Eric Millegan, continued (page one)

You starred in a small independent movie, On-Line, that did well at festivals including Sundance, but never got mass distribution. How can you maximize your own exposure out of a small film like On-Line? Is there anything you wish you’d done differently?
Well, we had a pretty decent distribution. We didn’t play on 3,000 screens. But we opened in about 30 cities over a period of months in 2003, came out on DVD in 2004, and are now playing on TV on Encore and Starz. I don’t know what I could have done differently. I just let things unfold naturally. There were a lot of publicity-related events at Sundance and those events ultimately led to me being featured in OUT Magazine and The Advocate.

Tell us about your experience with Harold and Maude. The production was highly-anticipated, with music written by Tom Jones, whose biggest hit, The Fantasticks, was the longest-running Off-Broadway musical of all time. It got mixed responses from the industry-- but you were always treated well by the press coverage. How did you deal with the ups and downs of developing a brand-new, high-profile musical?
Getting cast as Harold was very exciting. It was filled with possibility. Not all of the possibilities were fulfilled, but it was still a very positive experience for me. It was great to be given a chance to carry a new high profile musical, and opposite an Oscar winner, no less. Also, working with David Loud and Mark Hoebee and Donna Lynne Champlin, Danny Burstein, Donna English- it was really amazing to get to work with such highly respected theater professionals. And Estelle Parsons… well, I see I get to say more about her in the next question. As for dealing with the “ups and downs,” that show was such a dream of an opportunity that I simply wouldn’t allow for there to be any downs. I was grateful in every moment of the experience. Sure, the reviews were disappointing and we didn’t move the production to New York and we didn’t record a cast recording, but all of that stuff was peripheral to the wonderful experience of rehearsing for performing that role.

Eric & Estelle at the cast party

And what did you learn from your co-star, Estelle Parsons?
Estelle is a great actress. I like the way she thinks. I saw her in “The Day Emily Married” at Primary Stages and “The Bay at Nice” at Hartford Stage between the time I was cast and the beginning of rehearsals. I knew, from watching her performances, that we were going to click on the stage. It’s hard for me to explain it. From the first audition, I knew we were going to have fun. She took me out to dinner at the beginning and end of the whole experience. On stage with her- and in rehearsal as well, I learned how simple acting is. She does it with such ease and, in turn, I think that when I was going through pilot season, I had the confidence to not work so hard. I really think that acting is not as difficult as people make it out to be.

People who recreate famous roles tend to say two things-- they didn’t watch the movie, and they didn’t read the reviews. Did you watch the movie? Did you read the reviews?
Yes and yes. I think that if the audience has seen the movie, I might as well be in on it as well. I need to know what they expect and then I can make a decision about how much I wish to copy it or not copy it. Besides, I had already seen the movie before this show came about anyway. I also think that if someone before you did something that worked, that there is no reason to mess it up. And, you know, my individuality is still going to come through no matter what I do so I don’t think watching the movie is consequential. And yes, I read the reviews. First off, I care what people think about me, the show, etc. At the very least, I’m curious. And as a business man, I want to know what my press is. If the press is good, I can use it to further my career. If it’s bad, I don’t want to be the one left in the dark. I hate the idea of my friends and family and colleagues knowing something like that and being afraid to tell me.12. You are an actor who has always looked younger than you are. What decisions have you made along the way about maximizing that asset?

I think it’s probably hurt me just as much as its helped me. Sure, I get the young roles but I don’t get the old roles so it evens out, in my opinion. I look young. I hear about it every single day. And that’s just the way it is. I’m not sure what I’ve done to maximize that asset except for being aware of it. I have no problem with playing or auditioning for older roles though. The breakdown for my role in “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” said “late 20s.” I don’t know if I looked late 20s in the show or not, but I booked the role. I don’t think I ever really play age. If the script is written to be an older character, I come off as old. If its written to be a younger character, I come off young. The dialogue, if its good, informs the audience of the character.

Do you feel that you’ve been denied opportunities because of your “type” or “look”? How did you ride that out?
Well, I’ve been denied some opportunities and given opportunities because of my look. Like I said, I suppose it has evened out. People have often told me that I’m “special” or “different.” Honestly, I don’t really know what that means but if its helped me get work, then that’s great. How do I ride out not getting work? Well, being unemployed totally sucks and all I can do during those times is work to become a better actor and brainstorm on how to get opportunities for people to see what I do.

Have there ever been times when your focus has wavered? How have you gotten yourself back on track?
I think my focus waived in early 2004. I was losing confidence. It seemed like no one cared about my credits and I wasn’t sure who I was. One thing about my look is I think it changes every 5 minutes. One hand, that makes me versatile, I think. On the other hand, I think it confuses people. No matter how many times I get new pictures (and its time to get new ones once again, I never look like them because I always look different the next day. How did I get myself back on track? Two words: Tonya Pinkins.

I don’t know how many people would ever guess this, but you’re actually a sports writer! You wrote about basketball for years as “The Fan” of the Portland Trailblazers, and now you’ve been asked to write a blog for NBA.com. How do you think having strong outside interests has helped you keep your sanity in the crazy world of acting?
I definitely think that my strong interest in the NBA has kept me sane. When I’m writing about the NBA or watching the games, my mind exits the world of showbusiness and goes to another place. And while my acting is my first priority right now, I’m very interested in making the NBA a part of my career. Eventually, I plan on hosting my own NBA talk show. In it, I want to play one on one vs celebrity guests that would include entertainment professionals as well as former players. Come on, Patrick Ewing. I can beat you. You too, Ashton Kutcher.

That’s said, it’s hard to juggle both the TV show and my NBA related activities right now. When I was unemployed, I had a lot more time to watch games and write about 'em. Now that I’m doing “Bones,” I don’t know how I’m going to do it but as Tonya Pinkins taught me, HOW is “heading off wind” meaning that getting caught up in trying to figure how to do something can set me off track. I have to take my advice from Nike and Just Do It.

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