A ‘Shaw’ thing: Alden Ehrenreich celebrates his Tony-winning Broadway debut in 'Becky Shaw'

He may play a cruel character whom audiences love to hate, but he received plenty of love from Tony voters for his performance in the pitch-black comedy play.

Alden Ehrenreich’s Broadway debut has brought critical acclaim and now a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role in Becky Shaw as Max, a money manager with a mean streak and deep insecurities.

Gina Gionfriddo’s dark comedy involves a blind date that blazes with red flags, but for Ehrenreich (Weapons), connecting with the work was green lights all the way.

“This was a case where I could not wait to say the words that were in the play,” he said. “That does not happen very often. The role I have here is extraordinary.”

Choosing a favorite line from the play is tricky — there are just too many great verbal grenades. But he had no trouble acknowledging his mom, his constant champion, with kind words in his acceptance speech at Radio City Music Hall.

“She's an artist, and she used to quote her grandfather, who used to say, ‘It takes the same energy to dream big as it does to dream small,'” said Ehrenreich.

While the actor has a strong support system, his onstage character doesn't always get the same support — from other characters or from theatregoers. Asked about the audience’s response to Max, who can be incredibly cruel, the actor said, “There were nights where the audience did not like me at all. They did not want to have fun or laugh about the stuff I was saying.”

“My feeling,” he added, “is that when I take on a role, I'm responsible for this person's life and for safeguarding their life and advocating for them. It became basically me justifying why I was doing what I was doing to the audience.” Clearly, he convinced the Tony voters — and we can't wait to see what he'll do next.

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Photo credit: Alden Ehrenreich in Becky Shaw on Broadway. (Photos by Marc J. Franklin)