Elizabeth McGovern Returns to the Stage as Ava Gardner in New Off-Broadway Drama
Elizabeth McGovern Brings Ava Gardner to Life in Off-Broadway's "The Secret Conversations"
Elizabeth McGovern is stepping back into the spotlight—and this time, she’s doing it twice over. The Oscar-nominated actress and Downton Abbey star not only wrote but also headlines Ava: The Secret Conversations, a new off-Broadway play about screen legend Ava Gardner, opening July 29 at New York City Center.For McGovern, the return to the stage is more than just a performance—it's a communal experience.
“We are all agreeing to all sit down in a dark room and give ourselves over to this journey,” McGovern told New York Theatre Guide. “I find that to be incredibly exciting, obviously, but also in some ways, very soothing.”
Channeling a Hollywood Icon
In the play, McGovern portrays Ava Gardner, the magnetic film star of Hollywood’s Golden Age, known for her unforgettable roles in Show Boat, Mogambo, The Barefoot Contessa, and The Killers. The production is based on conversations Gardner had near the end of her life with British journalist Peter Evans, whom she hired to write her memoir. The result is an intimate portrait of fame, regret, and vulnerability, peeled back by one of today’s most nuanced performers.Writing and Performing in Tandem
Writing and starring in the same project presents unique challenges—but McGovern embraces them. The Juilliard-trained actress has long been a fixture on stage, with previous Broadway credits in Love Letters (1989), Hamlet (1992), and Time and the Conways (2017). Across the pond in London, she has headlined productions of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, God of Carnage, and Three Days of Rain.Still, this new play is particularly close to her heart. It’s a layered look at Gardner’s contradictions—her wit and charm, her self-destructive streak, and her complicated relationships with power, beauty, and privacy.
A Career Spanning Film and Stage
While stage lovers have long known McGovern’s theatrical chops, many audiences know her best for her film work in Ordinary People, The Bedroom Window, and Once Upon a Time in America. Her breakout role in Ragtime earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress at just 20 years old.She later earned global acclaim for her role as Cora Crawley in Downton Abbey, but it’s the theatre, she says, that keeps her grounded as an artist.
