Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
An all Wallace Shawn film festival comes to the Lower East Side
By
Walter Wuthmann
Published Apr 23, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Don J. Usner, courtesy of Metrograph
By
Walter Wuthmann
Published Apr 23, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
His younger self would’ve found it inconceivable: There’s a film festival coming to New York City devoted entirely to the movies of Wallace Shawn.
Shawn, now 82, is best known to audiences for his pugnacious but warmly funny roles in movies like “Clueless” and “The Princess Bride.” Now, a new film festival looks to display the actor's full range, from leading man in “Vanya on 42nd Street” to writer for screen and stage.
“Wallace Shawn: The Master Builder,” opens at the Metrograph next month.
As for Shawn, he’s basking in the recognition.
“I feel discovered,” he said in an interview. “I feel delighted.”
Festival curator Lucas Kane said, “ He excels in all these different worlds that are very sort of siloed, in a cultural sense, and it was just exciting to bring them all together in one place."
Kane is the assistant director of Shawn’s most recent play, “What We Did Before Our Moth Days,” which stars actor and comedian John Early. Kane and Early started batting around the idea of a Shawn-focused film festival during rehearsals.
Early, who’s widely known for his roles in TV shows like “Search Party” and “I Think You Should Leave,” said he went back and watched nearly all of Shawn’s movies while doing research for the play. “ I just was kind of stunned by seeing the power of Wally's work on film,” he said.
Shawn began his career as a playwright. His first acting role came in 1977 when he was in his mid-30s. Shawn had just translated Machiavelli’s “The Mandrake” from the original Italian. Director Wilford Leach decided to cast him in a supporting role for his production at the Public Theater.
“He offered to pay me $125 a week,” Shawn recalled. “Nobody else was paying me anything.”
Shawn made an immediate impact on stage. The New York Times’ review of the play said he was “not a polished actor, but he is terribly funny.”
Shortly after, Woody Allen cast him in “Manhattan” as Jeremiah, the ex-husband of Diane Keaton's character. Following its release, “ I got other offers to be in the movies and I realized I could make a living from that, at least for a year or two,” Shawn said. “I didn't dream that it would continue for a lifetime.”
The new film series includes work from across Shawn’s career. The festival opens with 1995’s “Clueless,” where Shawn plays Mr. Hall, the irritable but affectionate debate teacher.
“ I think it was important to choose one movie, one iconic, Wally character-actor role that brings people into his less-seen work,” Early said. Shawn will introduce the movie at the theate
The series will also include 2004’s “Marie and Bruce,” which was never released in theaters. The movie stars Julianne Moore and Matthew Broderick, with a screenplay that was adapted by Shawn from his play of the same name. He said the production ran out of money halfway through filming and was never picked up for distribution. The Metrograph has since acquired the permission to show it as part of the series.
Shawn takes the starring role in 1994’s “Vanya on 42nd Street” and “A Master Builder,” from 2013. The latter, which Shawn adapted from a Henrik Ibsen play, depicts Shawn as a successful but aging architect struggling to keep control over his work and relationships.
A full list and schedule is available on the Metrograph’s website. The festival runs from May 8 through 22.
“It doesn't seem very long ago to me that I was considered kind of an unpleasant annoyance who really should be gotten rid of,” Shawn said. “And without changing, particularly, I've gone from being ‘filth’ of some kind to being a distinguished elder statesman.”
Shawn lamented he’d outlasted so many of his critics.
“I only wish that some of the people who had less respect for me could be brought back to life,” he said, “and forced to attend a series at the Metrograph.”
Tagged
film
manhattan
Walter Wuthmann
Walter Wuthmann is a reporter covering public safety and the legal system.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.
A new film focuses on the strange career of a location scout in New York City.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Sep 26, 2026
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A massive MTA archive ended up in a Virginia warehouse. A Brooklyn man brought it home.
By
Hannah Frishberg
How a Harry Styles pop-up in the East Village led to a nearby bookstore owner's arrest
By
Sonia Rao
NYC’s creative workers are increasingly self-employed, report says
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .