On stage in 2009, Hoffman played Iago in Peter Sellars' futuristic production of "Othello" (with the title role by John Ortiz), which received mixed reviews. Ben Brantley, theatre critic of "The New York Times", found it to be "exasperatingly misconceived", remarking that even when Hoffman is attempting to "manipulate others into self-destruction, he comes close to spoiling everything by erupting into genuine, volcanic fury". Hoffman also did his first vocal performance for the claymation film "Mary and Max", although the film did not initially have an American release. He played Max, a depressed New Yorker with Asperger syndrome, while Toni Collette voiced Mary – the Australian girl who becomes his pen pal. Continuing with animation, Hoffman then worked on an episode of the children's show "Arthur" and received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Performer In An Animated Program. Later in the year, he played a brash American disc jockey opposite Bill Nighy and Rhys Ifans in Richard Curtis's British comedy "The Boat That Rocked" (also known as "Pirate Radio") – a character based on Emperor Rosko, a host of Radio Caroline in 1966. He also had a cameo role as a bartender in Ricky Gervais's "The Invention of Lying".