Greg Kinnear in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Credit: Julieta Cervantes

Greg Kinnear is taking on a classic American role.

The Oscar-nominated actor, 58, made his debut as Atticus Finch in Broadway's To Kill a Mockingbird play on Wednesday night at New York City's Shubert Theatre. In first-look photos from the performance shared exclusively with PEOPLE, Kinnear makes the iconic buttoned-up lawyer role his own, taking over the character from Tony-nominated Jeff Daniels