PERSONALITY PEEKS:
TONY ESTRELLA, Actor
by FRANK O'DONNELL
October 5, 2006
Tony Estrella's been waiting about 15 months to see Martin Scorcese's new film, "The Departed."
The Pawtucket native and artistic director at The Gamm Theatre appears in the film. "It was quite literally a dream come true," says Estrella, acknowledging the use of an overworked cliché. "I have dreamt about this!"
Estrella got into acting because of Scorcese's films. "I've been a huge fan forever," he says, counting "Goodfellas" and "Taxi Drivers" among his favorites. "He was a huge inspiration."
Estrella's other inspiration wis Shakespeare – an odd couple, to say the least.
Once he'd made his way through a series of auditions for "The Departed," Estrella met with Scorcese. "To get the call to meet him was incredible. It was a bit surreal."
Then, he landed the part. "To be directed by, rehearsed by and staged by Scorcese. That was a rather incredible experience."
Estrella plays a Massachusetts state police technician handling a video surveillance of Jack Nicholson's gangster character. He's on screen for maybe four minutes, working with Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg.
His character is unnamed – he's identified in the credits simply as Police Camera Tech. "You don't get a name unless someone uses it in the script," Estrella explained.
The filming lasted four days. While the story is based in Boston, the majority of the interiors were shot in New York. Estrella spent his time in a warehouse in Brooklyn.
At the end of his scene, Estrella gets slapped around by Baldwin, the captain in charge of the operation. "Matt Damon came in and said, ‘Mr. Scorcese is trying to think of a way for Alec to kick your (butt) at the end of the scene," says Estrella. "I thought it was a joke."
Until someone from the crew came in to tell him that it was really going to happen. "They asked me if I wanted a stunt double. I said, no!"
the film's biggest laughs. (Don't go expecting a comedy, though. It's anything but.)
"These are really amazing people. It was such a pleasure to work with them."
Estrella is no stranger to this sort of work. In Showtime's "Brotherhood," Estrella played a clerk at an Olneyville wiener joint. "My character had a name in that one. Young Vincent Barbera."
Like many other Ocean State actors, Estrella is excited about all the film and TV work happening in Rhode Island. "The more that happens here, the more that's going to come here," he says. "It's good there's stuff out there for local people to do."
Plus, movies and television shows are more "remunerative" than the stage work to which Estrella is accustomed.
I wonder, though, about the type of shows being made in Rhode Island. "Brotherhood" showed the underbelly of the state, focusing on rampant corruption. Even "The Departed" took its shots at Providence, intimating it's populated chiefly by Mafia hit men.
"When I was on the set of ‘The Departed,' they were joking about me being from Providence." Estrella didn't take offense. "I buy it as real. For better or worse, we have to live up to, or down to, our reputation."
He notes that except for Louisiana, Rhode Island is known as the most corrupt state in the union. "Our most famous son is doing time for (corruption)," Estrella points out, referring to former Providence mayor Buddy Cianci.
The way Rhode Island is viewed depends on the viewpoint of the story. And the stories being told focus on some of the state's grime.
But, more and more crews are coming to Rhode Island, and telling different stories. "The more we do, the better the view." Estrella points to "Evening," a movie now filming in Newport that won't, as far as anyone knows, feature any corruption angles.
The seedy stories "are not a reflection of normal life in Rhode Island," says Estrella, "but they are the stories people want to see and that tends to sell tickets."
Speaking of which, Estrella is looking forward to the impending filming of the movie he refers to as "the jewel in the crown" – "The Prince of Providence."
"Selfishly, I'd like to think there's something in that for me," says Estrella.
["The Departed" opened October 6. When we spoke, Estrella hadn't yet seen the movie, but expected to do so over the weekend. "Brotherhood" has been picked up for another season. Estrella hopes the wiener joint clerk will return, but doesn't know if he will. Meanwhile, Estrella is directing "Mother Courage & Her Children" at The Gamm in the Pawtucket Armory Complex while waiting for the next call.]
Reprinted with permission from The Valley Breeze
