Since the 1980s, TV audiences have known Laurie Metcalf as the rootless, rubbery Aunt Jackie, from the sitcom “Roseanne.” The more stage-savvy know her as a charter member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the Chicago troupe that launched such talents as John Malkovich, Gary Sinise, and Joan Allen. After back-to-back Tony Awards in 2017 and 2018, which coincided with an Oscar nomination for her performance in Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird,” she was hailed as the new First Lady of American Theatre. None of this acclamation has imbued Metcalf with grandeur. “At 70, she remains a workhorse,” Michael Schulman writes. “She excels at playing women with hardened exteriors, rough edges, and working-class muscle—salt-of-the-earth people, with extra salt.” One can see this in her portrayal of Linda Loman in a revival of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” now playing on Broadway.
“Salesman” is produced by Scott Rudin, who is making a comeback after retreating from the public eye amid bullying and abuse allegations. With Metcalf starring in three of his new productions, “Rudin was using her talent to rebuild his reputation, but it’s hard to say whether she should have to answer for his sins,” Schulman writes. “She was far from the only person enabling his comeback, yet she had planted her flag in the Rudin camp more definitively than anybody.” Metcalf speaks about her decision to partner with the once cancelled producer, her relationship with Roseanne Barr, and more: www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/05/04/laur...