Ruth Bader Ginsburg Has a New Job

It seems like Ruth Bader Ginsburg can do no wrong, whether she's on the judicial bench or reciting a monologue before a sold-out audience. Yes, the Supreme Court justice has added yet another title to her lengthy, distinguished resume: actor. On Friday, Ginsburg appeared in the stage play Our War, sponsored by the National Civil War Project. She was, of course, a bona fide "diva" relishing in the limelight, according to The Washington Post. Has Ginsburg finally found the role of a lifetime?

The popular Supreme Court Justice was the opening night headliner for Our War, a drama presented by the National Civil War Project in collaboration with Washington, D.C. theater group Arena Stage. The show is composed of a series of 18 monologues assembled from Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights, providing an in-depth take on the ramifications of the Civil War from both sides of the Mason-Dixon line to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the conflict. Running now through November 9, the play stars a different "notable Washingtonian" at each performance, selected to read a monologue and test out their acting chops.

So, who would be a better opener than Ginsburg, who commanded top billing and a full house. Ginsburg chose to recite a piece called "That Boy," written by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire. According to Ginsburg, she was given three monologues to chose from, and decided on "That Boy" because of the subject matter.

The justice told Politico in a recent interview:

The monologue portrays a woman from North Carolina whose son has enlisted. And she is waiting for him to come home. It’s very moving, but I said I cannot do a North Carolina accent, so I will have to do it in my Brooklyn accent, and they said that would be OK.

Ginsburg added that she was touched by the monologue — as well as the others featured in the show — because they provided a more humanizing take on typical Civil War narratives. She told Politico:

Unlike portrayals of the Civil War that show great battles, or government officials, this, certainly my monologue and most of the others, are about everyday people. So this is a woman who is very much an everyday woman. It's the effect that the war had on ordinary people.

It seems like the Notorious RBG lived up to her status on the theater stage; the justice said she wasn't nervous about performing at all, because she's appeared onstage at the Shakespeare Theatre. Some of her previous roles include the butcher in Henry VI and a troll in Peer Gynt.

In fact, Ginsburg was so good in her role in Henry VI that the director let her improv, according to the Washingtonian. She gave these famous, Tony-worth lines then:

The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers. Then, the reporters.

Classic RBG.According to The Washington Post, Ginsburg received A-list treatment following her performance. Although there wasn't a red carpet, that didn't stop gushing fans from snapping selfies with the justice, who downplayed her stardom like a true Hollywoodite pretending to be disgruntled by all the attention. Except, judging by her reported arsenal of Notorious RBG T-shirts, we know she probably doesn't mind it at all.

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