Jeff Celentano: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker
An Interview With Edward Sylvan
The stress making a film takes on your body and soul. You have this beautiful project that you have to film, where the hours are extremely long and weather can be grueling. Plus, you’re managing 100 people between cast and crew, and they all have different egos and personalities that need to be managed.
As a part of our series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker”, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jeff Celentano.
Jeff Celentano was born and raised in Pemberton, New Jersey, a small rural town with towering maple trees and its very own “Main Street.” Jeff says, “Pemberton looks more like a back lot at Disney than a suburb in Southern New Jersey.”
He began his career as an actor while living on the east coast and has starred in nearly 30 feature films and episodic TV shows. In 1994, he turned to directing with his first feature film, “Under the Hula Moon,” which won several film festivals. He has also directed “Gunshy” starring Diane Lane, and “Breaking Point” starring Tom Berenger and Busta Rhymes. Most recently, he wrapped his latest project “The Hill,” an inspirational sports drama starring Dennis Quaid, Scott Glenn, Colin Ford, Joelle Carter and country music star Randy Houser.
One of the freshest new directors in Hollywood, Celentano manages to effectively combine comedy, drama and action with his own personalized style.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit of the ‘backstory’ of how you grew up?
I was raised on a blueberry farm in Southern New Jersey by my grandmother and great grandparents, who were blueberry and cranberry farmers. They were also my legal guardians. It was a perfect childhood, as we lived on a river and I had many friends with whom I did what boys did back then — get into trouble. Those days helped shape me as a young man and helped me further in life to not have any fear. I also attended a very public high school. That experience was challenging — you had to fight to survive and you learned how to stand up for yourself.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I fell into acting in the early 80s after meeting a very big music manager with whom my cousin was working in Los Angeles. He saw something in me and pushed me to take an acting class, and I just fell in love with acting and the business. In 1994, after not getting a particular acting role, I decided to make a film with the hopes of having total control over my own destiny as opposed to just being an actor where you have little or no input in anything. Of course, it’s ironic and funny because I found out pretty early on in my career that you don’t have much more control as a Film Director.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
Haha! I have many. One story that comes immediately to mind is when I was casting my first feature film, Under the Hula Moon. British actress Emily Lloyd was interested in the lead role and asked that I meet her at a mechanic’s garage because her pet snake had crawled into her dashboard and the mechanic was trying to retrieve it. That was an interesting interview, to say the least, and I ended up casting her in the lead role. Then I met Harry Dean Stanton for a different role in that very same film. He wanted me to join him at a nightclub, where he was having dinner with David Lynch. After dinner, Harry realized he had lost his eyeglasses, so David, Harry and I were crawling around on the floor looking for them under the table. It was surreal.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
I met director Barry Sonenfeld on the set of Wild Wild West, where he asked me, “What do you do, Jeff?” When I told him I was also a director, he responded, “No you’re not, You’re huge. You must be a lumberjack.” That was funny.
I’ve also directed and worked with Busta Rymes, Faye Dunaway, Tom Berenger, Diane Lane, Dennis Quaid and Scott Glenn, among others.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Jim Hodge is a Texas Oil baron who believed in me early on and helped me get started. I had met and befriended him on the set of a movie he produced. He had no idea what he was doing, so I boldly stepped in and offered to cut a trailer and help him sell the film. In the end, he got all of his money back. Jim and I then formed Periscope Pictures in the early 90’s, which helped me build my career. I feel my career would have taken off in a bigger way, but a lot of the studios with whom I had hoped/planned to work wouldn’t let me bring Jim onboard, so I turned down a lot of great opportunities. That’s just who I am. How could I abandon the man who believed in me from the start, gave me a career, and funded my first film?
Also, two of my biggest mentors and friends were Bob Altman and legendary film editor Gerald Greenberg. Bob taught me how to run a set with harmony and taught me casting the right actors was everything. Gerry taught me about story and editing a film.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“You’ll never know what’s on the other side if you don’t take risks.”
“Live life to the fullest.”
I am very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
Of course diversity is important! The world is always changing and we have to move forward with it. Diversity gives all people a chance who normally would be overlooked. I feel a more diverse film brings us all together in relating to each other because that is what is happening now in our normal lives.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I recently wrapped The Hill, a project I’ve been developing and working on for over 12 years with many false starts. Penned by Angelo Pizzo (Rudy, Hoosiers) and the late Scott Marshall Smith (The Score, Men of Honor), the film tells the incredible true story of Rickey Hill, a boy who overcomes his physical disability to play professional baseball. Two-time Golden Globe nominee Dennis Quaid leads the incredible cast, which also includes Scott Glenn (The Bourne Ultimatum, The Silence Of The Lambs), Colin Ford (Captain Marvel, We Bought A Zoo), Joelle Carter (The Big Ugly, Justified) and country music star Randy Houser.
Dennis plays Rickey’s father, Pastor Hill, an instinctively protective man who doesn’t want his son to go out into the world and get ridiculed for his disability and worse to try and become a baseball player. Ultimately, Pastor Hill’s tough exterior is broken as Rickey grows up and proves his natural ability and talent for hitting a ball and the game.
Joelle was cast as Rickey’s mother, Helen Hill; Colin plays the older Rickey; Randy is Ray Clemons, an older gentlemen from Rickey’s childhood who encourages him to try out for Major League Baseball; and Scott joins in the role of legendary Major League Baseball scout Red Murff, who discovered Rickey. Newcomer to the big screen, Jesse Berry, plays the young Rickey.
However, the complexities Rickey faced in the relationship with his father makes the film more than a baseball story. It’s a story about family, and what one young man can do to follow his dream.
Which aspect of your work makes you most proud? Can you explain or give a story?
I’m most proud of having the gift of spotting great talent and finding stars. Also, in directing actors and having the ability to tell a good story. I’ve always been a story teller since I was a kid.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 things I wish some-one told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
How hard it is to raise money.
The stress making a film takes on your body and soul. You have this beautiful project that you have to film, where the hours are extremely long and weather can be grueling. Plus, you’re managing 100 people between cast and crew, and they all have different egos and personalities that need to be managed.
Be careful in becoming a filmmaker. It’s addicting and it won’t let you go easily.
You’re only as important as your last film.
Always be prepared, and willing to compromise and bend. It can save your life.
Listen to your gut and your intuition. It won’t fail you.
When you create a film, which stakeholders have the greatest impact on the artistic and cinematic choices you make? Is it the viewers, the critics, the financiers, or your own personal artistic vision? Can you share a story with us or give an example about what you mean?
I’d say it’s your producer who is pushing you to make your days, stay on schedule, and stay on budget. I’m always keeping my eye on the story and the cast in how they find their character arc and how their character learns something. It’s a balance making sure the money and time don’t cause you to sacrifice the vision and the story. It’s not easy, but with experience it becomes second nature. I respect my producers. They have a hard job of always keeping the filmmaker in check and keeping their obligation to the investor.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I know it sounds cliché, but I would create a movement where we could teach everyone to get along and love all people. I always have a positive attitude and want nothing but love and hope for the world. People must look into their hearts and find a way to be positive and compassionate.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the U.S. whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this. :-)
Robert Zemekis. He is without a doubt one of the top Directors of all time. He made What Lies Beneath, Forest Gump and Back to the Future. He is a master of all genres. I love that. I’d love to pick his brain on so many subjects.
How can our readers further follow you online?
Follow me on Instagram @Directorjeffcelentano or on my website www.jeffcelentano.com.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much!
