Syndicated interview for The Talented Mr Ripley

This year marks 70 years since the publication of Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr Ripley. There have been numerous film and TV adaptations since then, plus a radio play and a stage version. But as writer and director Mark Leipacher launches the first ever UK tour of the classic psychological thriller, he’s going back to the story’s roots.

“It’s very much the novel on stage,” Marks assures ticket-buyers, “and anyone who comes along is in for an edge-of-the seat ride. Previous adaptations have made various changes, but what we’re doing is honouring the origins of the character, which will please people who know and love the book. Then for those people who are coming to it fresh, they’ll find themselves in the company of an incredibly fascinating and captivating anti-hero.”

Said ant-hero comes in the shape of Tom Ripley – a nobody until he’s tasked with travelling to Italy and bringing home the wealthy and carefree Dickie Greenleaf. But as Tom is drawn into Dickie’s privileged world, his obsession takes a dark turn. What begins as an innocent invitation spirals into a web of lies, identity theft and murder, in a story that asks: “How far would you go to be someone else?”

The Crown‘s Ed McVey takes the title role, with EastEnders star Maisie Smith as Marge, in a show about which Leipacher says: “It makes for an incredibly entertaining and thrilling evening. Highsmith wrote a thriller that’s about travel, adventure and style, and those are all things that we’re seeking to capture in the production.”

The writer-director’s interest in the project dates back to the Anthony Minghella-directed film version from 1999, which starred Matt Damon as Tom, Gwyneth Paltrow as Marge and Jude Law as Dickie. “Partly because it’s performative I thought ‘This would make an amazing piece of theatre’. Then years later I read the novel and discovered how different the book and the film were, and again how it would work on stage. 

“Ripley is so captivating as a character and in the play we get into his thought processes, so he can confide in us as live audience members in a way that he couldn’t, for example, in a voiceover in a film.”

Without giving spoilers, Marks says the stage production blends naturalistic scenes with expressionist backgrounds, with costumes and props evoking the 1950s setting and “a painter’s blank canvas stage because there’s so much in the novel about art and about painting”.

Seven decades after it hit the shelves, Highsmith’s book continues to enthrall readers. Why does Leipacher think that is? “Simply put, because it’s really good,” he smiles. “I know that sounds like a glib answer but the writing is excellent, the psychological character study is incredibly acute, the character himself is so rich and mesmerising, and we’re constantly in this process of holding our breath, thinking ‘Will he or won’t he get away with it?'”

His directing credits include Mary Stuart, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Douglass, and he adapted Wim Wenders’ film Wings of Desire for the stage. With The Talented Mr Ripley he is in thrall to his two stars, beaming. “They’re both fantastic. Ed is incredibly talented and his facility for the technical requirements of the role is extraordinary, because Ripley doesn’t leave the stage except during the interval. And what’s great about Maisie is that she really understands the character of Marge and what it means to have agency as a woman in the 1950s.”

McVey didn’t hesitate to say yes when he read Mark’s script. “I thought it was fantastic,” he says. “The character and the story are so well-known, so of course I had preconceived notions from the various adaptations. Then I read the script and it just popped, with so much energy to it and a fresh take.”

Ripley has previously been played by Damon as well as John Malkovich and Andrew Scott. “So it’s an intimidating prospect and it scares me,” Ed admits, “but that’s all part of the challenge. To me it was like ‘This is exciting and interesting and new’ and also it’s strictly theatrical. As for the other interpretations of the character, they are all actors that I admire very much, but the play is very different and it requires something that I feel I need to discover by myself. Mark is really focusing on the book, so that’s very much my hub of information rather than the films or TV shows.”

The actor sums up Ripley as he’s portrayed in the play with: “He is a product of his past. He had a very hard time growing up and hasn’t been dealt all the best cards. He’s someone who just wants a better life for himself, which I think many people can relate to.” Smiling, he adds: “Most people can’t relate to Tom’s methods, of course. I certainly can’t, although I do connect with the idea of being a dreamer and wanting the best for yourself.”

Ed is best known for playing Prince William on The Crown. “It was quite overwhelming,” he says of working with the likes of Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce and Dominic West on the Netflix smash. “But it was such a well-oiled machine and they were very welcoming of new people coming in. It was a crazy experience but I loved it, and working with actors of that calibre every day meant I got to sort of cherry-pick from what they were doing.”

Did he get starstruck? “Very early on in the audition process I was brought in to do a table read, even though I wasn’t cast yet. There I was in a room with all these amazing people, so I think I got that out of my system quite quickly, but I was definitely like ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe this is happening’.”

Playing Tom Ripley is another career milestone and Ed has an idea as to why Highsmith’s tale remains so gripping 70 years after she wrote it. “I think people are always interested in the darker sides of the human psyche. In society there are certain roadblocks that get in the way and stop you from achieving what you want to achieve. Here you have someone who goes for it, even though he does so in an unsavoury way. There’s something in human nature that draws us to people like that.”

How is he building up the stamina needed for a show where he’s on stage throughout? “I’m working on it,” Ed grins. “It’s a big ask, but I’m very excited about it. The writing’s so good and that’s what’s pulling me along.”

Maisie Smith was drawn to Marge because: “She’s very smart, she’s creative and I’d say she’s intuitive too because she’s probably one of the only people who suspects that Tom Ripley is twisted. Everyone else is completely involved in his lie, but Marge sees through it.”

She agrees with Leipacher that Marge in the play is far from a typical 1950s female character. “Absolutely. She’s a very strong woman, she has her own house and she and Dickie aren’t in a relationship as such, so she’s an empowered woman, not just a ‘wife’ character or anything like that. 

“She writes her own books and she’s a photographer, and I have a camera and I love taking photos. Plus I’ve started writing and doing some painting, so we share that creative side.” Hailing from Essex, Maisie adds with a laugh: “She’s a little more well-spoken than I am, but I have a dialect coach and I’m feeling good about the American accent.”

The actress came to fame as Tiffany Butcher on EastEnders and recalls: “I had such a fun time there. It was hard work and I always say that we did, like, 10 scenes a day most days, whereas in most other jobs you wouldn’t ever do that many. I didn’t go to drama school so it was challenging, but I felt like I learned so much from being around such talented people.”

Doing Strictly Come Dancing, on which Maisie came second in 2020, was another dream job. “I can’t believe I even got paid for it! I got to stretch myself more than I even knew I could, and that lead to me being in the Strictly Ballroom musical – which Craig Revel Horwood directed.”

The Talented Mr Ripley is her first straight play. “It’s really exciting,” she says, “and I’m really looking forward to seeing how this character and the scenes evolve over the next few months. And I love touring. You form a real community with your castmates and it’s always interesting to see how audiences in different areas react.”

Gwyneth Paltrow and Dakota Fanning played Marge in the Minghella movie and the Netflix TV series Ripley respectively but, like Ed, Maisie is bringing her own take to the material. “I’ve seen the other performances and they were brilliant,” she says, “but I haven’t rewatched them because I never want to feel like I’m copying someone. I want to interpret a character in my own way without any outside influence.”

The Talented Mr Ripley plays at Grand Opera House York 19-24 January 2026. Tickets are available here.