In writer/director Raymond De Felitta’s bighearted comedy “City Island,” Andy Garcia plays Vincent Rizzo, a New York prison guard with more than a few family obligations -- and a secret ambition to be an actor. Garcia, 54, admits he easily related to the role.
“Amid all the peculiar and funny situations in his life, underneath it all is this very serious, lifelong passion that was touching and very interesting to play,” he said.
As one of the producers of the film, Garcia was instrumental in attracting several friends and former co-stars to the project -- including Julianna Margulies (as his wife), Alan Arkin (as his acting teacher) and Emily Mortimer (as his scene partner in class).
Q: How were you first bitten by the acting bug?
A: It started early in my life. I spent many hours in movie theaters growing up, and I always loved films and great performances. As a young adult, it was inside me like a virus, and as I got older and started deciding what to do with my life, it became like a knot in the pit of my stomach or chest pains. My body kept telling me I had to do something about it.
Q: Was it an ambition you felt you had to keep secret, like your character in “City Island”?
A: It wasn't so much that, but where I grew up [Cuba], there was no film industry, no history of other people who had that experience. The idea of getting into acting was hard to process because there was nothing to immediately associate it with. It was hard for other people to understand what I was talking about. That early exploration period was fairly private for me, but at some point I had to bring it out of the closet, to start taking it seriously, studying and taking acting classes.
Q: How much of acting can be taught, and how much is a natural ability?
A: It's a little of both, but it has to be nurtured. Great actors have a sensibility for it. There are those who can do it naturally, with no formal training, but I think it's the combination of that artistic sensibility and the process of studying that makes you better.
Q: Your character has a hard time defining what acting is. How would you define it?
A: It's a craft that, when inspired, can be an art form. It's the ability to live truthfully in an imaginary situation, to play people with experiences outside of your own life. It's an intriguing and stimulating creative process.
Q: Your real-life daughter (Dominik Garcia-Lorido) plays your daughter in the film. What kind of advice have you given her?
A: I support anyone with a dream. Dreams are difficult to achieve, but they're a beautiful thing. I've encouraged her to prepare and study, to be passionate about what she's doing and dedicate herself to it completely. There are bumps and bruises along the way, but if you're diligent about it and take it seriously, it will flourish.
Q: Do you prefer character parts like Vincent Rizzo to more traditional leading-man roles?
A: To me, I've always played character roles. Earlier in my career, when I was younger, I was cast in a lot of leading-man roles, so you try to fit that mold as best you can. I remember wanting to grow a beard for one of my roles, and the producers told me, "But America wants to see your face!"
Q: What’s next for you?
A: I've written a movie that I'm going to be directing called "Hemingway & Fuentes," about Ernest Hemingway's relationship with the fisherman who inspired "The Old Man and the Sea." Anthony Hopkins will be playing Hemingway (opposite Garcia as Fuentes). It's one of those stories that I feel compelled to tell. You can't sit around hoping someone else will think of it and write it and call me to do it. Sometimes, when you have something to say, you just have to speak up for yourself.
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