SHERMAN'S WAY: Adventures in Festival Land

Q: What was the hardest thing about juggling producing/acting duties on SHERMAN'S WAY?

I think the most difficult aspect of juggling the producing and acting duties arose when the actor in me wanted to stay and get the line JUST right and the producer in me wanted to kill the actor in me for being such a perfectionist and making us go into overtime. There’s definitely some added stress to producing, but Craig was great at shielding me from some problems that would have made me REALLY stress, like when the catering truck exploded on Day One.

Q: This was your first "adult" role since graduating from Yale. Did you go through a different preparation for Sherman than you did on the roles you performed as a child actor?

When I was a kid, some of the most important aspects of acting were memorizing my lines and hitting my marks. As an adult, memorizing your lines and hitting your marks are almost the least important parts of the whole process, and you need to focus a lot more on your character and improvisation.

Q: Most of the film was shot on location in Northern California. Being from Manhattan, was it hard to adjust to the small towns? Tell us about your experience shooting.

My shooting experience was both an incredible shock and amazing journey. First, I flew into Sacramento and drove through these mountains, where I immediately lost cell phone reception. I was immediately shocked. Then, I pulled up to a cabin in the woods and one of the crew members said “it’ll be like camping.” Well, I had never been camping. So, the experience became a time of firsts. I loved the cabin, it was actually bigger than my apartment in New York, and got used to walking around this small town where everyone was so incredibly friendly, focusing on life without cell phone or internet. I learned how to drive a stick shift, learned how to climb a tree, and discovered a lot about what it takes to come together as a team to make a movie.

Q: Were you involved in the development of the screenplay?

Craig and I were both very involved in the development of the screenplay. The very idea of an uptight book-smart Yalie paired with a more laid-back, self-taught West Coaster IS generally the pairing of myself and Craig. We pitched around various ideas, and then came to Tom to work his magic with Craig. I read almost every draft and especially contributed to making the New York/Yale life more accurate and grounded. It was especially important to me that Sherman and his New York life were not stereotypes, and I was fortunate that Craig knew so much about New York as well.

Q: What is your favorite scene in the movie?

I probably have a few favorite scenes. My favorite comedic scene is the skinny-dipping scene, probably because it makes me laugh every time I watch it. That may be the awkward humiliation of watching a giant projection of myself running naked into water, or remembering that it was the single most ridiculous act I’ve ever done on film (it was really really cold). My favorite dramatic scenes are the scenes towards the end with Rico Colantoni on the dock, and James Legros and I on the beach. Both scenes are really simple, just dialogue, characters, and honesty. Those are the scenes I truly love.

Q: What was it like working with your cast mates?

Working with the actors in this cast was one of, if not the greatest, highlight of the entire experience. I got to work with my friends Donna Murphy and Lacey Chabert again, the first time as an adult, which was absolutely amazing and forever memorable. Getting to know Brooke Nevin was such a pleasure—she’s incredibly sweet, so well grounded, and endlessly fun to both act and hang out with. She’s also traveled to two of the festivals in which we’ve appeared and it’s been a real treat to get to know her more and more. Rico was a true actor’s actor, and someone I really look up to, a man who is as generous as any actor you could possibly imagine, well-taught, passionate about acting, and shares the same obsession as I do with Chekhov. And finally, working with James Legros was an experience I’ll never forget. James became like a father, teaching me how to drive, and how to behave like a humble gentleman and actor’s actor on a film set.

Q: Do you recall the first moment when you decided to be an actor?

I think the first time I wanted to be an actor was at my first audition, when I was stood up on stage and stared out at the casting team in the audience. I felt so excited, and kind of powerful—they HAD to watch me! Or so I thought!

Q: How similar are you to Sherman?

I’m similar to Sherman in many ways, perhaps too many ways, and beyond the fact that much of his wardrobe is my own! Sherman’s experience in the film really was my experience in making the film, and I think I’m much more well-rounded for having made this picture. Ok, a bit more well-rounded…

Q: What aspect of making SW took you by surprise?

It takes FOREVER to make a movie and yet only 2 hours to watch! Craig and I began talking about the project in November, and we thought “we’ll be in production in May.” Well, the following November we had a script and the following June we were in production!

Q: Creatively, what was the most challenging aspect of making the film?

I think the most challenging aspect of making the film was the trying to understand the balance between when to speak up and when to stay silent. As both an actor and producer, sometimes you have to voice your opinion strongly, and sometimes you have to bow to the collaborative process. Also, in making an independent film, you are limited by how much time you can physically spend on a location, which sometimes only affords you one or two takes when you need ten.

Q: If you had it all to do over, what would you do differently?

Everything and nothing.

Q: What role are you dying to play next?

Any role played by Al Pacino or Dustin Hoffman or written by Anton Chekhov or William Shakespeare or any role anyone would like to offer me.