Brad Holbrook
He played in Natalie Mooallem’s Dollar Baby All That You Love as Alfie Zimmer.
SKSM: Could you start with telling me a bit about yourself? Who are you and what do you do?
Brad Holbrook: I’m a New York City actor/journalist (not a common combination!). I’ve spent most of my adult life as a TV news anchorman, here in NYC and in several other cities around the US. Currently I anchor a weekly half hour program for BusinessWeek, a show that focuses on consumer issues like investing, spending, and earning money. But I’ve spent much of the last four years getting back to an acting career that I put on hold shortly after graduation from college. In addition to “All That You Love“, I’ve appeared in Jonathan Demme’s remake of “The Manchurian Candidate” with Denzel Washington, Leib Shriver and Meryl Streep, as well as several network television dramas. I’ve done lots of theater, too. New York’s theater life is vibrant, to say the least. My latest production is a play written by former Czech Republic president Vaclav Havel in 1968. It’s a French farce kind of thing, lots of mayhem, doors opening and closing, etc. We did the play in November 2006 for the NYC Havel Festival, in which all of his plays were performed over a six week period. He came to one of our performances, and we all got to meet him. A big thrill! We were invited to re-stage the play in Baltimore, Maryland to open the season for The Theatre Project there in October 2007. It’s a demanding play. My character only leaves the stage for an instant at a time, and immediately returns. Visit http://web.mac.com/bradholbrook for more about what I’m up to!
SKSM: How did you become involved in All That You Love?
Brad Holbrook: I was invited to audition.
SKSM: You worked with Natalie Mooallem on this film, how was that?
Brad Holbrook: Natalie is a force of nature. She is extremely creative and enthusiastic. And a sweetheart. I’m a tennis fanatic, and so is Natalie! We’ve corresponded about the various tournaments going on around the world.
SKSM: Was there any funny or special moment when they made the movie that you would like to tell me about?
Brad Holbrook: Movie shoots are always an exercise in crisis management. For one scene we had “borrowed” a deli in a New Jersey town to use as a set. After we shot the scene from one angle, the deli owner decided he didn’t want us there any longer. He had started to notice that his customers were having difficulty buying stuff, and he didn’t want to lose any more business. The producers and Natalie pleaded with the man for a while. We only needed to shoot for a few minutes more, but we got kicked out anyway. So we ended up borrowing another deli to shoot the rest of the scene from the angle of the cashier’s perspective. So what we ended up with is a scene between Alfie and the cashier shot in two entirely different locations! I don’t think you can tell in the film, although once you know what happened you might be able to spot a small inconsistency or two.
SKSM: Do you still have any contact with the crew/cast from that time? If so with who?
Brad Holbrook: I’ve seen Natalie and a few of the crew at screenings. She wants to enter the film in festivals and so forth, so I look forward to possible reunions.
SKSM: What did you do after All That You Love?
Brad Holbrook: I’ve done some theatre, including that Havel play. I’ve also shot a bunch of videos for websites. That is a booming market for actors! The Onion News Network is an off-shoot of The Onion newspaper, a parody of the day’s events, and is hilarious. I play a network morning show host alongside a drop dead gorgeous co-host (Tracy Toth), and neither of us (our characters that is!) have a clue about how brutally cruel we are being to our guests. I think it’s very funny. These segments will be added to the Onion’s website soon, and then through the Fall of 2007.
SKSM: Are you (or were you) a fan of Stephen King’s work?
Brad Holbrook: I have to admit that Carrie scared the bejeezus out of me, the film with Sissy Spacek. I loved that. I’ve only read a few of his novels, but I’ve seen many of his films. My son is a big fan.
SKSM: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there anything else you want to say to the fans that read this interview?
Brad Holbrook: Thanks for the interest! I hope you get to see Natalie’s adaptation of All That You Love, and that you enjoy watching it as much as we did making it.
