Hoffman had begun to be recognized as a theater actor in 1999, when he received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor for the off-Broadway play "The Author's Voice". This success continued with the 2000 Broadway revival of Sam Shepard's "True West", where Hoffman alternated roles nightly with co-star John C. Reilly, making 154 appearances between March and July 2000. Ben Brantley of "The New York Times" felt that it was the best stage performance of Hoffman's career, calling him "brilliant", and the actor earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play. The following year, Hoffman appeared with Meryl Streep, Natalie Portman, and John Goodman in a Delacorte Theater production of Chekhov's "The Seagull" – although Brantley felt that this performance was less fully realized. As a stage director, Hoffman received two Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Director of a Play: one for "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train" in 2001, and another for "Our Lady of 121st Street" in 2003. In a 2008 interview, Hoffman opined that "switching hats" between acting and directing helped him improve in both roles.