Andy Garcia and his daughter have a message for audiences
| We did not find any matches for your request. |
Although never intending "City Island" to be a message picture, Andy Garcia believes the slice-of-life comedy-drama says something to audiences.
"It tells people that they aren't the only ones in the world to have a crazy family," the 53-year-old actor says at his Philadelphia hotel during a publicity stop for "City Island," now in theaters. "The film has to do with honesty and being straight about things."
Written and directed by Raymond De Felitta ("The Thing about My Folks"), it follows a meek prison guard who lives a quiet life in a fishing community on the outskirts of new York.
His life drastically changes when he follows his dream of taking acting lessons and, during an exercise, reveals a family secret that turns his life upside down.
"City Island" co-stars Garcia's 26-year-old daughter, Dominik Garcia-Lorido, who also plays his daughter in the film. Garcia-Lorido's character is dealing with her decision to drop out of college and become a stripper to earn money.
Was it a discomforting situation having his daughter in such a revealing role?
"Not in this movie, because it's PG-13 (which reveals less)," says Garcia, who has three daughters and a son. "I couldn't deny her that process if she won that part. who am I to deny her that?
"Ultimately, it was her decision. She's an adult and I trust that, even if she was in a film about a real stripper, that would be her call (in terms of doing revealing scenes).
"I might tie my shoe (so he wouldn't have to look at the screen) when that scene came up, but I respect her as an artist and who she is."
Garcia, who was born in Havana, Cuba, and came to America with his parents when he was 5 and they were fleeing to Florida after Fidel Castro's takeover, has easily balanced leading man and character roles throughout his career.
He first attracted attention in director Hal Ashby's "8 Million Ways to Die" (1986), a gritty crime drama co-starring Jeff Bridges, and then established himself as a major talent in director Brian DePalma's "The Untouchables" (1987), playing sharp-shooting Agent George Stone.
The studio originally wanted Garcia for villain Frank Nitti (played by Billy Drago), but he preferred the heroic supporting role, which DePalma gave him after he read for it.
He has enjoyed great commercial success in the "Ocean's Eleven" (2001) franchise, which also includes "Ocean's Twelve" (2004) and "Ocean's Thirteen" (2007) and casts him as a dangerous Las Vegas casino owner.
Garcia says it was easy to predict the success of the "Ocean's" titles.
"The support from the studio (Warner Bros.) was nice, and look at the cast (including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and Matt Damon)," says Garcia, who's raising funds to direct and co-star with Anthony Hopkins in the biopic "Hemingway & Fuentes," which will explore how boat captain Gregorio Fuentes inspired Ernest Hemingway to write "The old Man and the Sea."
"We had a great director (Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh of "Traffic") and tight scripts."
According to Garcia, not a week goes by without someone asking him if he will recreate his role of Vincent Mancini from "The Godfather III" (1990) in "The Godfather IV."
Garcia earned an Oscar nomination as best supporting actor for his performance as the illegitimate son of Sonny Corleone and Lucy Mancini, and he's open to a sequel as long as Francis Ford Coppola or his filmmaker daughter, Sofia Coppola, directs it.
"When I moved to Los Angeles in 1978, the rumor was that there was going to be a 'Godfather III,' " says Garcia, whose inspiration to become an actor resulted from watching the original "Godfather" epic. "All of the acting community was talking about this new ("Godfather") film in which a young character was being developed to take over the (Mafia) family.
"I was then a guy on the street loading trucks, and I'm going, 'Oh, God! that would be a part for an actor.' they were talking about actors like (Sylvester) Stallone and (John) Travolta getting the role, but then the movie took another 10 years to get made.
"In those 10 years, I was able to get in that loop of people they were considering. All of a sudden, I found myself having a real shot at the film and (even) getting the film. I've fulfilled my dreams, but I'm still dreaming."
Lego whiz tells a 'Toy Story'
To celebrate the recent release of "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" ($39.99 each) in combo-packages that contain both a regular DVD and a high-def Blu-ray Disc version of the titles, "Lego Master" Pete Donner was authorized by Walt Disney Home Entertainment to spread the word.
Donner's assignment was to use Lego bricks to create unique murals featuring panels with images from the two G-rated films, featuring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen as Woody and Buzz Lightyear, respectively. ("Toy Story 3-D" will arrive in theaters June 18.)
He visited the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia to demonstrate his talent of turning plastic bricks into colorful characters from two computer-animated movies.
For Donner, the real joy in what he does comes from knowing it's fun and educational for youngsters.
"You use math without realizing it (when using the Lego bricks)," he says during a telephone interview. "The 'Toy Story' characters translate particularly to this (type of art work).
"I made a 5 1/2-foot version of Buzz Lightyear and a 6-foot Woody model."
And what's the toughest part of creating Lego versions of real people?
"The faces are tough," he says. "I've done Lego versions of Harrison Ford and (chief creative officer of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios) John Lasseter.
"It can be tough (turning the plastic bricks into recognizable faces). Sometimes, you hit a wall. that does happen."
Andy Garcia and his daughter have a message for audiences
Tags: Havana, Brad Pitt, Los Angeles