Hello Tom, Let's begin with you telling something about yourself?
- I was born and raised in NYC. My father was a dock worker in the fifties and 60’s. He actually worked on the Piers where the recreational Chelsea Piers are now. He loaded and unloaded very large cargo ships. I went off to college in New Mexico in the 70’s that was when I first got into theater.
How long have you been involved in acting?
- I have been acting counting college almost 30 years. I didn’t start professionally until after I had been out of college for a few years. I didn’t really know if I wanted to pursue it as a professional at first. But I knew I liked acting, and figured I could do it sort of ad vocationally, so I continued to take classes. I was in one class for about two years with quite a few working professionals most of whom had many Broadway and TV credits and they encouraged me to give acting a go .They were very supportive and helpful I learned a lot from them.
Do you have plans for a new project?
-Actually a few. The one I am most excited about is a project I won’t be acting in but which I wrote. It is a non-horror script that I originally wrote for the stage. Moo-Dude Film will be producing it. My good friend and colleague the inestimable Michael Hein will be directing. It is called "The Word" it's focus will be on child abuse and the power of innuendo.
Share with me some of your future goals?
- I just started my own production company as an LLC. I plan to market some interactive entertainments I have written providing some work to actors I know. Kayroe, Prods. Is the name of the entity. We will be in association with Moo Dude for "The Word." I am also examining the possibilities for a radio serialization of a new project that I have been dreaming about for years, The Adventures of Johnny Blixo. It would be a throwback to the old style radio serials but aimed at pre teenagers. It takes place in a post apocalyptic world and has elements of rock and roll, blues, espionage, science fiction horror, you name it. These would be 15 min. episode and everything would end in a cliff ahnger. I would like to spark something called imagination in kids again. I think the concept is so old it just could be novel. The marketing I admit will be tough. I am also going to keep on keepin’ on as an actor.
What was your most challenging role that you played?
- That’s a hard question Denise. They all have different challenges. Some of the challenges are emotional, some are physical and some are technical. Actually one of my biggest was in Michael Hein’s "Biohazardous." I had sort of a reputation on stage of being sort of emotionally available. I had a teacher once who chided me during a scene as working too hard because he said my face was just naturally expressive when I was experiencing anything close to emotional turmoil. Michael wanted none of that for John Stine. He wanted a character that was cool as a cucumber, with no indication of any emotional life. Sort of a sociopath except that a sociopath, while not experiencing real emotion, learns to fake emotions in order to get his way. Michael didn’t even want that.
He was a human being but he had to seem in that sense almost inhuman. The only slack he cut me, and which I believe he felt was important was in the "glee" dept. He could show just little tinges of glee, not over the top just hints but only when coming from great satisfaction from his work being achieved. Usually to the great chagrin of some other poor unfortunate. But even this quality had to be played very close to the vest. This was not easy. Even his anger was very coiled.
Tell me something about your role as Bruno Ganz in "Dead Serious"?
- Bruno Ganz was a gas to play. An old school guy with a modern sensibility. For a vampire he was so human.
Bruno Ganz
For a guy so capable of sucking the life out of anybody I imagined he could also be the life of the party. In fact when Joe Sullivan described him to me I imagined him as being one of those very classy old world guys during his lifetime that probably threw the most decadent parties and really enjoyed the hell out of life.
Now he wants everybody to join him, enjoy the afterlife and the after taste if you will. Unlike Jon Stine in Biohazardous, this guys emotions are always right beneath the surface. He can control them when he has to but he takes great delight in letting them go. He had a ver, pardon the pun, raw sensuality that I enjoyed. Feeding was a very orgasmic experience for him. Great character.
One last question, Who is your favorite director?
- Well I’ve always liked Hitchcock, and of course the likes of Lumet, Scorcese, Woody Allen, William Wyler, Stanley Kramer, John Sayles has always been one of my faves, and a host of others. Of course in the genre, Romero, William Friedkin, Carpenter.
But probably my all time favorite will be a shock to most of the readers of this page. It would have to be Frank Capra. He did so many stories of human redemption. I know many of them by todays’ standards might be considered corny, but they hit me emotionally and ultimately that is what counts. It doesn’t matter if that emotion is fear, love, sadness, whatever, when we are moved emotionally then usually the work succeeds.
Thank you Tom for an excellent interview, keep up the good work.
