"Rain Man" by Barry Morrow, adapted for the stage by Dan Gordon, premiered at the London Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue in London on 28 August running until 20 December 2008.
 
Autism London got an interview with Adam Godley, who plays Raymond Babbit, the autistic character in the play and the "Rain Man" of the title.  Adam is a highly experienced stage and screen actor who has made stage appearances on London's West End and on Broadway, and has appeared in films like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2006) and "The X:Files - I Want to Believe" (2007).  Adam has recently been nominated for an Olivier for his performance in "Rain Man".  The awards ceremony takes place on Sunday 8 March.
 
Adam was interviewed by Ethney Anderson and Alain English for Autism London on Thursday 13th November 2008.
 
We asked Adam:
 
Q: How did you get the part?
 
A: I was asked to do it.  I live in America and my agent called me to tell me about the production.  I read the script, spoke to the producer and the director and I said "I need to speak to Josh(Hartnett, the actor playing Charlie Babbit, Raymond's non-autistic brother).  Because we needed to establish that we could work together and that we could establish the chemistry between the characters because without that you don't have a play and the audience are just watching scene changes.
 
Q: Did you have experience with autistic people or awareness of autism prior to taking on the role?
 
A: None at all - I was totally in the dark.  My first thought was I need to approach this sensitively and responsibly, but also to serve the needs of the play because it's a drama not a documentary.
 
Q: How did you prepare for the role?
 
A: I realized I needed to educate myself on autism so I read every book and watched every documentary, including a recent one called "My Name is Sabine".  I talked to a psychotherapist in Los Angeles who is an expert on autism.  This gave me an idea of what autism is - an experience of the world in a different way.  The psychotherapist gave me a lot of tics that Raymond does in the play, including the 'stimming'.  Autistic people sometimes react to people as they react to objects and preparing was all about getting my head into that place.  Things like the lack of eye contact were so useful - the only time I look Josh in the eye is when we're dancing - I'm in my own world, a safe and comfortable place.  I needed to understand being taken out of your surroundings is a problem for someone severely affected by autism, as that is what happens to Raymond in the play. 
 
I went to Godalming to a residential care facility and I spent the day with four autistic guys and a carer.  I did this late in rehearsals so I didn't base my character on any one person.
 
I did have some leeway in developing the script.  There comes a time where as an actor you know a bit more about the character than the writer - because you're inside him.
 
The most important question for an actor is why, and if I didn't understand autism, I couldn't understand the character.
 
Q: How do you keep the performance fresh every night for a long theatrical run?
 
A: That's something I needed to know about Josh, that he was not going to do the same thing every night - it has to be a two-way street.
 
The actor Kevin Spacey has likened long theatrical runs to playing a tennis match with the same person for twenty years.  Your wear the same clothes, you play the same game but the ball rolls differently each time.  So on stage you react slightly differently each time to every line and every look, even though you're playing the same character.  The audience are more involved when it's alive that way - live theatre as opposed to dead theatre.
 
Q: How has playing the role changed your knowledge and awareness of autism?
 
A: It has changed it radically.  I am of the view that as an neurotypical the way I experience the world is not the only way, is not the right way but it is my way.  We don't all have to be the same - it's a gift to be able to respect and understand difference and the play has deepened my understanding and respect for difference.
 
It's made me realize how important it is people know about this stuff and the better it is for everybody when they do.
 
Q: Has your performance in "Rain Man" inspired/provoked a reaction (positive or negative) from members of the audience such that they have contacted you or the producers with their feedback?
 
A: Yes - I have had a number of people coming up to me and have all been very gracious.  A guy whose mother calls him "Rain Man" introduced me to his mother who told me it brought her back to a time when he was less functioning.  I've taken what I needed to know in order to do the job but I would love to be a help in raising awareness of autism.
 
Our thanks to Nimax Theatres for helping to arrange this interview and Adam Godley for taking the time to speak to us - it was well appreciated.