Emmy Rossum reveals her preparation for the role of WALDEN

Emmy Rossum stopped by Live with Kelly and Mark to talk about the off-Broadway play Walden, now in previews at the Tony Kiser Theater. Rossum plays a twin sister in the future-set series, which she describes as “down-to-earth science fiction” with a script that is “incredibly human (and) truly moving.”

Rossum says her preparation for the role was quite extensive: “We interviewed a space architect… who literally developed two potential habitats for life on Mars,” she explained. “We interviewed different pairs of twins. We met with a climate scientist… There’s so much to it.”

She further described the intimacy of the Tony Kiser Theater where the troupe performs, saying that she sometimes accidentally makes eye contact with audience members. “You don't want to be singled out, but at the same time it's like a circle of energy – you can share it with them.” Amy Berryman's Walden at Second Stage Theater officially opens November 7th.

Rising theater star and O'Neill finalist Amy Berryman brings us a drama about how big the space between two people can be. In the near future, Stella (Rossum) and her fiancé Bryan wait in their remote cabin for Stella's estranged twin sister Cassie (Zoe Winters). Raised to be NASA scientists by their astronaut father, the twins have taken different paths: Cassie has just returned from a successful lunar mission, while Stella has left NASA behind. As they reunite, old conflicts flare up again, forcing the sisters to choose between remaining on Earth or a future in space, while the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. Directed by Tony Award nominee Whitney White (Jaja's African Hair Braiding), WALDEN is a thrilling and compelling new play that wrestles between the pull of duty and desire.