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Your new movie 86
Melrose Avenue - in a few words, what is it about, and what can
you tell us about your character in it?
86
Melrose Avenue is about the ramifications of PTSD & people confronting
their own mortality. I play Avi, an Israeli
who came to the United States when he was 5 years to go to school. Avi
wanted a different life, other than the one his father wanted for him.
What did you
draw upon to bring your character to life, and how much Gegory Zarian can
we find in Avi?
I
am very much like Avi. My parents were immigrants in this
country. They, mostly my father, wanted me to get a solid job,
career. He felt that being an actor didn’t have any guarantees,
it was pipe dream. I wanted something other than what
he wanted for me. So at the age of 23, instead of going to school here in the
States, I left to explore Italy and Paris and Germany as a model. I was scouted by an agency in Milan. My
father said that I couldn’t do that in his house, and so my only
choice was to leave his home and see who I am meant to be.
It was the best gift he ever gave me. Before he passed, he
told me how proud he was of me for making those decisions. How did you get involved with the
project in the first place?
Lili Matta [Lili Matta
interview - click here], our director, had hired me before for her 1st feature When
Life Keeps Getting in the Way. She is a strong woman and I
respect that. My mother was very strong and courageous, so I am very
attracted to that. Lili reached out a few years ago and told me about 86
Melrose Avenue and asked me to read the script. Of course I l
jumped at the chance. From the 1st page she had me. I told her that I wanted to be her Avi. Fast forward to when the
movie had financing
and casting was underway, she brought me in to read, which of
course I respect. It was important for me to earn the part. Also, out of respect
for the character being Israeli,
I told Lili that if he was meant to have a strong accent, that I
would pass on the part. I reached out to dialect coaches and my
acting coach to see what I could do to perfect that accent.
It wasn't as solid as I had hoped, so I told Lili I would pass on the
part. It was more important for this story to be told without my
not nailing the accent than satisfying my ego. She was very gracious and reminded
me that in the script Avi came to the US when he was five, to go to
school, so he had a good American accent. I did however throughout
the movie integrate Israeli inflections, when saying his name and locations.
It was important for me to make him as authentic as possible. What can you tell us about 86
Melrose Avenue's director Lili Matta, and what was your
collaboration like?
Lili
is a ballsy woman who has grit, determination, class, heart
and has lived one hell of a life. Collaborating with her is
fantastic. She sees beyond the surface, and as a director
reaches into her actors and finds subtle ways to bring out our
most vulnerable selves. If she doesn’t get what she wants
and knows that we can go deeper, she is not afraid to ask for another
take.
Do talk about the shoot as such, and
the on-set atmosphere?
The
shoot in a word
was intense. The hostage experience was shot in chronological
order. So everything the audience is experiencing, it was
happening real time. As an actor, I loved it. Lili
was genius filming it that way. Most shoots, have the shots set up
way out of order. We went thought this as if it was happening
in real time. We actors bonded in a very deep way! I
actually consider a few of my co-stars close friends! Also, when
you are on the floor in an art-gallery with an ex-marine waving a gun who is suffering from PTSD, you bond with one another. I
truly would do anything for these 10 people. WE are connected. Any future projects you'd like to
share?
Thank
you for asking! I shoot a rom-com, with my pal Paul Witten.
We are good friends. He is hysterical and is so talented,
I am excited to finally wok with him. I am also part of this
awesome horror flick, that has begun the early stages of production. I
am also one of the leads. Also, Dade Elza, who plays Travis in 86
Melrose Avenue, created Mystery Incorporated,
an updated and very authentic spin on Scooby Doo, and has invited
me on to play Shaggy’s dad. I am very excited about that! Dade
is so talented that I jumped at the chance! I cannot wait to
have some fun with him. I am also proud to say that I come back
for season 7 of venicetheseries.com, the
show that garnered me an Emmy nomination last year, as
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Digital Drama Series. Created by Emmy
winning soap opera tour-de force, the talented and gorgeous
Crystal Chappell. Venice is a love story. It is a
roller coaster ride of LOVE! Everyone must see it!
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Venice the Series |
What got you into acting in the first place, and
did you receive any formal training on the subject?
I
took acting in high school and college for credits. It seemed
fun, however I wasn't focused on it.
As
far as training, yes I have studied for years! I am always watching,
learning and listening. I still take classes and I am always
wanting to uncover and discover new things. For me, acting is
telling a story and being as authentic as possible. Going deep with your
emotions and feelings. All you are doing is sharing
pieces of you. You just happen to have a different name and location.
Everything else is the magical what if. From
what I know, your first acting job was on the soap opera Days of Our
Lives back in 1986/87 - so what can you tell us about working on the
show, and how has it informed you as an actor? Days of Our
Lives was an amazing experience. Overwhelming, scary, exciting
and so much bigger than I ever thought it was. I was thrown into a
pool and pretty much had no idea how to swim. I have so much
respect for daytime soap actors. They are the some of the
hardest working people in this business. I was written off Days of Our
Lives because
I was not good at the time. It was a huge blow to my ego, however
it truly changed my trajectory. That is why my time living
and modeling in Europe was so important. It helped me decide
that yes, this is a career that I want to be part of. It was
in my veins and it is something that I am willing to take on. Getting
written off was the best thing to happen to me. With the Emmy nomination
last year, I was able to address those that didn’t believe
in me then and say thank you, you changed my life. They all told me
they were proud of me and that I earned the nomination. It
was a beautiful full circle moment.
Westworld |
Any other
past film or TV work of yours you'd like to talk about?
Working
on Starz' Counterpart
was a dream. Created by Justin Marks, it was one of the best jobs I
have ever had. Spending a summer in Berlin, Germany was epic.
I grew up going there, since my mother was born there. It was a
homecoming so to speak. Also, working on the show with my
twin brother Lawrence was the icing on the cake. We played the same characters,
Alpha and Prime. Truly one of the most genius series that I
have ever been part of. Season 2, ep 205, Twin Cities.
Working
on HBO’s Westworld was also epic. Working with Jonathan Nolan and his
wife, Lisa Joy, was amazing, the scale of the show is huge. To work
opposite Tessa Thompson and Vincent Cassell was a master class in
acting . So giving and so very talented.
One show that stands
out as well was my guest star on Bones. The episode was called
Psychic
in the Soup, and it was written by Emmy winner Lena Waithe. So, very cool! She is awesome. We also, guested on
Season 3 of Westworld together. Love how the world crosses paths.
All my jobs have been awesome. For me they are all rides at Disneyland.
Sometimes you just have to wait a little longer in line.
Grateful for each and every one. Having
done both movies and TV, how do the two compare, and which do you prefer,
actually?
They
compare in the fact they are both stories that you are telling.
Either one, I want to always be on point and bring my A game.
There is more of a schedule on TV. With film, you are given more
time, sometimes. They both have their pros and cons. Grateful to
be doing either
to quite honest!
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Counterpart |
How would you describe yourself as an actor,
and some of your techniques to bring your characters to life?
As
an actor I describe myself as being very present. Being an actor I believe you must
be a good student. A listener. A team player. Also as an actor I
am very
inquisitive. I believe in creating history, a past and a
future. One of my techniques is that I really make a point
to get to know who I am playing opposite. I ask the actor/actress
questions, personal questions. It gives us history.
In
the movie Reconciliation I play a character whose partner is
dying of Aids. So the actor Jack Maxwell and I met for coffee quite
a few times and spoke on the phone often before filming. If
we didn’t believe that there was relationship, how
could the audience? Many of our scenes were in a hospital and his
character was in bed. In between takes, I would just rub his legs,
below his knees, to give us that tactile history. In the movie, it
is actually beautiful. You see and feel our history. It's about
creating the relationship. For me that is so very important. I am also
very handsy. So creating, feeling my characters' gestures is very
important to me. Julius on General Hospital was fabulous, so
everything he said had a flourish. It all comes into play for me, when I
figure out, feel who the character is. Actors
(and indeed actresses) who inspire you?
I
am inspired by any actor/ actress who brings up emotions in me. The ones
I cannot take my eyes off of. The ones who take risks. The
ones who get really messy. For example the series The Crown! Each
and every actor is phenomenal. Even the background performers.
They are telling the story, as if it was happening real time. You
can tell, when a lead or even an extra is just dialing it in. I
love the icons, of course, however, for me, it's the ones we don’t
know that stand out and make me want more. Carey Mulligan really grabbed
my attention with Promising
Young Woman. Josh O’Connor as Prince Phillip in The Crown, is fantastic! Viola Davis, for me, can do no wrong.
She is exquisite in everything she does. Also, I am a huge
Sarah Paulson fan. I loved everyone in Minari. Steven Yuen,
bravo! Your favourite
movies?
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Somewhere
in Time, Titanic, Rocky Horror Picture
Show, I'm a sap, what can I say? Also, I love me some good horror
flicks. ... and of course, films you really deplore?
I
have never walked out of a film. Even in film festivals, where you are
like, What the hell am I watching? It is someone's
dream, someone's passion, so I never admit to deploring anyone’s
film. I am here promoting an indie film, 86
Melrose Avenue, that some may love, and some may hate. We are all human.
However, I feel there is a way to go about it, when sharing your thoughts
and feelings on someones work. They made a film. How many of us
can say that, right?
Your
website, social media, whatever else?
GregoryZarian.com
All social media:
Instagram: @gregoryzarian
Twitter: @gregoryzarian
Anything else
you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? UM….I
have 8 tattoos. Lindsay Wagner is my teen crush and www.free2luv.org is
the charity to look up and support. At the end of the day, its all about
LUV! Thanks
for the interview!
Thank you so much for the time and for having me!
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