Molly Osborne
Pip Bourdillon
Washington
Breaking Baz: Denzel Washington & Jake Gyllenhaal Task Up-And-Comer Molly Osborne To Make Broadway Debut As Desdemona In ‘Othello’
EXCLUSIVE: Deadline can reveal that Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal will be joined by fast-rising West End actress Molly Osborne, who will play Desdemona opposite them, in the spring 2025 Broadway revival of Shakespeare’s Othello.
Upon seeing Osborne’s audition tape, Washington and others were so impressed that they are said to have expressed a keenness to cast her immediately.
Washington, soon to be seen in Gladiator 2 with Paul Mescal, will play the title character, while Gyllenhaal, currently starring in the Presumed Innocent series on Apple TV+, will take on the part of the manipulative Iago.
Othello producer Brian Anthony Moreland confirmed that both stars had seen Osborne’s reel, and pointedly reasoned that “obviously she wouldn’t be doing it if they hadn’t” seen it and approved her.
Moreland explained that he, director Kenny Leon and casting director Duncan Stewart of ARC Casting searched widely for an artist to perform alongside Washington and Gyllenhaal.
“The role is such a heavy role in the canon of Shakespeare’s work,” Moreland remarked, and he understood that whoever was cast as Othello’s wife would be working with great “beasts,” as he put it, of the stage.
“I call them people who eat the stage, people who you can’t take your eyes off them,” Moreland exclaimed. “They devour every single moment that they’re there. They make multiple notes out of that one note,” he said, adding that on a hunch he decided to look at actors in London.
He started looking at Olivier Award-winning people, and then at who else was in their category and “well, who was their understudy? Who was their standby? Who else, who replaced them?”
Moreland smiled, then said, ”And the name that kept popping up was Molly, Molly, Molly, Molly!”
As Moreland and his colleagues reached out to more of their theatre colleagues in London, he kept hearing the same chants.
Moreland contacted Osborne’s manager, Steven Kavovit at Thruline Entertainment and her longtime London agent Lou Coulson at Lou Coulson Associates.
Osborne, who made her London theatre debut as Tzeitel in an acclaimed revival of Fiddler on the Roof — directed, beautifully, by Trevor Nunn at the Menier Chocolate Factory (it later transferred into the West End’s Playhouse Theatre) — put herself on tape.
Leon watched it, Moreland said. “Kenny immediately called back and said, ‘That’s her!’ And I said, ‘I agree. That’s her.’ Kenny got on a plane, he went over to visit her. And he called as soon as he was done meeting with her and said, ‘That’s our Desdemona.’ That’s how we got her,” said Moreland, who was a producer of the superb 2019 production of Sea Wall/A Life that starred Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge at the Hudson Theatre.
More recently, Moreland produced The Piano Lesson with Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Brooks and John David Washington, and the current revival of The Wiz at the Marquis Theatre.
In a statement, Leon said, “I am so excited to welcome Molly Osborne to our Broadway cast of Othello as ‘Desdemona.’ Her unique blend of heart and intellect, coupled with a natural vulnerability, makes her a truly captivating actress. I am thrilled to welcome her to our theatre community and eagerly anticipate collaborating with her on her Broadway debut.”
Osborne let out a huge sigh of relief when we met for breakfast on a recent sunny morning at the Dean Street Townhouse in Soho. “I’ve sort of been keeping it under wraps for so long,” she said, smiling brightly.
She told how Kavovit, her manager, contacted her about making an audition tape.
“This one just came through as a tape and as always, these things are so exciting,” but she didn’t expect anything to come of it. “You send the tape, and then forget about it, as lots of people do,” she said, noting that several months prior she had flown to New York to audition in person for something else, which she didn’t get.
For her Othello tape she read from Shakespeare’s As You Like It. “I just focused on the text and the language and on harnessing the poetry,” she said, and she recited a poem and told a funny story, all of which clearly resonated with Moreland and Leon — and Washington and Gyllenhaal.
A few weeks later, Leon was in town and had arranged to meet with Osborne at Coulson’s office.
However, Osborne spotted Leon, per chance, the night before at the West End opening of (Broadway-bound) The Picture of Dorian Gray, which starred the incredible Sarah Snook, where she was helping out the show’s Story House PR press team doing vox pop interviews on the red carpet.
It’s just one of many jobs the hard-working thespian takes on in between acting work.
Leon directed Washington previously in the 2010 Fences produced by Scott Rudin (Washington won the best actor Tony], and they teamed again on the 2014 production of Raisin in the Sun for which Leon took the Tony for best director of a play.
The director talked with Osborne at Coulson’s office the following day.
“We had a really nice chat and we said goodbye,” Osborne recalled.
It was several weeks before she heard from her manager who informed her that there might be a chemistry test with Washington and Gyllenhaal. When she didn’t hear back about that, she was resigned to thinking that it wasn’t to be.
Weeks went by until one day, when she was in Coulson’s office, she heard that Leon and Moreland had cast her as Desdemona.
She was in a daze for two days “before I then burst into tears,” Osborne said.
It’s a breathtaking moment for an actor who has never had her name up in lights before. And it’s hard to recall the last time a promising Brit was catapulted across the Atlantic to star in play opposite not one but two enormous Hollywood stars, who, by the way, are as at home on stage as they are on the big screen, often more so.
To be sure though, to paraphrase Presidential hopeful Vice President Kamala Harris, Osborne earned it before she won it.
Osborne, a native of Wivenhoe in north-eastern Essex, near Colchester, had a love for performing at a young age. With her parents’ encouragement, she moved to London at the age of 18 to study musical theater at the celebrated Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.
Her first role after graduating was in Nunn’s superb production of Fiddler on the Roof. The famed director, a former artistic chief of the Royal Shakespeare Company, makes his actors rigorously investigate the text as thoroughly as if they would a play by Shakespeare.
She later returned to the Menier Chocolate Factory to play Chana in Paula Vogel’s Indecent directed by Rebecca Taichman. Recently she has appeared in the world premiere musical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button directed by Jethro Compton at the Southwark Playhouse.
She has also appeared in PBS’ Call the Midwife and she has a role in the Prime Video series Anansi Boys, based on a Neil Gaiman graphic novel.
Her parents are artistic, she described her father as being “musical,” but they never went into the business. And her 94-year-old grandfather “still enjoys singing along to Frank Sinatra.”
At school Osborne would do plays, and she was lucky enough to have a bunch of singing lessons. “My parents would drive me back from rehearsals and they really encouraged my passion,” she said.
I’m lucky to have seen several of her stage performances and she has always stood out. When I first saw her in Fiddler on the Roof, I remember writing down her name and made a point of keeping up with her career, as I do with scores of other future stars.
Osborne’s prepping, whenever she gets the opportunity, for her Broadway debut next year. She has read and re-read Othello to help her get inside Desdemona’s head and she has explored the psychology of love, jealousy, evil and race, the themes Shakespeare explored in the tragedy. She also visited the Imperial War Museum to help her try and understand men of war who are at war with themselves.
A video call is being planned when all the roles have been cast (some exciting names are being talked about) for the company to “meet” ahead of rehearsals early in the new year.
“I’ve been told to be ready to be in New York from January. I can’t wait to meet them and dive into it,” Osborne enthused.
“We’re delighted to have Molly,” Moreland said.
Othello will open at a yet to be announced Shubert theater in the spring.
Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.
Best of the rest ranked recruit Audrey Hill has verbally committed to Washington State University for the fall of 2026 to continue her swimming career. A butterfly specialist, Hill currently attends Clovis West High School and grew up training with the Clovis Swim Club.
In 2022, Hill helped break the 13–14 National Age Group Record in the mixed 200-meter medley relay. She swam the butterfly leg with a split of 29.14, contributing to the relay’s final time of 1:55.34. The previous record, held by the Metro Aquatic Club of Miami, was 1:57.56.
“It is an honor and privilege to announce my verbal commitment to further my academic and athletic journey at Washington State University! I would like to thank my family for always supporting me and cheering me on, and my club and high school coaches who have devoted so much time to growing me as an athlete. A big thank you to the Washington State coaching staff who helped make this possible! GO COUGS!!❤️🤍🐾”
Hill was recently the 2025 CIF Central Section D1 Champion (SCY) in the 100 fly (54.82) last month. She also contributed to victories in the 200 free relay, where she split 23.59, and the 400 free relay, where she split 50.53. She finished 5th in the 50 free (23.82). Clovis West came out on top at the championship.
Hill was a 2024 CIF State Champion (SCY) in the 200 medley relay, where she split 24.10 on the fly leg. She led off the 400 free relay in 50.88, helping her team place 2nd. In the 200 free relay, which finished 5th, she again led off, clocking 23.53. Individually, Hill posted a lifetime best in the 100 fly (54.07) during prelims and went on to place 7th in the final (54.71). Her times in the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 fly from the meet remain her personal bests.
At the 2024 Speedo Winter Junior Championships – West (SCY), Hill posted her fastest 200 fly time of 2:03.86, qualifying for the Futures Championships in Sacramento. She also earned Futures cuts in the 50 free (23.64), 100 free (51.72), and 100 fly (55.92) at the meet.
Top Yard Times
- 50 Free – 23.53
- 100 Free – 50.88
- 100 Fly – 54.07
- 200 Fly – 2:03.86
Washington State placed 5th overall out of 10 teams at the 2025 Women’s Mountain West Conference Championships. Based on last season’s results, Hill would have been the 3rd fastest in both the 100 fly and 200 fly on the team. The top two swimmers in the 100 fly, Emily Lundgren (52.60) and Dori Hathazi (53.75), will be seniors next season. Both made the ‘A’ final in the event at the 2025 conference championships.
Hill will join Ivy Ladrow, Marlee Winser, and Lauren Sexton as part of Washington State’s 2026 recruiting class. Ladrow also holds a strong time in the 100 fly (55.82).
By swimming on a Division I team, Hill will be following in the footsteps of her sister, Abby Hill, a sophomore and Division I swimmer at Utah Tech University. Outside of the pool, Hill enjoys spending time with her family and dog. Together, they love spending time outdoors.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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We recently talked about CBS Sports’ ‘best-case scenario’ for the Washington Commanders.
Well, anytime you talk best, you inevitably have to talk worst, and Cody Benjamin did just that in the same column he labeled a Super Bowl championship as the ceiling for this year’s Commanders squad.
So, what is the floor? Honestly, it is something we are just superstitious enough not to want to put in print, so we’ll just let Benjamin identify the worst-case scenario for Washington in his own words.
READ MORE: Commanders WR gets carted off during minicamp in scary scene
“Daniels’ do-it-all gifts come with a cost, as the dual threat can’t stay on the field to meet lofty Year 2 expectations, and Dan Quinn is subsequently left to lean on aging placeholders as the rival Eagles stay rolling,” is the floor for the Commanders this year, according to Benjamin.
The problem here is, Benjamin is correct. As with most NFL teams, the thought of Washington losing its starting quarterback is indeed the worst-case scenario.
Fortunately, the team does have Marcus Mariota, who many consider to be one of the best backups in the league today. We’d be hard pressed to not have him at the top of that list, but certainly open to the idea some others would have a case to make for claiming that spot themselves.
In three games last year Mariota completed nearly 80 percent of his passes and tossed four touchdowns while not turning the ball over once. He even orchestrated a thrilling fourth quarter comeback over the hated Dallas Cowboys.
While all three of his games came against teams that didn’t even sniff the playoffs last year, that’s still a high level of performance to witness for a quarterback coming off the bench cold without the benefit of a week’s worth of starting reps in practice and a gameplan modeled to his specific traits and abilities.
Would Washington still be considered a Super Bowl contender were this scenario to unfold? Not likely. However, nobody expected the Commanders to do what they did, even with Daniels, last year, and Mariota wouldn’t be the first no-chance quarterback to come in and prove to everyone yet again that if the entire team is pulling in the same direction, there’s no telling what they can accomplish.
Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2025 offseason.
• Commanders’ Deebo Samuel called 49ers’ biggest offseason loss
• Young Commanders launch ‘FRO X CHILL’, a secondary duo built for chaos
• Commanders floated as surprise trade destination for star AFC running back
• Commanders star missing minicamp sparks wild trade scenarios across NFL
Students are hosting a press conference with Connecticut senators and lobbying against a Republican budget proposal that could significantly increase taxes on universities’ endowments.
Baala Shakya & Henry Liu
Staff Reporters
Baala Shakya, Photography Editor
Yale students will gather at the United States Capitol on Thursday to advocate against changes to federal higher education policy that they believe could devastate Yale’s financial aid and research funding.
The coalition of students from multiple colleges — which calls itself “Fight for Higher Education” — will hold an “advocacy day in defense of higher education” in Washington, D.C. on Thursday. Programming includes a rally and press conference with Connecticut Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, which 25 student-advocates registered to attend.
Multiple student organizers told the News that the coalition has received financial support from Yale College for travel costs, and coaching from the University’s federal relations office. The News could not independently confirm University involvement with the student coalition.
“There is a general consensus among young people that there is something about this moment that is urgent and profoundly unsettling, and yet, despite the urgency that we feel, we have failed to follow through and act on that urgency,” Conor Webb ’28, an organizer of the advocacy effort, told the News.
Fight for Higher Education, which does not associate itself with any singular college, organized the advocacy day in Washington in response to a recent budget proposal passed by the House of Representatives in May that would raise the tax on Yale’s endowment from 1.4 to 21 percent, narrow eligibility for Pell Grants, eliminate subsidized student loans and impose a lifetime cap on student borrowing.
The coalition bills itself as nonpartisan, though no Republican officials are slated to be involved in the Thursday rally. At least one registered Republican student will be in attendance, Zach Pan ’27, one of the organizers, told the News.
Four student organizers told the News that Yale College is providing reimbursements for travel expenses to and from Washington for Yale students participating in Thursday’s rally. Pan told the News that Fight for Higher Education was formed specifically to obtain funding for students separate from funds already allocated to participating student organizations.
An outside donor, who organizers refused to name, is covering the travel costs for students from other schools. Many students traveling to D.C. will be housed by volunteers who live in the area, the organizers said.
Several student groups, including the Yale College Democrats, the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project, the Yale Student Environmental Coalition and the Yale First-Generation Low-Income Advocacy Movement, have joined the coalition and plan to send members to Thursday’s event. Students from Southern Connecticut State University, Hudson Valley Community College, Macalester College and West Virginia University will also join the coalition in Washington, Pan said.
In addition to the press conference and rally, the coalition is coordinating meetings with senators from swing states, including Republican Senator David McCormick of Pennsylvania, per Pan.
Pan said that Yale’s Office of Federal and State Relations has provided coaching and logistical support to students preparing to meet with their senators about the budget proposal bill which includes the tax hike on universities’ endowment gains. The News could not verify the Yale office’s involvement.
Yale has publicly signaled its opposition to the budget proposal, posting on social media to encourage community members to “tell Congress to protect discovery and opportunity” and “speak up for the future.” In one Instagram post, Yale warned that the proposal could jeopardize the University’s ability to remain debt-free for 85 percent of undergraduates and tuition-free for many middle-class families — arguments that Fight for Higher Education has echoed in their digital campaign.
University President Maurie McInnis sounded the alarm to members of the Yale community when the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill in May, urging members of the Yale community to contact their senators and share a set of talking points that emphasize the potentially harmful impacts of the bill on universities.
Emi Glass ’26, co-president of the Yale First-Generation Low-Income Advocacy Movement, or YFAM, told the News that after McInnis stated how the endowment tax would severely affect financial aid funding, she “stepped in to support” lobbying efforts against the bill.
“Given the fact that myself and many of the people involved in YFAM would definitely not be able to attend Yale if they didn’t receive very generous financial aid from Yale, it was really concerning to all of us,” Glass said.
Glass plans to travel to Washington on Thursday to join the coalition of students in advocating against the budget bill. She plans to meet with policymakers and an education staffer for Jon Husted, her Ohio senator, she told the News.
Jake Siesel ’27, co-president of the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project, told the News that he too will attend the rally in Washington because the Republican budget proposal is “antithetical” to YUPP’s commitment to equal justice.
“If enacted, the bill would amount to the largest cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in American history,” Siesel said. “Our organization stands in solidarity with this advocacy effort and will dedicate all available resources to support it.”
The current 1.4 percent tax on the endowments of most private colleges was signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2017.
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