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Six years ago, actor Chuck Slavin took off for Hollywood with a high school pal, determined to break into movies. He returned, broke, six months later, having achieved one second of small screen time pushing a gurney down a hallway in the TV show, “Six Feet Under.”
“Needless to say, when I came back here, I felt defeated,” said Slavin, who grew up in Pembroke and now lives in Weymouth. “My friend is still out there, but the irony is, he’s not working as much as I am. All the movies are coming out here.”
Slavin, 28, has hitched his star to almost every recent film project coming through Boston, including “The Departed,” “Game Plan,” “21,” “The Lonely Maiden” and “Pink Panther II.” His current project is “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,” starring Matthew McConaughey.
Slavin is one of the few local actors working full time, but he believes that would change if a modern studio complex were built at SouthField in South Weymouth. The former naval air base is one of several sites that have been suggested to movie industry executives interested in building a regional studio.
“Last year, they made four major films in Boston. This year there are already 15,” said Slavin. “We’ve moved into second place behind New Mexico now as the most enticing place to film.”
But while film companies are coming to Boston for the new tax incentives and the locations, they are also leaving part way through production to take advantage of soundstages and other top-grade facilities in New York and Los Angeles, he said.
“The few places they’ve turned into soundstages here you wouldn’t consider adequate when you think of a $50 million film using an old K-Mart as a holding area.”
He said shooting on “Pink Panther II” in a converted warehouse was repeatedly held up by the sounds of rain, overhead helicopters and even shots fired down the street.
Slavin is part of “the New England film movement,” a network of actors and production workers trying to raise awareness of local talent and opportunities in the movie industry. On his website and through a Facebook group, he urges colleagues to make their voices heard on laws that would affect plans for a local production studio.
Economic boost
The legislation backed by State Representative Ronald Mariano, D-Quincy, would redefine “manufacturing” to include the production of movies and extend the sunset provisions on tax credits in consideration of the time involved in completing most major film projects.
Slavin provides links to published articles about the studio proposals and e-mail address links for local and state legislators on his website at www.chuckslavin.com.
“What I’ve been trying to do is raise awareness. I don’t want to step on the toes of the legislature,” he said. “It’s something that will happen if they know they have a lot of support from the film community and around Massachusetts and New England.”
A studio complex at SouthField would boost both the local entertainment business and the regional economy, said Slavin.
“We don’t want a studio where all New York people come in and run it. We want them to hire local actors and production crews. There are so many great, talented people here. It’s only a matter of time till it trickles down and creates a benefit for the residents of Massachusetts and New England.”
When film companies come to town, they turn to local businesses for everything from lunches to flowers to set-building materials, he said. “Money gets spread around as long as the movie is in production.”
Movie companies may continue to bring in Hollywood actors—including homegrown stars like Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Mark and Donnie Wahlberg—but Slavin is confident they will soon discover a wealth of local talent.
“There’s a misconception that you can’t be a serious actor unless you’re in New York or L.A. Anybody who watches TV and movies knows there’s a spot for everybody,” he said. “They’re always looking for diversity, for a different look. They’re looking for regular people. Everybody can have a chance to shine.”
Living the dream
When movie producers first came calling for Slavin in Boston, they were more interested in casting his beat-up ’71 Lincoln in “Mystic River” and its successor, an ’89 Camaro, in “The Departed.”
It was on the set of “The Departed” that Slavin first met casting director Jodi Purdy-Quinlan of Weymouth.
“She gave me some advice on what I should do, classes I should take, and some of the local people—information I wouldn’t get unless I was hunting for it,” he said. “I thought, ‘Wow. Maybe there is an underground film community here.’”
Slavin’s movie roles haven’t been glamorous, but they are paying the bills: a museum guard with a funny mustache in “The Lonely Maiden”; a wedding guest in “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past”; Andy Garcia’s stand-in for “Pink Panther II.”
The added bonus for him is the chance to observe up close the making of major motion pictures and the techniques of such actors as Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman, William H. Macy, Steve Martin and John Cleese.
“I can pick up on their motivation and listen in on the little decisions they make with their characters,” Slavin said. “I could go to school and not learn that. I can see them figure it out on the set, I can see how they do it. It’s priceless.”
Slavin is working on both sides of the camera now producing short films. His comedy, “The Clueless Guy,” is being edited into a ten-minute film he plans to broadcast on the web to showcase local acting and production talent. He is co-writing a horror film to shoot later this summer.
In addition to his steady work as a movie extra, Slavin currently appears as an auto mechanic in a commercial for Porter & Chester Institute.
“I’ve always had the acting bug,” he said. “As a kid in my backyard, I’d create stories and play pretend to get away from my family. My dad was an abusive parent. I’d go out to the woods and make up stories and be somebody else. I’d do millions and millions of characters.”
Slavin took theater classes and acted in productions at Silver Lake Regional High School. After “a patch of trouble,” he graduated from Middleboro Night School, and he’s been taking community college courses towards an associate degree. Acting remains his passion.
“So many people share that passion,” Slavin said. “Anything I can do to help move this studio project along is more important than anything, even the dreams I have.”
“This is a huge opportunity that we may not have again. This is the moment,” he said. “It’s the right location, the tax incentives are working now. The fact is we’re a lot closer than anybody else to getting this accomplished.”
For more information or to contact Slavin, visit his website at www.chuckslavin.com.
Weymouth News
By Maureen Walsh
Correspondent
3/12/2008 |
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