Image taken from gregoryjbara.com


MV:

Hello Mr. Jbara, thanks for taking some time to make this exclusive interview with Movie Vault possible. First I'd like to ask you what got you interested in the film/tv business, and when did you know for sure you wanted to make a career out of it?

Mr. Jbara:

A career in the entertainment industry has always been an interest of mine. I have always credited the Catholic Church for infecting me with the acting bug.

MV:

Could you explain why the Church influenced you in that aspect?

Mr. Jbara:

As an altar boy in third grade I found great pleasure in being up on the altar on Sundays, knowing that my peers from school were all seeing me up there participating in a very sacred event. (There's nothing more theatrical than Catholic high mass) ...

I enjoyed being singled out, being noticed. In my day, altar boys would often read the scripture selections when assistant pastors or ushers were not available. My public speaking skills were developing at a very early age. I also had the priviledge of being a student in a public school system that cherished and nurtured the arts.

I was 'Frosty the Snowman' in first grade, performed in a play and a musical each year from 7th thru 12th grade; Played virtually every brass instrument and percussion in the Junior High and High School bands and orchestras, was Marching Band President, was in every choir, (our male chorus in HS had over 70 members); The HS principal was originally the Band Teacher so support for the arts was very strong in grades 10 thru 12. I simply loved performing in any venue. We also had a TV studio at our HS.

MV:

Was there a certain event that inspired you to be an actor?

Mr. Jbara:

The firm decision to pursue a career as a professional actor did not occur until my undergrad years at the University of Michigan. Music school faculty member Connie Barron and speech teacher Jose Cantu encouraged me to attend one of the League of Professional Theatre Training Schools of which The Juilliard School was a member. The league is now dissolved, but it was a phone conversation with then League President Sharon Jenson that helped with my decision to audition for the Drama Division at The Juilliard School.

MV:

I noticed you used to work on Broadway for a while, did you learn much from those experiences?

Mr. Jbara:

I have learned that TV and film work is sorely missing the audience interaction that is such a vital part of the live theatre acting experience. Theatre taught me timing, rehearsal discipline, vocal discipline and the joy of playing the same character 8 times a week. Broadway taught me about 'community'...the NYC Broadway Community. There is nothing like it.

I also had the priviledge of working with some incredible artists and learning from the masters. There was a time when I was performing in the evening in DAMN YANKEES with Jerry Lewis and rehearsing VICTOR/VICTORIA during the day with Blake Edwards and Julie Andrews. Remarkable times.

MV:

Which do you prefer the most, working on TV series or motion pictures?

Mr. Jbara:

I moved my family to Los Angeles to focus on work in TV and Film. I would say that I enjoy al three mediums equally as they are each so very different. I would have stayed in NYC if Broadway theatre was all that interested me.

From a business standpoint, it was time to pursue TV and Film in order to broaden my employment options and establish greater visibility as an actor. Working as an actor is really all about sales skills, Broadway now casts TV and film celebrities in their shows for box office security... it was my time to get a TV series or blockbuster movie so I could go back to NYC and play the leading roles I desire.

MV:

What character have you enjoyed playing the most? And which was the most difficult to play?

Mr. Jbara:

The CHARACTER I have enjoyed playing the most would have to be 'Billy Flynn' in the broadway production of CHICAGO. That character has the best entrance ever! Appearing upstage center at the top of a staircase with a stage full of scantily clad women chanting your name.

Favorite film role would be 'Snug the Joiner' in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"...a dream cast and three weeks of doing Shakespeare in Tuscany. Sublime! Have yet to experience a difficult TV or FILM role, when they are well written they tend to be accessible to act.

MV:

I know this might be a tough question, but what person (actor, director, anything) have you enjoyed working with the most?

Mr. Jbara:

Easy answer... Bryan Cranston in MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE. The most genuinely kind and hilarious man I have ever worked with. A close second would be the cast of FOREVER PLAID (Michael Winther, Paul Binotto & Neal Nash) and then everybody else would be right behind them. You're right Arturo... this IS a tough question. Guess I'll just leave it at that.

MV:

Is there any actor you see as a role model, or someone you'd like to be like, or have a career like? If so, why?

Mr. Jbara:

Gene Hackman has always been an actor I've admired. His integrity and range of work speaks for itself.

MV:

Who would you truely love to work with that you've never worked with before?

Mr. Jbara:

I will limit my choices to the TV and FILM realm. From an artistic and a business standpoint: Steven Spielberg.

MV:

Have you ever regretted taking a role?

Mr. Jbara:

Well...in the Out-Of-Towners I played the well written part of a sex-a-holic. It never dawned on me that my pre-teen relatives would rush to see their cousin play a self-pleasing 12 stepper in a Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn comedy. Following the films release I got an earful at the family reunion .

MV:

What was the funniest thing that ever happened while shooting?

Mr. Jbara:

While shooting AMSND in Tuscany, the entire cast stayed in a huge villa about 30 minutes outside of Montepuciano where most of the Monte Athena exteriors were shot. Each actor had their own chauffeur driven Alfa Romero to get them around. At the end of a day of shooting we would all race to get home to the villa first as our chef/housekeeper would have the dinner table all prepared for 12 to 15 people with the fireplace roaring, fresh bread, cheese, olive oil and bottles of local wine open and waiting. My wife was with me as were many of the cast's spouses and families. One particular evening my wife was on set with her rented Renault. We had finished shooting early and we all hopped in my wife's car as none of the drivers had arrived to pick up on set. I didn't bother removing my make-up, wrapping toilet paper around my neck to protect my personal clothing. The idea was to be the first car back to the villa to start on the wine and grab the comfy chairs in front of the fire. Simonetta, our chef/housekeeper would not serve dinner until all had arrived and were seated at the table. So scoring a comfy chair by the fire was THE place to kill the hour or so while everybody raced home.

I'm now driving my wife's rental car. Dialogue coach Liz Smith in the backseat and my wife riding shotgun. With my make-up and toilet paper shawl I looked like Liberace on acid. About ten miles out of town there was a car parked at the roadside under a street light and the silhouette of a man standing in the middle of the road holding what looked like a ping-pong paddle. Slowing down as we approached we could see it was a police officer and the paddle said 'stop' in Italian. Bringing the Renoult to a full stop I rolled down my window. Remembering from the look on the officers face that I was dressed perhaps a little more odd than the other farmers he had been stopping that evening, I asked the officer if he spoke any english. Of course he did not. For a few moments no words were exchanged. He moved his flashlight from me to my wife to Liz and back to me. More silence. Then stepping away from the driver door... he said something which I interpreted by the waving of his ping-pong paddle to mean 'go ahead'. Pulling away, I could see thru the rearview mirror the officer never took his eyes off of us, ping-pong paddle hanging at his side. Guess you had to be there. We were still the first to score the comfy chairs!

MV:

Do you have any tips for struggling actors?

Mr. Jbara:

Yes... remember this industry is called 'show BUSINESS'.

Get the best training to be as versatile an actoras possible. Develop killer sales skills and wait for no one to do it for you. Immerse yourself in acting. Perform whenever and wherever you can. Get your name and face out to every person who employs actors. If this doesn's sound like the activity with which you must fill your every waking moment, then find another profession.

MV:

Would you like your family to be involved in the industry?

Mr. Jbara:

Sure, if it is what makes them happy. My wife left acting and is now earning her Masters degree for Family Counseling related to Adoptee Issues. My brother Dan produces Ripley's Believe It of Not for Columbia Tri-Star TV and my youngest brother Mike is VP of Studio Operations for Warner Music Group. So I have family in the business.

MV:

Here's another tough one; what are some of your favorite motion pictures?

Mr. Jbara:

Kelly's Heroes, Lawrence of Arabia, Aliens among a zillion others.

MV:

Before we let you go, is there anything you would like to say to the Movie Vault audience?

Mr. Jbara:

be sure to watch Gregory Jbara as next door neighbor 'Dan O'Keefe' on Grounded For Life Wednesdays at 8:30/7:30 central on FOX. Starting January 30

And don't miss RIPLEY'S Believe It or Not! Wednesdays at 8pm on TBS (can't help the salesman in me).

MV:

Thanks, Mr. Jbara, You have an indelible filmography with many highs. Thanks for your time and effort put into your answers.