recognize the face—the kind of "oh, I love that guy!" recognition that follows a career defined by consistent, transformative excellence. Whether he is commanding the stage in a Tony-winning Broadway production or disappearing into a gritty, complex supporting role in an A24-adjacent indie drama, Brill has carved out a niche that is both deep and remarkably wide.
Yet, despite his recent Tony Award win for the rock-and-roll odyssey Stereophonic and his breakthrough into leading film roles, Brill remains remarkably grounded. During a recent conversation with IndieWire, the actor perfectly encapsulated the dualities of his life: providing thoughtful, articulate insights into his craft while simultaneously managing the urgent, vocal demands of Curtis, his giant, striped tabby cat. It was a chaotic, charming, and entirely authentic snapshot of a performer who has learned that the most profound artistic success is meaningless if you can’t keep your household—and your sanity—in order.
The Trajectory: A Decade of Versatility
Brill’s journey from a child actor in the Bay Area to a household name in the theater world is a testament to the power of persistence. His resume reads like a map of the most compelling storytelling of the last decade: from the existential mystery of The OA to the period precision of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and from the intimate intensity of Test Pattern to the recent, sharp-edged satire of Giselle Bonilla’s The Musical.
His 2024 Tony Award win for Best Featured Actor in a Play—a category that saw him competing against his own castmates—marked a pivot point in his professional life. However, for Brill, the "awards-season" narrative is rarely the full story. While the industry loves to speculate on the seismic shifts that follow a Tony win, Brill remains pragmatic.
"I think less changed than I sort of expected it would," he reflects. "There are all kinds of legends about what people go through. People love to say, ‘Oh, I thought my entire career was going to change, and then I didn’t work for three years.’ That wasn’t the case for me, but I did have to make difficult choices."
Chronology of a Career-Defining Year
Brill’s current schedule reflects a deliberate, multifaceted strategy. His recent work spans the theatrical, the indie, and the studio-scale, showcasing his ability to pivot between vastly different artistic languages.
- 2019: Test Pattern (Dir. Shatara Michelle Ford) establishes Brill as a formidable dramatic force, highlighting his ability to carry the emotional weight of a film made on a "shoestring budget."
- 2024: Brill secures the Tony Award for his performance in Stereophonic, solidifying his status as a titan of the New York stage.
- 2025: He steps into his first feature film lead in The Musical, a dark, comedic, and highly unconventional project that challenged his previous reliance on supporting-role security.
- 2025: A notable supporting turn in Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing introduces him to the high-pressure world of massive, big-budget studio sets.
- 2026: Brill stars in Being Heumann (Dir. Sian Heder), a biopic exploring the disability rights movement, rounding out a year of diverse, high-impact performances.
The Craft: From Fauci to Middle School Drama
Currently, Brill is garnering critical acclaim for his reprisal of Dr. Anthony Fauci in the limited run of Kramer/Fauci at St. Ann’s Warehouse. The play, a dramatic retelling of a 1993 C-SPAN call-in show, pits the medical official against the fiery activist Larry Kramer. It is a testament to Brill’s dedication that he remains a "glutton for punishment" regarding his own press, reading every review—from the New York Times to Letterboxd entries—to understand how the work is landing with audiences.
"I felt auspicious because I knew that Helen Shaw had seen it at Skirball and really enjoyed it," he says of the Times critic. "But to say, ‘The most beautiful play I’ve seen all year and I would happily see it 10 more times’ is crazy. It’s so cool."
This commitment to the work extends to his process. Brill notes that moving from the high-octane, three-hour vocal strain of Stereophonic to the more intimate, hour-long environment of Kramer/Fauci allows him to explore the "workaday" elements of his craft. He treasures the ability to read by the river in Dumbo during his downtime—a sharp contrast to the high-pressure environments of his early career.
Supporting Data: The Pressure of the Lead
For most of his career, Brill has been the "special guest" or the vital supporting player—the actor who comes in for a scene, delivers a masterclass, and walks away without the burden of the film’s total success resting on his shoulders. That changed with The Musical.
"I knew that a lot of the success of the thing relied on me," he admits. "I couldn’t write that off… I had to do this. There’s no question about this. This is my role."
The film, a satire revolving around a middle school drama teacher, relies heavily on a "shocking" conceit that Brill insists is best experienced in a theater with an audience that has no idea what is coming. His ability to navigate the transition from supporting character actor to lead is, in many ways, the culmination of the lessons he learned during the filming of Test Pattern. Both films, he notes, required a profound sense of trust between the actor and the first-time director.
Implications: Building Community in an Unpredictable Industry
Perhaps the most telling aspect of Brill’s career philosophy is his desire to move into long-form television. He expresses a desire to play a character who "lives and changes over a decade," citing friends like Michael Urie as inspiration for balancing the rigors of TV with the soul-nourishing work of the theater.
However, Brill’s ultimate goal is not defined by medium, but by the people involved. His experience on Sian Heder’s Being Heumann served as a masterclass in how inclusive, thoughtful filmmaking creates a better working environment.
"I think when the culture is about ‘let’s take care of people and meet needs,’ the work can thrive more," Brill says. "There were these group green rooms and dressing rooms… we were able to dissect the day, and that was really lovely."
Looking Forward: The Wave and the Story
As he looks to the future, Brill remains refreshingly humble about his trajectory. He acknowledges that in an industry as volatile as Hollywood, making long-term plans is often a fool’s errand. Instead, he chooses to "ride the wave," letting projects come to him as they will.
"Storytelling is about creating and solidifying community," he concludes. "The thing that I will always keep wanting to do is telling stories with close friends, whatever the medium is. That’s the thing I want to do most."
For an actor who has moved seamlessly between the halls of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the stages of Broadway, and the classrooms of a satirical middle school, the destination matters less than the company kept along the way. Whether it’s in front of a camera with Darren Aronofsky or in his living room, negotiating with a screaming tabby, Will Brill is exactly where he needs to be.
Apple will release "Being Heumann" in select theaters on Friday, November 6, and on Apple TV on Friday, November 13. A Blue Harbor Entertainment and Variance Films release, "The Musical" is currently available to rent or buy digitally on major streaming and VOD storefronts.
