Liev Schreiber recently shared an unforgettable experience from his time on Broadway that left him—and his fans—shaken. During a run of the critically acclaimed play Doubt: A Parable, the actor suffered a harrowing bout of temporary amnesia, causing him to lose all memory of his lines mid-performance. Imagine being on stage, in the spotlight, and suddenly not knowing who you are or where you are. That’s exactly what happened to Liev.
“Worst Nightmare for Any Actor”
During a candid appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers on Monday, April 15, the 56-year-old actor recounted the terrifying ordeal. “It was the worst nightmare that any actor could ever experience,” Liev admitted, his voice tinged with both humor and hindsight. He went on to describe the surreal sequence of events that unfolded before his eyes—and his mind.
What Happened Backstage
It all started backstage in his dressing room. “I was in my dressing room, and I had this terrible headache. At first, I thought it was just one of those fast-food headaches, you know, the kind you get after a long day. But this one felt different—stronger, more intense,” Liev recalled. As he made his way down the stairs to the stage, he realized something wasn’t right. “I was walking down the stairs, and I started thinking, ‘This doesn’t feel normal. Something is off.’”
Read also:Sterling K Brown Celebrates Justin Hartleys Tracker Renewal A Heartwarming Exchange
When he arrived backstage, things took a turn for the worse. “I saw my costar, the incredible Amy Ryan, and I couldn’t even remember her name. That’s when I knew something was really wrong. Like, this wasn’t just a bad day—it was something else entirely.”
Onstage Panic
Once he reached the stage, the situation became even more surreal. “I got over to stage left, where I’m supposed to make my entrance, and I see the script in the corner with a light on it. But here’s the thing—I didn’t recognize it at all. It was like looking at a foreign language,” Liev explained. The panic set in as he realized he wasn’t just having an off day; something far more serious was happening.
Somehow, Liev managed to get through the first few lines of the play on autopilot. “The first six or seven lines just came out automatically, like muscle memory. But then I stopped for a second, trying to reconnect, and bam—it all vanished. The play was gone from my head. I was looking out into a dark audience, and I knew I was in a play, but I had no idea which one,” Liev confessed.
He tried to keep his cool, but it was clear that the situation was spiraling out of control. “I looked down at my clothes and realized I was dressed as a priest, which was helpful, but not exactly giving me any lines,” he joked, lightening the mood with a touch of humor.
After the Show
As soon as the curtain fell, Liev was rushed back to his dressing room. “The next thing I remember is hearing my understudy doing the lines from the play, and I’m thinking, ‘Wow, that sounds really good. I wish I knew what it was,’” Liev recalled with a laugh. His doctor, a close friend, arrived shortly after, wearing a look of pure terror. “My wife showed up too, and she looked just as scared. I thought, ‘OK, I’ve had a stroke. This is it,’” he admitted.
Thankfully, an MRI revealed no brain bleed, and everything appeared perfectly fine. It wasn’t until later that Liev learned he had experienced transient global amnesia—a rare condition that, according to his neurologist, would never happen again. “Apparently, it’s brought on by migraines and, uh, vigorous coitus,” Liev joked, referencing his wife Taylor Neisen’s research into the condition.
Read also:Hoda Kotb Reunites With Ex Joel Schiffman For A Heartwarming Family Gathering
A Happy Ending
Luckily for Liev, the condition resolved itself within the predicted timeframe of eight to 24 hours. “I went to sleep, and when I woke up, I remembered the whole play. I never had another problem with it. But at the time, I was so embarrassed. I thought everyone would think I was lying or just taking a night off from the theater,” he shared.
When Liev confided in a friend about his experience, his buddy responded with a story of his own. “Oh yeah, my friend Nathan had that. He was having sex with his wife in the shower and lost two whole days,” Liev recounted, clearly amused by the comparison. “So apparently, it really is a thing. And when the other option is to literally have your brains f–ked out, I guess I’ll take the migraine.”
