Jesse Williams says he was ‘terrified’ of stripping for his Take Me Out Broadway debut

‘I asked to do something that was scary and challenging and made me earn it and made me feel alive and not comfortable,’ actor said

(Getty Images)

Jesse Williams has revealed that he was “terrified” of being nude on stage for his Take Me Out Broadway debut.

The play revolves around a mixed-race baseball star named Darren Lemming (played by Williams), who comes out as gay and is confronted off the field by deep-rooted, homophobic and racist prejudices.

It was originally premiered Off-Broadway in 2002 at the Joseph Papp Public Theater in New York.

The 40-year-old actor spoke about his fear to strip down naked on stage and admitted it “terrified” him to do so, in a new interview with Page Six.

“I was terrified,” he told the outlet. “But then I noted that that was what I asked God for. I asked to be terrified. I asked to do something that was scary and challenging and made me earn it and made me feel alive and not comfortable.”

Take Me Out is now being performed at the Hayes Theater in New York City, starring Williams, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Suits star Patrick J Adams.

(Getty Images for Scholly)

In 2021, Williams announced his exit from Grey’s Anatomy after 12 seasons of playing Dr Jackson Avery. Soon after that, he joined the revival of Take Me Out.

Speaking of his Broadway debut, he said: “I’m incredibly humble about the whole thing. I have no business being here. I’ve never done this before.

“I’ve never done a three-act play before in my life. I just have respect and gratitude for the opportunity to try something on this level. It’s wild to me.”