After two days of entertaining the hundreds
of fans celebrating Wolf Events 10th Anniversary, Jay Acovone takes
a few minutes to relax outside the green room. He tells Carole Gordon about the
perils of banana skins, the impact of reality TV, the return of Kawalsky to Stargate
SG1 – and how he failed to recognize one of his acting heroes.
Jay Acovone has worked on many well-known TV
and movie projects, including JAG, Charmed, X-Files,
Invisible Man, Sliders, and Friends,
but he is particularly proud of the work he did with Al Pacino in the movie Cruising,
directed by Billy Friedkin (French Connection, The Exorcist).
Meeting and working with Pacino, who Jay says was one of the reasons he
originally got into acting, was just amazing.
He laughs as he remembers his introduction
to one of acting's legendary figures.
"The really funny part of the whole
story is that I didn't realize I was standing next to him on the set. Al looks
completely different in Cruising than in any other movie he's
done because he had his hair permed. I said to one of the guys, the first or
second AD, 'When is Al Pacino going to get here?' He looked right at Pacino,
winked and said, 'He should be here any minute.' "
Other stars he never tired of watching were
Jackie Gleason and The Three Stooges, and Jay would also like the opportunity
to work with Roy Dotrice again. He is impressed by this veteran British actor
who he appeared with on Beauty and Beast, though as Jay's role
was part of the scenario above ground, while Roy's character was below ground,
their characters didn't have the chance to interact a great deal.
"Roy's character did come above the
ground at one point in one episode and we had a couple of scenes together. I
find him to be a lovely man and a terrific actor and I'd love to work with him
again."
He is also pleased with his work on NYPD
Blue and feels very good about playing Kawalsky on Stargate SG-1.
He regards “Children of the Gods” and “Enemy Within” as some of his best work.
And he is delighted to have been asked back for an episode in Season 8.
"I don't have the script yet, so I
haven't read it. All I know is that it's the second part of a double episode or
a two-parter which will be filming towards the end of September."
Apart from his obvious enjoyment at working
on Stargate SG-1, he is very grateful that he has been hired to
do another episode because of the increasing difficulty of getting acting work.
"The business is being affected by two
things – by runaway productions, that is productions that shoot in another
country, and by reality TV."
Does he think the reality TV phenomenon will
last? He fervently hopes not.
"I think it's a phase we are going
through. I hope I don't offend anyone when I say this, but I hope it ends soon,
I really do. I don't want to see anyone eating a cow's eye and winning a
million dollars to do it. I just don't want to see it. I have no use for it.
God bless all of the people that are getting rich from it and I hope they enjoy
the money – but do me a favor, and go away!"
While the number of openings continues to be
affected by reality programming, Jay has nevertheless been involved in a number
of projects, including the movie SWAT, in which he played a
pilot.
"That was my second pilot. I also
played a pilot in Castaway with Tom Hanks. This is the second
time I've crashed a plane. It's just one of those things," he laughs.
"Whenever they need to crash a plane, they call me!"
Then there was Studio City, a
project written by and starring Jay's friend Jack Coleman of Dynasty
fame.
"It has a whole host of American actors
and some really fine people including Tess Harper, the Academy Award nominated
actress [for Crimes of the Heart, 1986]. The story is basically
what it's like to live in Studio City and be a part of show business and maybe
get involved in a few other things along the way, as victims of circumstance.
It's pretty funny, in a dark way."
Jay has also worked in the UK, starring in a
TV Movie, The Magician alongside Clive Owen and Peter Howitt (now
better known as a director for such movies as Sliding Doors). Jay
plays a salesman who gets involved in a plot about the IRA and a stash of
counterfeit money.
And he'd like to direct a one-hour drama.
"I know I could do it," he says
with a self-deprecating laugh. "It's just a matter of to what degree and
how good it would be!"
Having played a pilot (twice), a member of
the USAF, a Goa'uld, and a number of cops, have there been any times when he
has turned down a role? Oh yes, he grins.
"I went into an audition for a television
commercial and I said to the woman, 'Do I just sign in here?' She said, 'Yes,
just sign in and when the guy who's in the room comes out, he'll take off the
banana skin. You put on the banana skin and then it'll be your turn.’ I said,
'Do you have a phone I could borrow?' I called my agent and said 'Get me out of
here right now!' "
So, although we won't be seeing Jay in any
commercials for 'Fruit of the Loom' products any time soon, his return to Stargate
SG-1 will be eagerly anticipated.
With grateful thanks to Jay Acovone for his
time, and to Katherine and Karen of Wolf Events for arranging the interview.
Biography: Jay Acovone was born on 20 August 1955 in Lake
Mahopac, New York. He attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and Lee Strasler's
Theatre Institute. His TV debut was as a hospital orderly in All My
Children.
Further information at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0010264/
Wolf
Events organize conventions and
events around the UK and in other European countries. Full details of their
current program of events can be found at:
http://www.wolfevents.com/php/
© Carole Gordon, 5 September 2004
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