‘Succession’s J. Smith-Cameron Says ‘We Have to Protect’ a Historic Church (Exclusive)

J. Smith-Cameron is doing her part to save a historic church in New York City. 

The Succession actress, 67, is participating in an all-star staged reading of the 1976 political thriller All the President’s Men with Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Alec Baldwin, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julianne Moore and many others on Monday, Aug. 25, at the Guild Hall in East Hampton, N.Y., in benefit of the Center at West Park (CWP) and the landmark West Park Presbyterian Church.

The church, which is home to CWP, has faced countless threats of demolition and eviction to build high-rise apartments.

“The space is a piece of New York City culture and history. That’s just too good to pass up. We have to protect it,” Smith-Cameron, who is part of CWP’s Host Committee, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview.

The beautiful Romanesque Revival church, known for its red sandstone bricks and towering stature, is located in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The building, as we know it, was designed by architect Henry Kilburn in 1889, after it was purchased by the Park Presbyterian Church in 1882, according to a report from the Landmarks Preservation Commission. 

When the West Park Presbyterian Church was formed in 1911, it kept the church’s distinct design. 

With looming fears of losing a part of cultural history and a community arts center, Smith says there are “a million reasons” to save the church. She notes that her grandfather was an architect in New York before moving south to work on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C., saying, “architecture is such a huge part of culture.”

“It’s a huge thing that is vanishing in New York. The Landmark Commission is doing its best to resist developers, but Manhattan is always tearing things down and rebuilding, and you don’t see that in other great capitals of the world. It’s a shame,” the actress says.

In addition, Smith-Cameron feels that the CWP is “a place where community can thrive,” because of its accessibility to artists of all different backgrounds. “In our political climate right now, we need to be talking to each other and be aware of what’s going on and be kind to each other and connect with each other,” she says.

The actress starred in several off-Broadway productions In the early days of her career, and has continued to be a major player in the N.Y.C. theater scene amid landing big-time roles in television shows such as True Blood, Search Party and Succession. 

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Smith-Cameron says having a community arts center such as CWP is “an incredible place” for budding artists to work on or exhibit their art. “It’s too good to be true. It would be wonderful if we could accomplish saving the building and developing this wonderful community space at the same time,” she shares.

All the President’s Men, Smith-Cameron says, is a “descriptive and powerful” choice for the special reading. “It’s one of my favorite movies,” the actress shares of the film about former president Richard Nixon’s 1972 Watergate scandal. “The story is about corruption being exposed by the press in this really vivid, visceral way.”

“Particularly, at this time, I think it’s extremely exciting to revisit the script and hear it read aloud. People can make the connections they need to make without any help,” she continues.

Joining Smith-Cameron for the reading, directed by John Benjamin Hickey and dedicated to the late director Mark Brokaw, is her husband, director Kenneth Lonergan, whom she says is “central to the whole operation.”

“He sort of tells me when I’m doing stuff and that’s fine with me. I am completely down for everything for the Center,” the actress adds of the playwright and movie director, who is also on the CWP Host Committee.

Ruffalo, another committee member, is also participating, alongside Baldwin, Andy Cohen, Moore, Paltrow, Wendell Pierce, Victor Garber, Nathan Lane, Ramy Youssef and more.

The reading will also feature a talkback, moderated by Baldwin, with former Washington Post journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. The reporters, credited for breaking news of the political scandal, were respectively portrayed by Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford in the Academy Award-winning thriller.

“This reading we’re having is special because the cast is special. It is an actor’s lifeline to read with each other. It’s one of the components of why all these people signed up,” Smith-Cameron says. 

Despite having worked with numerous great actors throughout her career, the actress names one specific participant she’s particularly excited to read with at the upcoming benefit.

“I’ve never met Robert Downey Jr., so I’m excited about that,” she shares. “I know almost everyone else. Even the people I know the best are the ones I’m most excited to work with. I’ve known Mark [Ruffalo] for decades and I’ve known Victor Garbor for even longer, and the director.”

“These are people that I would read the shopping list with. These are my homies,” Smith-Cameron says with a chuckle.

Tickets for All the President’s Men are now on sale.