Actress Debra Winger returned to the Hollywood spotlight on Sunday night in David Mamet's Broadway's debut of "The Anarchist."

Known most notably perhaps for her roles in "An Officer And A Gentlemen," "Black Widow," "Terms of Endearment" and "Urban Cowboy," Winger said she actually had no idea Mamet even wanted her in the show, according to WebProNews. The playwright and director reportedly sent her a copy of the script with a note asking her to take on the role.

"Right there, you're 50 yards down the field," Winger said. "You're like, 'Wow, I could hang out with this guy. He knows something about human nature.' " 

When asked by Broadway.com why she took on the role, Winger said "it intrigued me."

"It sparked whatever it is that makes you want to understand something deeply," she said. "I really believe that the theater is one of the last refuges for polemics. We've lost television as a place that delivers true argument or dialogue. Liberal stations and conservative stations-it's all defined and predigested."

The website also noted that Winger has no interest in recreating the glorious career she had in the 1980s as a film actress. Though she has not had a major starring role in years, Winger said she did not take a "break" from Hollywood, she just decided to focus on other things such as writing, stage acting and raising her two sons.  

Set in a women's prison, "The Anarchist" is a two-character play about an inmate, Cathy, with a dramatic past who asks the prison's female warden, Ann, for parole. Winger plays the warden and Pattie LuPone acts as the inmate.

In their description of "The Anarchist," the show's official website wrote: "Passion. Redemption. Deception. Revolution." The show has a limited run and is held in New York City's John Golden Theatre.

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