Malaysian actress, Jo Kukathas, will be taking on the titular role of Julius Caesar in the 2018 edition of Shakespeare in the Park – Julius Caesar. We catch up with her to find out more about the production, and what it takes to be a leader like Caesar.

1. Why do you think the story of Julius Caesar is still relevant even more so today over 400 years since it was first written?

It is a play about power. The inevitable circular nature of power. Guy remarked on the first day of rehearsal that people often get into politics for the politics but they stay in politics for the power. As Lord Acton famously remarked “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” More than ever the media reveals and simultaneously distorts the workings of politics. In the world of Wikileaks and Fake News and Cambridge Analytic we global citizens are simultaneously enlightened and kept in the dark, told half-truths and fed convenient lies. We know the correspondence between power and money but we can’t prove anything. We feel in turn cynical, impassioned, impotent and enraged. And like the mob that Shakespeare writes about in Julius Caesar this makes us either easily whipped up or completely despairing.

2. How do you relate to the character of Julius Caesar? How do you think leaders of the world today can take notes from him on how to be or not to be a leader?

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely etc etc. Leaders can often live in a vacuum, in a bubble. Catherine the Great, famously went into the streets to mingle with her subjects to hear first-hand what they thought of her. In Henry V Shakespeare has his Harry do the same – and he hears some things that surprise him. Caesar has come to believe that she knows how best to rule and believes her popularity is enough to make her a good leader. I don’t know about world leaders taking notes but certainly all leaders must be aware of how precarious their positions are. Nevertheless they try to cling on to it not for the sake of the people but for the sake of power. And that’s why most overstay their welcome.

3. New York's Public Theater recent production of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar drew ire for its Trump twist. Do you think this was a case of missing the plot of the story or was it too close to home? As a theatre actress and director, where would you draw the line when it comes to artistic integrity?

A Trumpian reading is very tantalizing. I can understand the desire to do that. The comparisons and readings invite it. Because it is about the rise to power and the possible consequences of assassination of a demagogue and a populist. There are no winners in such an assassination – which is kind of the point of Julius Caesar. Because the play Julius Caesar is not about Julius Caesar – it is about Brutus and his decision to enter politics. Brutus is a good man who tries idealistically to do the right thing and fails at every turn, making bad decision upon bad decision for all the right reasons. But the eulogy for him at the end is telling: this is what it is to be man – to struggle to do the right thing.

On the question of integrity -  I don’t think the NYPT production for me raises any questions of integrity. Theatre is about mischief, holding a mirror up, speaking truth to power, being subversive, being honest, being provocative, being bold. It isn’t about playing nice. That’s the job of politicians who must smile and smile but “be the serpent underneath”. I think theatre makers are idealists and patriots and far less cynical than politicians. Politicans should be fair game. They are after all – in a democracy – supposed to be “the servants of the people” but often need reminding.

4. "Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings." Do you agree? Why or why not?

I’d need to write a five page essay to answer that and even then it would be inadequate. But I like that Shakespeare constantly reminds us of the idea of hubris; that the gods laugh at our petty vanities but admire our desperate desire to be more than what we are.

Women’s voices are being heard louder than ever today. What if women ruled the world, do you think Julius Caesar would have a different ending? Why or why not?

There have been many strong women rulers in history. Wu Zetian, Emperor of China, the Byzantine Empress Theodora and Irene of Athens. There have been epochs such as The Sultanate of Women in Turkey. Many of them changed women’s lives for the better and improved their social lot but many did not. Women rulers have been as capable of war and mass murderers - Ranavalona, Mary Tudor, Catherine de Medici come to mind. There have been many great female rulers and many weak ones. It can be argued that this is because most social structures for the last two centuries have shockingly favoured men and that women have been forced to work within a patriarchal political and religious system. I feel there is a great deal of truth in that but the reality is far more complex. What I think is important is that women’s rich histories are finally being excavated and recovered and their place in history is being re-examined by both scholars and laymen. It’s about time.

5. Tell us about your love for Shakespeare. How do you think we can instill a love for his works in our young today?

My love for Shakespeare came from Dad. To start with he read aloud to us from Charles and Mary Lamb’s Tales From Shakespeare. The Tempest was the first he read and I was enthralled. Revenge, a magic island, a monster who is less monstrous than the so-called civilised lot who lead him astray, mistaken identities, a free spirit who is paradoxically enslaved, a magician who is powerful but weak, a ruler who is weak but powerful, a father who loves his daughter but controls her, a daughter who loves her father but needs more, conniving courtiers, drunks, louts, villains and layabouts – what else do you need to excite a child’s imagination and awaken them to the rich, dark compelling reality of being human?

Catch Jo Kukathas as Julius Caesar in Shakespeare in the Parl – Julius Caesar, runs 2 – 27 May 2018 at Fort Canning Park. Book your tickets today here.