First of all, why don't you introduce yourself to those of us who
don't already know you?
Hi
everyone! My name is Roberto Lombardi. I’m an actor from the USA.
You've recently been cast as Dracula
in Dracula's War - now how did that happen, and how do you plan to bring
such an iconic character to life?
I
was in Los Angeles filming another project when I received an e-mail from Dracula’s War
director/writer Jonathan Moody asking if I would be
interested in playing Dracula. As I have always wanted to play
Dracula, I
told him I was very interested and to please send me the script. I read it
and really liked it, so I accepted the role.
I
always have a plan for playing iconic, established characters. That is to
research what makes them iconic and incorporate key mannerisms and voice
inflections into my version of the character. That way the character is
recognizable to the audience, but I’m still acting it in my own way. Speaking of iconic
characters, you have played Freddy
Krueger in quite a number of shorts. What can you tell us about those and your
depiction of the character?
Playing Freddy
Krueger in our Elm Street prequel shorts has been nothing short of
amazing. From the first time I saw Robert Englund [Robert
Englund bio - click here] in the original film, I
wished I could have played such an original and iconic character. Little
did I know…
Chris R. Notarile [Chris R.
Notarile interview - click here] first approached me about playing Freddy
in early 2011 and I immediately
signed on! What interested me most was that the films are prequels. Freddy
is alive, unburned, not a dream demon and Chris wrote him as a truly
repulsive human being.
I
was a little worried about playing Freddy
because of what the fan reaction
might be, but the fans have been about 90-95% supportive of the films and
have really accepted me as Freddy. Some have even dubbed me Robert’s
successor! It’s humbling and very much appreciated. There will be a 4th
Krueger short in Spring 2014! Over the years, you've been
in quite a few quite diverse movies of Chris R. Notarile [Chris
R. Notarile interview - click here], the director of the
Freddy Krueger-shorts, -
so what can you tell us about
him, how did you first hook up, and what's your collaboration with him
usually like? And do talk about some of these other films you've done with
him for a bit!
I
first met Chris when I auditioned for his first feature film Methodic in 2007. He cast me in a small, principal role and that was
the beginning of our working relationship. He is also now one of my very
best friends! I have an
amazing, collaborative working relationship with Chris and every project
I’ve done with him has been not only a career boost, but a fun,
enjoyable experience. We laugh a lot on set and we work fast!
I’ve
been in around 25 of Chris’s projects, but my favorites have been Escape from New Jersey
(a Snake Plissken fan film), Kill or Be
Killed (an emotional story about a hitman and his target), American
Lawless (a western set in the future), Dig a Hole and Die (about
a man who is kidnapped after he attempts suicide), Stand Off (a
betrayal story about female bank robbers), Perfect: Android Rising (a
story of an android killing machine that is reprogrammed to think and
feel) and of course the
Krueger-short films!
I'd like you to talk about some other
films (and your roles in them) I've picked from your filmography: The
Cemetery? Directed
by the talented Adam Ahlbrandt, The Cemetery is about a group of
ghosthunters that travel deep into the woods to find an ancient burial
ground for their reality show. What they find is possession and murder! I
play the priest leader of a religious cult in the flashbacks and murder
quite a few people myself trying to expel demons! The Cemetery has
won numerous awards at film festivals for direction, acting, FX and even
best feature. It’s probably the bloodiest movie I’ve ever made! I’m
very proud of its success and it will be released on DVD in Austria and
Germany through Illusions Unlimited Films in 2014. Dead Collections? Directed
by my good friend John Orrichio, Dead Collections is the story of a
woman who loses her husband and her home who then has to move in with her
elderly uncle in his creepy old house. Strange things happen and she
wonders if the house is haunted or if someone is stalking her. She comes
to find out that it’s both! I play Thomas Callan, a psychotic debt
collector! He makes people pay off their debts or pay with their lives!
It’s set for DVD release in 2014 and it’s my favorite of the projects
I’ve done with John. The
Underground Kings? Written
by Skye Dennis and directed by Lionel Anthony Cook, The Underground
Kings is currently a four part mini web series available on YouTube. It
is a multi-ethnic crime drama set in Philadelphia. There are three
different criminal organizations, one Black, one Latino and one Italian
that control the drug trade and gambling in the city. When a police
officer investigating them is killed, his partner and the FBI investigate
and find police corruption that is linked to these three organizations. I
play Paulie DiRocco, the head of the Italian crime family, who is trying
to modernize and expand the family business. We are doing many promotional
events for the series and it’s being considered by several television
networks. The executive producer is NBA star Richard ‘Rip’ Hamilton.
Everyone involved is very talented and I’m really proud of the show
Masks?
Directed
by award winner Charles A. Christman III, Masks is a short film
about two men who were best friends in high school, but grew apart. They
meet years later and end up at a cabin where an intruder with a death mask
confronts them and changes their lives. I play Steve, a drug addict, who
has his world turned upside down by The Mask. The film is set to screen in
film festivals in the summer of 2014. Any
other past, present or future films of yours you'd like to talk about? I
was very happy to have had a role in M. Night Shyamalan’s film The
Happening. I had a great time on set and he couldn’t have been nicer.
It was my first real taste of Hollywood and brought me international
recognition. I am also in pre
production on Chris R. Notarile’s [Chris
R. Notarile interview - click here] next film Smith which is a
comedy/sci-fi/horror hybrid. We are going to be making some big
announcements about it soon.
What
got you into acting in the first place, and did you receive any formal
training on the subject? I
come from a family of entertainers! Many of us are actors, musicians or
artists of some kind, so I think I’m kind of hard wired for the
entertainment business. I was on a local television show as a child and
that sparked my interest in acting. I went on to tour the United States in
several rock bands (I’m a bassist), and then returned to acting. I have
had formal training both in high school and college. I’ve also taken
some advanced classes since then.
Can you still remember your
first time in front of a film or TV camera, and what was that experience like? Yes,
absolutely. Being a child in a TV studio was fascinating! It made an
impression as to what it takes to make what you see on TV a reality. Later
on, when I acted as an adult, I remember having more nervous excitement
when I heard ACTION! The entire experience is surreal. I still feel that
way. How
would you describe yourself as an actor, and some of your techniques to
bring your characters to life? I’m
a character actor. Some actors essentially play the same part or
extensions of themselves in their movies, and that’s fine, but I like
becoming someone other than myself. The amount of research I do depends on
the complexity of the character. For example, I researched common traits
for sadists, masochists, sociopaths and child abductors to play Freddy
Krueger I also have different memory triggers. For example if I need to
cry in a scene, I have memories I use to get to that emotional place.
Actors (or indeed
actresses) who inspire you? Tom
Hanks, Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep, Robert Englund [Robert
Englund bio - click here], Anthony Hopkins, Helen
Mirren, Donnie Wahlberg, Sandra Bullock, Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle. I
could go on and on… Your favourite movies? It’s
not all horror! A Nightmare on Elm Street,
All the President’s
Men, the Scream-series, Halloween,
Jaws, the Star
Wars-series, Raider of the Lost Ark, The Thing, the
Alien-series,
Grease, Murder on the Orient Express, the Harry Potter-series,
The Exorcist, Saw, the “Lord of
the Rings- and Hobbit-series and many Universal and
Hammer horror
films. Again, I could go on! ...
and of course, films you really deplore?
Of
course there are actors, films and television shows that I don’t care
for, and I could list them, but I don’t think it’s positive to be
negative! I will say that I am not a fan of reality television. Your website,
Facebook, whatever else?
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The links below will take you just there!!!
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Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/RobertoLombardiRTLProductions
IMDb:
http://www.imdb.me/robertolombardi
YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/PacoPapo
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/RTLombardi
Instagram:
http://instagram.com/robertolombardiofficial
Krueger
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KruegerElmStreetTales
Anything else you're dying to
tell us and I've merely forgotten to ask? Only
that if you are interested in my music and the albums I played on, they
are available for digital download on most sites. It’s 80’s and 90’s
rock. Bands are April Fool, The Rage, Road Trip, Red Sky and
The End.
Thanks for the
interview! Thank
you for interviewing me! It’s been my pleasure.
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