text: Frank Roman interview |
  Date of publishing: 22th December
  When you think about actors who have paid their dues,
  in Hollywood, don't forget to think of Frank Roman.
  Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., he migrated to Miami and with
  theatre, television and film credits to his name, he
  has become an exciting talent in Hollywood. When Frank
  made "the move" to Los Angeles, he was quickly
  discovered by Mel Brooks, who starred him in his comedy
  "Life Stinks". The two funny men worked together
  again on two more Mel Brooks' comedies. Frank is known
  by sci-fi fans for his role as Rafael in Stargate SG-1
  season 7 "Evolution - part 1 & 2" and
  in The X-Files on the ninth season "John Doe".
  You can read is journey on the set of Stargate SG-1
  Gilles Nuytens: Can
  you talk about your current projects? On what are you
  working? Frank Roman: I’ve
  completed a one act play about Ellis Island and the
  immigration of Europeans during the late 19th century
  and early 20th. The play was a performed through monologues
  with each performer telling how different groups came
  to America from all over Europe and what it took for
  them to get to America. Some of the stories were told
  through monologues and some done with music.
  I performed the eight different characters from different
  parts of Europe. I have a knack for accents so I utilized
  my Russian, Polish, French, Italian, Scottish, Irish
  and English skills and had a lot of fun changing in
  and out of wardrobe. It was a great acting challenge
  to create these very different ethnicities and make
  them all believable migrants of the the last century.
  The play was well received.
  Gilles Nuytens: In
  Hollywood it is not easy to find a good role when you
  are an “ethnic” actor. I had an interview
  recently with Kevan Ohtsji, a Canadian actor originated
  from Japan. He said that this is evolving but slowly.
  You probably have to be a BIG star such as Antonio Banderas
  to get some leading roles in movies when you are Latino
  or Asian. There isn’t much Asian stars in Hollywood,
  most of them come from the Hong Kong industry (Jackie
  Chan, Jet Li, …) and same for Latinos I think.
  In Europe, Latino’s stars are usually very popular,
  so why do you think there are so few roles for Latino’s
  in Hollywood? Can you talk about this subject or give
  some personal examples from your experience?
  Frank Roman: I can only speak from
  facts. In 2004, only 3% of leading guest star roles
  went to Latins both male and female. That’s not
  a good number. This year in 2005, the percentage was
  a bit lower. I’d like to say it’s just that
  one year or that things are changing but I can’t.
  What I’ve learned is that there are some stereotypes
  in life that get reflected on TV and movies. Simply
  put, there are more ‘white’ Americans and
  as such they tend to get more representation.
  Throughout my career as an actor, I have been fortunate
  to land the roles that were written for a Latin man.
  So I stayed busy and employed. However, on the other
  side of the coin, I can share about Hollywood being
  open to hiring a good actor and not just casting a role
  based on “race”. I worked a CBS show called
  Dave’s World. Initially a role for a nervous music
  teacher was intended for a white older man. The casting
  director had met me two months earlier for another “Latin”
  role and decided to bring me in on this “white
  teacher” role. I kicked ass with the scene and
  landed the job. In this case, I think it was because
  of my performance and not my race that landed me on
  that sound stage. There’s work and if you’re
  good enough you can even change their mind about the
  look of the character or his ethnicity. Gilles
  Nuytens: You like
  photography and to visit the cities where you go to
  take picture of the wonderful landscapes around it (I
  like that too!). Do you sometimes do it for professional
  purposes? And what attract you in photography?
  Frank Roman: No I don’t photograph
  professionally but I did study it for my degree in Communications.
  However, back then we used 35mm Bl/wh Film, lol. I do
  have a facility for photo-composition and I enjoy capturing
  Gilles Nuytens: You
  had a lot of “comedy” roles but your face
  is also known as the perfect guerilleros (in Stargate
  for example) or the bad guy from Central/South America
  (X-Files, …). What are the things you prefer on
  those 2 opposite kind of roles? Frank
  Roman: I think the question is about what I
  prefer in working in comedy or in drama. I like the
  comedy of a sitcom set. I like going to a studio and
  work-playing with other actors and being in front of
  a live audience. It’s a blast being able to win
  people over and have them laugh at some silly thing
  I’ve said or done.
  But then, in serious roles, the audience can be moved
  emotionally and that has a deeper effect as well. Serious
  roles give me a chance to go to a place in my head that
  helps me find that tough guy and act him out. I mean
  how many times can we really walk around in life, intimidating
  others and not get in trouble for it? So I get to be
  a bad boy for a while and I don’t hurt anyone
  while doing so. lol Gilles Nuytens:
  In the 2 episodes you played
  in Stargate, your scenes were supposed to be in Central
  America but were shot in Vancouver! Not really the same
  environment! But on screen we really believe it was
  shot in Central America.
  Isn’t that strange to move from L.A. to Vancouver
  to shoot scenes supposed to take place in Central America
  jungle? Frank Roman: Yes,
  shooting in one city that substitutes as another is
  not a big issue unless the city is a character in the
  movie. Understand? I’ve shot in Romania and it
  was supposed to be anywhere USA and I’ve shot
  in the Philippines and that was supposed to be Columbia.
  The producers make the set very believable and as an
  actor we just have to pretend it’s the city where
  the action takes place and not the real city where we
  had to shoot. That’s our job. Gilles
  Nuytens: In what kind
  of movies/shows would you like to play? And what is
  THE role of your dreams? Frank Roman:
  I enjoy both the dramatic and the comedy roles. It exercises
  two different parts of my personality. The role of a
  lifetime for me would be one that exercises both of
  these aspects in one role. That would be a dream role.
  Getting people to laugh and then making them cry or
  scaring them all at once would be great! Gilles
  Nuytens: Any future
  project on a science-fiction production?
  Frank Roman: I have no plans for any
  sci-fi projects as of this week. But you know how this
  industry can change that at any given moment.
  That’s the great part of this business.
  Gilles Nuytens: What
  was the most difficult or the most challenging thing/role
  you had to do on your career? Frank
  Roman: There have been many challenging roles
  throughout my career. It’s difficult to pick out
  one. When I started in theatre I had to dance in a big
  country-dance segment of the play. Then I also had to
  learn Flamenco and sing for a musical theatre piece
  here in LA. I’ve also had to fly across the world
  to shoot some movies and have had to stay in less than
  comfortable surroundings. In Stargate, I had to learn
  how to shoot 2 types of firearms, AK-47 and a 9mm handgun.
  I’ve never shot a firearm and boy did I learn
  about power in those suckers. I’ve played mentally
  retarded to hyped up killers. Does that say something
  about me? Lol Gilles Nuytens:
  In Stargate, you played the
  most of your scenes with Michael Shanks and Bill Dow,
  what can you say about the time you spend with them?
  Do you have some anecdotes to tell? Frank
  Roman: Bill Dow and Michael Shanks were great!
  They were very down to earth with a great work ethic
  and attitude. Bill Dow was a soft spoken man with a
  very kind manner and good sense of humor. Michael Shanks
  is a very funny guy off camera. He’s polite and
  mannerly but then he can let go with a great comic line
  or prat fall. He had me laughing quite a few times even
  on some takes. We had a great time on the set.
  One crazy moment for me was in the prison hut scene
  where I introduced myself to the guys and told them
  the deal. Well, at the last minute the director, Peter
  DeLuise, introduced some serious bugs that he wanted
  around for effect. Well, bugs aren’t my thing
  and being around them makes me antsy. I had to act in
  the scene and try not to be freaked out by the bugs
  around my feet! UGH!! Gilles Nuytens:
  Can you describe your time
  on the X-Files? Frank Roman:
  My time on X-Files was a major hoot. I worked with Robert
  Patrick and was directed by Michelle McLaren, one of
  the show’s executive producers. My co-star in
  the episode was an actor named Ramon Franco who remains
  a friend to this day. Now this guy was funny as hell
  but pretty much plays a bad guy in his film and TV roles.
  We worked on the 20th Century lot and got fed well for
  the weeks we worked. I got to work in Spanish and in
  fact, my first scene up was the scene in which all I
  spoke was Spanish. Talk about pressure, not only to
  speak in Spanish (which I do) but to act in Spanish
  and then have my memory taken from me. That’s
  how it’s done though. You get thrown in the deep
  end and it’s sink or swim.
  Gilles Nuytens: You
  love to travel the world, so what is the country where
  you would love the most shoot a movie? And why?
  Frank Roman: I was very lucky to have
  shot a movie in Rome a couple of years ago. My last
  name is Roman and I thought it would be great to be
  a Roman roaming in Rome. That movie was the film with
  Ben Stiller and Jack Black called Envy. I’ve been
  lucky and traveled to Paris but not yet worked as an
  actor there. I enjoyed Manila a great deal but would
  like to work anywhere as long as it’s safe and
  the country has good food! Gilles Nuytens:
  Outside of acting and photography,
  what do you like to do in your free time. Can you speak
  about yourself? Frank Roman:
  I like to workout in the gym. I’m writing a few
  different projects right now. One work is a two act
  play, another is a short story and on the side I write
  down some short story ideas. I enjoy reading about 14th
  century BCE Egypt and recently attended the King Tut
  exhibit here at the Los Angeles County Museum. I enjoy
  meals and movies with my friends and being a volunteer
  co-ordinator for a religious men’s group.
  Gilles Nuytens: What
  motivated you to become an actor? Frank
  Roman: My motivation in becoming an actor was
  the fun of it. I wanted to be able to travel the world
  and get paid for it. I wanted to meet new famous people
  and call them by their first name. I wanted to give
  myself a shot at the game before I told myself I couldn’t
  play. It took perseverance and discipline but I feel
  it pays off so many times.
  by Gilles Nuytens for The
  Scifi World |