by Amanda Thambounaris
Peter Cilella has been deemed by his peers as an ‘actor’s actor.’ His jump from television to theatre to movies has easily transformed him into a jack-of-all-trades in the industry. Cilella delivers a memorable performance in Resolution, the dark-humored thriller from directors Justin Benson and Aaron Scott Moorhead, as he stars as a young man determined to help his best friend Chris (Vinny Curran) back on the road to sobriety. TheCelebrityCafe.com’s Amanda Thambounaris spoke with Peter Cilella about his new thriller, his comedic side and his air guitar.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: When you were younger you were interested in the 'comedic side of Hollywood.' What was it that drew you to want to become a comedic actor?
Peter Cilella: I think just growing up watching things like Caddy Shack, Ghostbusters and Beverly Hills Cop. The 80s were filled with great, great comedy. That's the type of stuff I was drawn to. I always enjoyed trying to make people laugh because I feel like if you can make them laugh, you can make them feel better.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: What was your first experience playing in a major role like for you?
Peter Cilella: I think for me, each role kind of has its own significance. I think as far as the first time, I actually felt that I was really, really pushing myself as an actor. I did a play called Sideman. I was young, I was just out of college, living in Indianapolis, and doing theatre there. I played a character named Jonesy, he was a heroin addict and he had one eye because he had already shut the other eye out with heroin. (Because I guess when you run out of veins in your arms, you go between your toes and into your eyes.)
I was 22, maybe 23, when I played this role. It was a Broadway play; I think it won Tonys when it came out. It is a really amazing play. And, I was in a younger production; everybody in it was under 25. So I had to go to some really, really dark places and really push myself as an actor to put myself in the shoes of someone so desperate. But, there was also a lot of humor to it. He was kind of this flawed jokester. He would try to diffuse situations with humor, that kind of sad clown I guess. So that, for me, I would say that was my first major role because it was the first role that really, really stretched me and pushed me into an area I was unfamiliar with.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: You've done everything from theatre to television, and to, of course, movies. Do you value or enjoy one over the other?
Peter Cilella: I enjoy them for what they are. I like good work and I like good material, so whatever form that takes, that's what I'm excited to do.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: You have starred in some comedic films, but have also had numerous roles in horror and drama films, such as Resolution. How did you feel playing a non-comedic role? Did it change your perception about comedy at all?
Peter Cilella: That's a good question. With Resolution I can definitely say there were times where I was a little jealous that Vinny, my co-star, had all the funny lines. There is a lot of humor in Resolution, even though it is a horror movie. There’s a ton of humor and it’s also a heartfelt character. I think playing a straight man, because that’s essentially what I am in Resolution, is challenging because you’re not the guy that gets to make the wise cracks. You’re responsible for anchoring it and you’re co-star gets to have the laughs. I like, and I think everybody likes, to get the laughs.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: In Resolution, you try to get your best friend back on the road to sobriety, but you both end up confronting personal demons and past consequences. Have you ever had an experience like that in your own life?
Peter Cilella: I’ve been fortunate that I really haven’t, and especially not to that degree. So, that was definitely challenging for the role. It’s a tricky question because I definitely think there are some friends that may take things a little too far, but like I said, as far as the film goes, it’s such an extreme example of that. I really haven’t had to deal with anything like that.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: What did you find most challenging with the role?
Peter Cilella: Making it through certain takes without laughing because Vinny was making people laugh during takes. Like I said, there’s a lot of really funny stuff that happens.
And, also working with a dog is a very challenging because they don’t hit their marks. I have a funny story -- we had to get the director’s dog to come to Vinny while he was sitting down, and for whatever reason, I don’t know whether it was his beard or his tone of voice, but the dog was terrified of Vinny. Like, would not get near him. And, so we ended up resorting to putting a bag of beef jerky under his crotch. He was sitting on beef jerky in an effort to lure the dog between his legs (laughs). We have a tape, actually in our outtakes, of the dog, once we called action, bolt toward Vinny because she can smell the beef jerky. She runs straight for his crotch, pulls out the entire bag of jerky and then just runs off with it in her mouth. So, that was definitely challenging (laughs). Dogs don’t listen!
TheCelebrityCafe.com: How does it feel starring in a film that is making its premiere debut at the Tribeca Film Festival?
Peter Cilella: It’s amazing. Actually, let me think of a better word than amazing. It’s thrilling, it really is. Having just gotten back, I got to meet a lot of other filmmakers and see other films, and just to be around that kind of talent. It’s a celebration of all the hard work that we all do, so there is this community and celebration of the work. And it’s really inspiring to meet other people who are as passionate about what they do. To do it at a festival that DeNiro co-founded is just kind of icing on the cake. I’ve looked up to him. It’s a dream come true, it really is.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: You have been praised by your peers as being truly an 'actor's actor' and the 'one to watch.' How does that make you feel?
Peter Cilella: I don’t know, oh gosh. I mean, I don’t know where that came from actually, but I think I appreciate the work and I value the work, so maybe that’s what that means. I’m not really sure. I guess it makes me feel a little shy (laughs). I’m proud and I work very hard at what I do, and so it’s nice to hear. I like to do the work and I love it when people appreciate the work. And, that’s really what keeps me going.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: Is there anyone you've met, including your peers that has had that effect on you or something close to what others have said about you?
Peter Cilella: Yeah. I just finished up a two year Meisner technique training program at the Ruskin School of Acting in Santa Monica, CA, out here at the Ruskin Group Theatre, and all of my teachers (i.e. Mikey Myers, Michael Laurie, John Ruskin), they all kind of hammer in that work ethic. I think that’s the most important thing.
Mikey is actually a big fan of Bruce Springsteen, as am I, and he always talks about how Springsteen empties the tank. Every time he gets on stage, he empties the tank. He starts with a full tank and then it’s gone, and he pours everything into his performance. I think that’s something that really resonated with me and is something I try and do every time I hit the stage or get on set or whatever the case may be. Just give it everything, and feel like at the end of a performance that there was nothing else I could have done.
Because at the end of the day, that’s the only thing that you can really control. You can’t really control how people are going to perceive it or react to it, but you can really only control what you put into it. There are so many elements of this business, and also in any business and in life in general. There are so many things that you cannot control and you try and let go of those things and focus on the things that are within your powers. I’m learning as I go.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: How did you get into competing in the US Air Guitar Championships. What was that experience like?
Peter Cilella: That’s a great question and nobody has asked me how I got into it, you’re the first. It’s a really good story. When I first moved to L.A., one of the first things I did was a student film, because I was trying to build my reel and it’s a great way to meet young filmmakers. And so, I did a student film called Haircut, and it was all about a guy with a mullet and a dream competing in the world of air guitar.
So, I did this film and then a couple of months later, somebody found an article that was advertising a U.S. Air Guitar competition and they knew I’d done this movie. So, they were like, ‘you should totally use your character from the movie and enter the Air Guitar Championships.’ And, it was the first year they were doing it, it was like 2003 maybe, and so I showed up and they were doing a documentary. The documentary is called Air Guitar Nation, you can find it on Netflix. I am in it for maybe 10 or 15 seconds. It is an entertaining documentary [that] follows the journey of the winner from New York and the winner from Los Angeles. It follows the journey of the American winner, and then he ended up going to Finland to compete in the world championships. I guess Air Guitar Championships had been going on for years over in Europe -- they love them. I think he actually won the world championships; he is a New York based actor.
It was insane to play in front of like 500 people, and it was just crazy, it was rock ‘n’ roll. It felt like I was back in the 80’s on the Sunset strip. It’s a kid’s dream. I can’t really play a musical instrument, but I feel like every actor who is not musically gifted, is a wannabe rock star. You kind of get to live out this fantasy through your talents. It’s fantastic. It’s one of the best nights out.