Juliet Rylance returns to the stage after 10 years in RSC's Othello

Juliet Rylance must be experiencing déjà vu. In 2009, the acclaimed actress played the role of Desdemona opposite John Douglas Thompson's Othello in New York. Now, 15 years later, Rylance is rehearsing to do just that again – only this time she and Thompson will be performing Shakespeare's tragedy on this side of the Atlantic, in Tim Carroll's production for the Royal Shakespeare Company, opening in early October.

“I've returned to a few characters in my life so far,” says the 45-year-old star. “When you meet them for the first time, it's like discovering a new friend. When you return to them later in life, it's like meeting an old friend you haven't seen for years. Returning to Desdemona is like reconnecting with someone I know very well.”

“I'm 15 years older than I was when I first played the role, though,” Rylance continues. “Rather than ignore that or fight it, we decided to embrace it and focus on why it's interesting. So my Desdemona is also 15 years older, as is John's Othello. That raises all sorts of fascinating questions. Falling in love has a different meaning when you're older. Everything feels much more valuable and real.”

The violent and tragic course of Othello and Desdemona's story — spoiler alert: Iago's machinations lead to Othello suspecting Desdemona of adultery and his murdering her — requires that the actors playing both roles trust each other completely, Rylance says. Fortunately, they do, because she and Thompson have done so before.

“I have a lot of faith in John,” says Rylance. “I trust him implicitly. I love working with him. He has such a natural affinity for Shakespeare. He's played this role so many times in so many productions. Watching him grow into it is like poetry.”

Will Keen's Iago will whisper in Thompson's Othello's ear. It's a role the 54-year-old actor – known for his schemes in roles such as Father MacPhail in the television adaptation of His Dark Materials and Vladimir Putin in Peter Morgan's Patriots – seems born to play. He, too, is an exciting performer to watch in the rehearsal room, says Rylance.

“We've just come out of rehearsals where Will delivered his first monologue,” she says. “It was beautiful to watch him. He's so attentive to detail. He has incredible language skills. He speaks as if the ideas are coming to him in the moment. His Iago is starting to develop and it's really exciting to see that. I don't think I've ever seen a Iago like him.”

Sequel follows…