{"id":380754,"date":"2025-10-17T14:45:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T18:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/?p=380754"},"modified":"2025-10-17T14:45:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T18:45:23","slug":"15-questions-in-15-minutes-with-tony-winner-francis-jue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/10\/17\/15-questions-in-15-minutes-with-tony-winner-francis-jue\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Questions in 15 Minutes with Tony winner Francis Jue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fresh off his 2025 Tony win as Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance as HYH in David Henry Hwang\u2019s Yellow Face<\/em> (which also earned him an Outer Critics Circle Award), there\u2019s no end in sight for Francis Jue\u2018s proverbial fifteen minutes of fame; it\u2019s been exponentially increasing since he participated in the high-school drama program at St. Ignatius College Preparatory in his native San Francisco, received his BA at Yale University, and first appeared in NYC in 1984, in the Broadway production of Pacific Overtures<\/em> (to which he returned in the 2004 Broadway revival). <\/p>\n\n\n

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Francis Jue (left) and Daniel Dae Kim in Yellow Face. Photo by Joan Marcus.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Among Jue’s other innumerable credits are Broadway\u2019s M. Butterfly<\/em> (1989) and Thoroughly Modern Millie<\/em> (2002), in which he created the role of Bun Foo, Off-Broadway\u2019s Cambodian Rock Band<\/em> (2020, Lucille Lortel Award), Twilight: Los Angeles 1992<\/em>, Good Enemy<\/em>, Soft Power<\/em> (2019, Outer Critics Circle Award), and Wild Goose Dreams<\/em> (2018 Obie Award), and nominations for three Drama Desk Awards (one in 2008, and two in 2020). In addition to his acclaimed career on the stage, he has appeared on the screen, in both film and television, including the TV series New Amsterdam<\/em>, Law & Order: SVU<\/em>, and, most notably, in his recurring role on Madam Secretary<\/em> (2014-19).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon to return Off-Broadway as Cleante in playwright Lucas Hnath\u2019s reimagined version of Moli\u00e8re\u2019s Tartuffe<\/em><\/strong><\/a> at the New York Theatre Workshop, Francis graciously made some time in his busy schedule to answer our rapid-fire questions about his career, his favorites, and his feelings, both on stage and off, so our readers can get to know him a little better professionally and personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. What\u2019s three emotions did you feel when you won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francis: <\/strong>I blacked out! I had to watch a clip of my acceptance speech to remember what I said! Honestly, I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d win, so I was flummoxed. Then thrilled, because this felt like a win for all the artists – particularly Asian artists – just plugging away and not always getting acknowledged. And then I felt enormous pressure to say something meaningful at the mic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. What is it about David Henry Hwang?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

David is the proverbial canary in the coal mine. In form and content, David has been leading the way for a long time, and we\u2019re still catching up to what he has been writing. He\u2019s just brilliant, and I feel so lucky to be around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Which of the characters you\u2019ve played have you found most relatable – HYH in Yellow Face<\/em>, DHH in Soft Power<\/em>, Howard in Good Enemy<\/em>, Duch in Cambodian Rock Band<\/em>, Song Liling in M. Butterfly<\/em>, or Bun Foo in Thoroughly Modern Millie<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is like choosing your favorite child! I love them all for very different reasons. Though I never met the real Henry Y. Hwang, I feel closest to him right now because he\u2019s my most recent role. He makes me feel like I\u2019m spending time with my parents.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Francis Jue and Geena Quintos in Good Enemy. Photo by Joan Marcus.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

4. What do you find most gratifying about having performed in the shows you\u2019ve done?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If in any way I can bring audiences to find humanity in any of my characters, I\u2019ve done my job well. It\u2019s not something I take for granted, since most audiences still don\u2019t see Asians as human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. What do you love most about performing live on stage?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anything can happen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. What\u2019s your first creative memory?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was twelve years old, and my older brother Geoff had been cast as the Prince in a high-school production of The King and I<\/em>. He asked me to run lines with him, and I began coaching him on how to stand and walk and talk. I\u2019ve had an artistic point of view for a long time . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Who\u2019s been the biggest inspiration in your career?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My family. Everything I do is for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Is there a role or show you\u2019d most like to play in the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Which do you find more challenging \u2013 stage or screen?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think screen is harder for me, because I have so much less control over what audiences will finally see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. What three words would you use to describe yourself?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, I\u2019d say I\u2019m a student, a journeyman, and an empath. Tomorrow, I might say something else.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Francis Jue. Photo courtesy of the artist.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

11. What do you do for fun when you\u2019re not working?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These days, baking is therapy for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12. Do you have a favorite indulgence food or beverage?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coffee!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13. What three things do you always have in your refrigerator?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Milk, yogurt, cheese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14. If you were interviewing yourself, what one question would you ask?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why can\u2019t you see in yourself what you so easily see in others?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15. What\u2019s the greatest benefit of being famous?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I ever become famous, I\u2019ll let you know!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks, Francis, for sharing a fast and lively fifteen minutes of your fame with us – not everyone is a Tony-winning Broadway star, so that\u2019s pretty famous! I look forward to seeing you again soon in Tartuffe<\/em>!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Tartuffe<\/em><\/strong><\/a> plays November 28, 2025-January 11, 2026, at the New York Theatre Workshop, 79 East 4th<\/sup> Street, NYC. For tickets (priced at $25-179, plus fees), call (212) 460-5475, go online<\/strong><\/a>, or find discount tickets at TodayTix<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fresh off his 2025 Tony win as Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance as HYH in David Henry Hwang\u2019s Yellow Face (which also earned him an Outer Critics Circle Award), there\u2019s no end in sight for Francis Jue\u2018s proverbial fifteen minutes of fame; it\u2019s been exponentially increasing since he participated in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":380870,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[11980,19483],"class_list":{"0":"post-380754","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city-locations","8":"tag-francis-jue","9":"tag-tartuffe"},"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n15 Questions in 15 Minutes with Tony winner Francis Jue - DC Theater Arts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/10\/17\/15-questions-in-15-minutes-with-tony-winner-francis-jue\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"15 Questions in 15 Minutes with Tony winner Francis Jue\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fresh off his 2025 Tony win as Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance as HYH in David Henry Hwang\u2019s Yellow Face (which also earned him an Outer Critics Circle Award), there\u2019s no end in sight for Francis Jue\u2018s proverbial fifteen minutes of fame; 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