Q&A with Actor Sal Rendino

Film: Under Jakob's Ladder
Actor: Sal Rendino
Role: Bruno

Q: How did you prepare for your role as Bruno?
I investigated the historical events of the times, and sat with what it would have been like to lose a family to starvation and war, and then gain another in prison, despite my stubborness and bitterness as "Bruno".

Q: Bruno's the prison bully. How did you identify with him?
I know what it's like to hold grudges, to want to be the tough guy, and also to want to be accepted as part of something positive and bigger than myself. The father/son dynamic has always hit me deeply as well.

Q: What was your favorite line of dialogue from the movie?
When I stop the fantasizing by other prisoners about what they'd do "when they get out." I felt so compelled to shake the undeniable truth into them, so much like 'Biff' in Death of a Salesman, pleading with his father to acknowledge the sad truth about just being "a dime a dozen", not the happy heroes we'd hoped to be.

Q: What was your favorite scene?
Yasha's attempted singing.

Q: What was the most challenging scene for you?
I was challenged most by my final "conversation" with Jakob, even though that was always the most readily available to me in homework, readings, and rehearsals.

Q: What attracted you to working on this film?
First, the story moved me, with undeniably powerful universal themes of hope and forgiveness. On top of that, the producers and crew were completely committed -- individually and as a team -- to making a fine film. They were very well organized and thorough, professional and genuinely NICE ('nice' goes such a long way). I felt completely secure and safe in their hands, and that's a gigantic consideration for an actor, fostering the best, most expressive work.

Q: What did you enjoy the most about working on this film?
I loved the comaraderie of cast and crew, all of us in the trenches working tirelessly for the same ambitious goal.

Q: What was it like to work with the cast and crew?
This project was defined by honest and open collaboration, from all angles -- producer, writer, director, actor, crew -- and none had too big of an ego to bend or cooperate, and happily!

Q: Who are your influences as an actor?
Daniel Day Lewis, Javier Bardem, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Gene Hackman, Alec Baldwin, Johnny Depp, Marlon Brando.