More than five decades after stepping into the role of Nick Carraway in the 1974 film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, Sam Waterston will return to Rosecliff, the Gilded Age mansion that once served as the backdrop for Jay Gatsby’s lavish soirées.
The celebrated actor will appear Wednesday, July 9, as the featured guest in the Preservation Society of Newport County’s Summer Lecture Series. Titled “The Great Gatsby” Revisited: An Evening with Sam Waterston, the event marks the annual David B. Ford Family Lecture and will be moderated by NBC News correspondent Anne Thompson.
The evening begins with a cocktail reception on the Rosecliff lawn, recalling the grandeur of the film’s iconic party scenes, followed by a moderated conversation in the mansion’s historic ballroom. Waterston will reflect on his portrayal of Carraway—the novel’s introspective narrator—and the experience of filming at Newport landmarks including Rosecliff and Marble House.
“Nick Carraway is the moral compass in The Great Gatsby,” said Trudy Coxe, CEO of the Preservation Society. “He is captivated by the flamboyant lifestyles of those around him but provides a grounded perspective compared to their moral ambiguity.”
Waterston, now 83, has enjoyed a distinguished career across stage and screen. Best known for his role as District Attorney Jack McCoy on Law & Order and more recently as Sol Bergstein in Grace and Frankie, Waterston has also portrayed King Lear, Hamlet, and Abraham Lincoln. He earned an Academy Award nomination for The Killing Fields and holds Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG honors.
Thompson, a veteran journalist and NBC’s Chief Environmental Affairs Correspondent, brings decades of reporting experience to the conversation, including coverage of presidential campaigns, economic crises, and the environment.
Tickets for this special evening are $250 per person for the reception and conversation; tickets for the dinner after the main program are almost sold out. Attendance is in-person only. To learn more and purchase tickets, visit the event webpage, “The Great Gatsby” Revisited: An Evening with Sam Waterston.”
For the full summer lecture series schedule, see www.newportmansions.org/
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