I think shorts are way harder.
You have to tell such a concise story in such a short format.
Gandolfini spends much of the short writhing around with increasingly swollen face and shuttered eyes.
TeaBWR Productions
It was a scene in which he was rehearsing asking out the girl of his dreams.
It was just him rehearsing that, but he shot it in a park.
Here I started small, with this character whos putting on a brave face, he says.
Gabriella Piazza, Michael Gandolfini, Alexandra Intrator on set of ‘The Many Saints of Newark’Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty Images
I thought it was good jumping off point for a short.
I felt I can command that and capture some truth, says Rice.
He was able to make a specific short.
The second you see pretty much everyone in this short you know their whole story.
Thats because Blake had an extremely detailed and thorough vision.
When Blake approached him with his idea forTea, Gandolfini says getting on board was a no brainer.
Thats how talented Blake is.
He really added so much heart.
The slapstick nature of it is not the pushing force, in the way I thought it was.
Thats the best part of being an actor.
Rice credits Gandolfini for helping the film to strike its hybrid tone.
Can we make it feel really dramatic and perilous?
Can we get some laughs, or can we pull the heart chords a bit?
I think with us jamming together and talking before, we could really weave that through.
Blake says the shorts selection by Cannes was a career-changing experience.
When youre a filmmaker trying to break in.
Youre all kind of rooting for each other, says Rice.
He has also has another two shorts in the works includingDisc, starring Jim Cummings.
Ive got my first feature coming up.
Quizzed on whether they hope to work together again in the future, Gandolfini says he is game.
Im a people person.
I act because I really enjoy people and storytellers.
