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There’s nothing strange about T.R. Knight’s return to the boards.
The actor, known for his Emmy-nominated run in Grey’s Anatomy, opens up to PEOPLE in an exclusive interview about being back on Broadway after a decade away in the new play Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
The production, a prequel to the hit Netflix series, began performances on March 28 ahead of its official opening on April 22 at Marquis Theatre in New York City.
“I was raised in the theater,” Knight tells PEOPLE of working on the stage again. “I was raised doing theater. The majority of the work I’ve done in my life is theater. I just really missed it. I missed it a lot.”
The actor notes that his absence from the stage was, in part, due to leaving the Big Apple for California with his husband Patrick B. Leahy. “When we decided to come back to the East coast, I realized that I don’t want to be away from it if I can,” he says. “I’m not in charge of this, but I don’t wanna be away from it like that again.”
Knight last appeared on the Main Stem in the 2014 revival of Terrence McNally’s It’s Only a Play. He joined the cast in 2015 as a replacement for Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint.
Despite theater being one of Knight’s loves, he had lost track of how long he had been away from the stage until recently. “I was talking to someone about it,” the actor recalls. “And I was like, ‘Oh, I think it’s been six, seven years.’ And it was like, ‘No, it’s been 10 years.’ ” In fact, when Knight found out how long it had truly been, he was in disbelief. “I looked it up and the date was right there. I still looked at it and I was like, ‘I don’t think that’s true,’ ” he laughs.
But now, it feels as though Knight has finally returned home. “When you’re a theater nerd, it’s just a part of you,” he says. “Theater’s insanely challenging, but it is something that feels more like home.”
In the Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Knight portrays Victor Creel, the father of Henry Creel — who Netflix viewers know as Vecna, the show’s big bad. Tough he rules the Upside Down on the small screen, the prequel play delves into his introduction to Hawkins, Indiana back in 1959, with Knight’s Victor struggling to keep his family united amid their recent move to the small town and the new supernatural happenings popping up around them.
Knight shares that he “loved” the TV series well before he got the audition for the play, saying it was “already part of the definite rotation.” The role of Victor (originated by Robert Englund on the series) was especially attractive to Knight, as he’d never played a part like him before.
“I did a Stephen King television show years back, but I haven’t done a lot,” the actor says, referring to Hulu’s 11.22.63 adaptation. “It is so interesting how there are so many stories that exist within this whole horror genre. But because Victor’s is in the Creel family, it is a full-on tragedy. That is very appealing to get to dive into.”
When asked if he is looking to take on more gritty roles in the future, Knight admits that he isn’t quite sure. “I can never answer those questions because, like I said, we’re not in charge of casting ourselves,” he says. “Maybe for the best. It’s one of those things where it’s best to just experience what comes and who knows what’s gonna come next.”
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As for now, Knight is raking in the experience of being in the experimental play. Even with his status as a veteran stage actor, he still finds that being in the show has taught him a few new skills.
“It’s definitely been a learning curve for me because of the massive cast and the way the show is told,” the actor says. “The story is so immense, and uses both old technology and new technology to tell the story and all the magic that is in it. It has been such a learning curve. So it is exciting to be a part of things that I have never experienced.”
In addition to exploring the backstory of the Creel family, Stranger Things: The First Shadow features several other familiar characters from the series, including high school-aged Jim Hopper, Joyce Maldonado and Bob Newby — the roles famously played on screen by David Harbour, Winona Ryder and Sean Astin.
The story was conceived by Stranger Things creators, directors and executive producers Duffer Brothers, as well as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child scribe Jack Thorne and Stranger Things writer and co-executive producer Kate Trefry. Three-time Tony winner Stephen Daldry directs with Justin Martin.
Joining Knight onstage are actors Burke Swanson, Alison Jaye and Juan Carlos, who, respectively, step into the roles of Jim Hopper, Joyce Maldonado and Bob Newby. The Creel family is made complete with Rosie Benton as Virginia Creel and Louis McCartney as Henry Creel – the latter of whom is reprising his role from London’s West End.
Elsewhere in the cast? Alex Breaux as Dr. Brenner, Andrew Hovelson as Principal Newby and Gabrielle Nevaeh as Patty Newby.
Completing the cast are Janie Brookshire, Kelsey Anne Brown, Malcolm Callender, Ta’Rea Campbell, Juan Carlos, Robert T. Cunningham, Ayana Cymone, Tom D’Agustino, Victor de Paula Rocha, Ian Dolley, Dora Dolphin, Nya Garner, Logan Gould, Shea Grant, Rebecca Hurd, Ted Koch, Timothy Lawrence , Jamie Martin Mann, Patrick Scott McDermott, Stephen Wattrus, Maya West, Eric Wiegand and Graham Winton.
Tickets to Stranger Things: The First Shadow are now on sale.
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