Liev Schreiber 'Shocked By The Depths' In The Arthur Miller Play 'A View From The Bridge'

Liev Schreiber had a busy first half of 2009, appearing in two major theatrical release: "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and "Taking Woodstock." The back half of the year seemed quieter, but that's only if you focus solely on the actor's film career. Schreiber is also an accomplished stage actor; he picked up a Tony in 2005 for his performance in "Glengarry Glen Ross" and was in the running for another for his star performance in "Talk Radio."

He was busy late last year preparing for his latest role, a Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge," directed by Gregory Mosher, in which he shares the stage with the lovely and talented Scarlett Johansson. MTV's Josh Horowitz got a chance to chat with Schreiber recently about his latest stage role, and the thrill of stepping into such an accomplished playwright's world.

"[Arthur Miller] was never a writer I thought whose plays I would ever do," Schreiber explained. "His plays had a naturalism. His stuff just always reminded me of high school. I really underestimated him."

Schreiber's reverence for Miller pushes him to challenge his limits. Issues that would otherwise challenge an actor on a movie set he opts instead to use to inform the performance. It's all part of the job.

As the actor recalled: "One day I had a stomach ache in the second week of rehearsal. It was completely debilitating. And it occurred to me that it would be good for Eddie—this idea of a man being eaten alive from the inside out. So it’s something I just hung on to. It’s like there are a series of earthquakes inside this guy."

What comes across clearly from talking to Schreiber is how valuable this experience is for him, both in furthering his career and honing his craft. "I was very shocked by the depths of this play," he said. "There’s a hook in every scene. [Miller is] similar to Mamet in that he writes dialogue in dialect. It’s only an hour and forty minutes but it feels like a Greek epic."

"A View From The Bridge" is currently in its final six weeks. Act fast if you want to catch it. You can buy tickets direct from the website or at the box office of the Cort Theater, located at 138 West 48th Street in New York City.

Tags A View From The Bridge, Liev Schreiber, scarlett johansson