The Salesman (2016 film) make a film until he decided his protagonists should be stage actors. Part of this decision owed to Farhadi's own background in the theatre, and his desire to re-immerse himself in that atmosphere. He also felt actors had to think of themselves as other people and create empathy, and his male protagonist would be forced to feel empathy for another man. Looking for a play within the film, Farhadi researched the work of Jean-Paul Sartre and Henrik Ibsen before finding Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman", which he described as "a gift for me". In Miller's play and his script,
The Play What I Wrote not win, the production did achieve an Olivier Award for best comedy and for best actor in a supporting role for Jones. The play opened on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre on March 30, 2003 and closed on June 15, 2003 after 89 performances. It was nominated for the 2003 Tony Award for Special Theatrical Event but did not win. One of the show's producers was Mike Nichols, with the cast that featured Sean Foley, Hamish McColl, Toby Jones and Kevin Kline (guest). The script was only slightly rewritten for the benefit of American audiences who were unlikely to have