INTERVIEW | Divesh Subaskaran, Life of Pi

The breathtaking theatrical adaptation of Yann Martel’s best-selling novel Life of Pi is embarking on a UK tour you do not want to miss. The story is about a cargo ship which sinks in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, five survivors are stranded on a single lifeboat. There’s a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, a sixteen-year-old boy and a 450-pround Royal Bengal tiger. Time is against them, nature is harsh, but who will survive?

Divesh Subaskaran leads the cast as Pi and we caught up with him to find more about the tour..

You are portraying Pi in the tour version of Life of Pi, that must be very exciting! Do you enjoy being on tour with a show vs. being based in London?

Well, I have not done a show based in London to be able to make that comparison however it is certainly exciting and I am so happy that this job is allowing me to travel and see the country. 

It's impossible to talk about the show without talking about the puppetry, does that aspect make the job much harder or is it more exciting? 

Agreed, the short answer is both! The puppeteers do such an amazing job in giving breath and life to the animals in the show. They do their job so well that it becomes a real challenge so in turn it makes it easier to convey the story in a truthful way. Their tigers' objective is to kill me. So they don't make it easy for me at all but because of that, they do. Hope this makes sense...

Pi's story is one that is so emotional, a real journey! How do you manage to go through it so many times in a week? It must be exhausting?

It's exhausting. But through that exhaustion, I find that I do my best work. I just kind of have to switch off sometimes and prioritize myself which sounds a lot easier than it is. 

The technical side of the show is outstanding, I bet it really helps as an actor to be surrounded by things that help you immerse yourself in that world! Had you read the book before being cast, or did you read it as soon as you got the role? 

No doubt about that. It helps to a certain degree and it's so easy to take all of that for granted. The sheer vastness of the Pacific and the world he inhabits in his solitude has to be reimagined every night to do the story justice. It's such a collaborative piece of theatre and I am a small part of it however I need to work hard to rediscover the elements every night and remind myself to do so!

What was the first piece of theatre that you experienced? 

I remember it being the 39 Steps. Have to remind myself of the story I cannot lie however I do remember being in awe of the actor who played Richard Hannay. It was in a black box theatre so we were very close to the action and it was exciting. Don't think 16-year-old me had a clue he wanted to be an actor yet but I really enjoyed the show.

If you could give a young person who wants to be an actor a piece of advice, what would that be?

Always believe in yourself and never give up. If you wanna do something go and do it. Get over the little voices in your head and keep pushing. I have to pinch myself sometimes because I know for a fact there were moments in the last 6 years of my wanting to be an actor where I doubted, judged, and allowed the external world to affect my perception of self and of the things I aspired to be. 

What has Pi taught you about yourself that you will take away with you?

Pi has taught me to embrace my darker side. I think he's a character who has a lot of light and is truly tested when darkness takes over. I feel like I'm understanding slowly that both coexist and to find that balance is part of life. 

Lastly, why should people see Life of Pi on tour?--

Boy on a boat with a tiger don't you wanna know how that tale ends?

Divesh Subaskaran is performing in the UK tour of Life of Pi. All tour information is here