Steve Guttenberg Talks Misdirection, 'Party Down,' and Brotherly Love

Steve Guttenberg Talks Misdirection, 'Party Down,' and Brotherly Love By Daniel Holloway November 4, 2011 Photo by Getty Images Steve Guttenberg Steve Guttenberg likes to get to the theater early. Most days, since previews for "Relatively Speaking" began in September at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre, Guttenberg arrives a few hours before the curtain. He meditates, warms up his voice, and spends some time wandering the auditorium. Eventually he makes his way to the back row of the balcony and has a seat. "It's craft," the actor says. "The craft part of it is great. There is a film craft, but theater is a different kind of craft."For most of his career, Guttenberg has been a film actor, best known for his work in hit 1980s movies such as "Cocoon," "3 Men and a Baby," and the "Police Academy" series. This fall he takes the stage in "Relatively Speaking," a collection of three one-act plays, each written by a scribe who, like Guttenberg, is most identified with screen work but has done his or her fair share of theater: Ethan Coen, Elaine May, and Woody Allen. Guttenberg takes the lead in the final piece of the trifecta, Allen's "Honeymoon Motel," which begins with a middle-aged man in a tuxedo and a bridal gownclad younger woman bursting excitedly into a hotel room, ready for some post-ceremony nookie. But not all is as it appears, and soon the suite is filled to bursting with family members, a rabbi, and a pizza delivery man, all arguing over the relationship between Jerry (Guttenberg) and Nina (Ari Graynor).This isn't Guttenberg's first time on Broadwayhe took over for Timothy Hutton in the early-1990s production of "Prelude to a Kiss" at the Helen Hayes Theatrebut it is his first time working with Allen and director John Turturro, both of whom he praises highly. "We rehearsed every day with John, and Woody was there for a lot of the rehearsals," he says. "We started in August, and it's just one of the best creative experiences I ever had."1. He's a Magician's Apprentice (Sort Of). "Woody is one of the masters of all time of misdirection," Guttenberg says. He's talking about the moment a few minutes into the play whenspoiler alertit's revealed that Jerry isn't the groom but rather the groom's stepfather, who interrupted the ceremony to declare his love for the bride and found those feelings requited. "It's a great respect to the audience to give them such misdirection. I think from his days being a magician, he loves magic. When you misdirect people, people love it." Like in a magic show, the moment of the reveal in "Honeymoon" is a crowd pleaser, drawing boisterous response from the audience. But earning that response requires careful work by Guttenberg and Graynor in those first few minutes. "The greatest respect I can give the audience is to fool them that we're married," he says. "I love playing it. The greatest part of any character is when you can play it honestly. He's not lying at all to the audience. I never tell the audience what's going on. I just am in love with this girl. So when it's revealed, it's a wonderful part to play because I'm playing the truth all the time."2. He Loves a Good 'Male Romantic Scene.' The revelation about Jerry and Nina's relationship comes while Nina is offstage, donning some wedding-night lingerie. Jerry hears a knockit's more like a set-rattling poundon the door and answers it to find his friend Eddie (Grant Shaud), who, in confronting Jerry, informs the audience of the truth. "Grant and I are friends, and when I start connecting with him it's great," he says. "I love all kinds of work, but there's something great about doing a buddy scene. It's the male romantic scene." Guttenberg's career picked up steam in 1982, when he starred in one of the quintessential buddy movies of that era, Barry Levinson's "Diner." He cites it as one of a list of great films that showcase the power of bro-love. "You love your buddy," he says. "There's nothing better. 'The Magnificent Seven,' 'The Great Escape,' 'Diner.' Buddy movies. Guys talking. So I love that scene with Grant."3. He's Serious About Stage and Screen. "You approach the work the same," Guttenberg says of shifting gears from screen to stage. "You just get serious about it." Not that the mediums don't come with their own challenges. For Guttenberg, the biggest difference is the most obviousthe night-after-night nature of theater versus the stop-start way of film and television. "When you're in a film, you get it right that day and then you move on," he says. "[Onstage] it's a different timing. You're making the timing, not the editoralthough you can make your own timing in films, but sometimes it doesn't work and the editor makes it work, or it works and the editor does something that makes you look bad."4. He Likes to Party Down. Younger audiences may know Guttenberg best from his appearance in the Starz series "Party Down," a comedy about a group of Los Angeles cater-waiters. The series lasted only two seasons, but it has developed a cult following. The season 2 episode "Steve Guttenberg's Birthday," in which the cast spends a day hanging out with the man himself, is considered a fan favorite. Guttenberg had worked with series star Adam Scott on several episodes of "Veronica Mars" years earlier. When he spotted Scott in a Times Square ad for the then-new "Party Down," he left his friend a phone message congratulating him on the show. "He called me back and said, 'Hey, we're thinking about doing a show on you.' So I said, 'Oh great.' Eventually he sent [the script] to me, and I said, 'Oh, this'll be great.' " In the episode, Guttenberg acts as a sort of friendly benefactor, opening his lavish home to the caterers and offering plenty of booze and career-nurturing advice. He says that the humor comes from how true the situation is. "Most of the time when you have somebody who is a big star, they're usually very nice people and very grateful people," he says. "You know, the attention and the money they receive and the salaries they receive are ridiculous. They're way overpaid. There are a lot of big stars that when they're around people that they can pamper a little bit, they love it."5. There are Things He Can't Talk About. Next up for Guttenberg is "A Novel Romance," an indie film he stars in and co-produced, which will open in limited release this month. But there's one potential project he won't discuss: a "Police Academy" sequel, about which rumors have circulated for years. "I know they're developing a script," he says. If a project develops, will he do it? "I can't talk about that." Steve Guttenberg Talks Misdirection, 'Party Down,' and Brotherly Love By Daniel Holloway November 4, 2011 Steve Guttenberg PHOTO CREDIT Getty Images Steve Guttenberg likes to get to the theater early. Most days, since previews for "Relatively Speaking" began in September at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre, Guttenberg arrives a few hours before the curtain. He meditates, warms up his voice, and spends some time wandering the auditorium. Eventually he makes his way to the back row of the balcony and has a seat. "It's craft," the actor says. "The craft part of it is great. There is a film craft, but theater is a different kind of craft."For most of his career, Guttenberg has been a film actor, best known for his work in hit 1980s movies such as "Cocoon," "3 Men and a Baby," and the "Police Academy" series. This fall he takes the stage in "Relatively Speaking," a collection of three one-act plays, each written by a scribe who, like Guttenberg, is most identified with screen work but has done his or her fair share of theater: Ethan Coen, Elaine May, and Woody Allen. Guttenberg takes the lead in the final piece of the trifecta, Allen's "Honeymoon Motel," which begins with a middle-aged man in a tuxedo and a bridal gownclad younger woman bursting excitedly into a hotel room, ready for some post-ceremony nookie. But not all is as it appears, and soon the suite is filled to bursting with family members, a rabbi, and a pizza delivery man, all arguing over the relationship between Jerry (Guttenberg) and Nina (Ari Graynor).This isn't Guttenberg's first time on Broadwayhe took over for Timothy Hutton in the early-1990s production of "Prelude to a Kiss" at the Helen Hayes Theatrebut it is his first time working with Allen and director John Turturro, both of whom he praises highly. "We rehearsed every day with John, and Woody was there for a lot of the rehearsals," he says. "We started in August, and it's just one of the best creative experiences I ever had."1. He's a Magician's Apprentice (Sort Of). "Woody is one of the masters of all time of misdirection," Guttenberg says. He's talking about the moment a few minutes into the play whenspoiler alertit's revealed that Jerry isn't the groom but rather the groom's stepfather, who interrupted the ceremony to declare his love for the bride and found those feelings requited. "It's a great respect to the audience to give them such misdirection. I think from his days being a magician, he loves magic. When you misdirect people, people love it." Like in a magic show, the moment of the reveal in "Honeymoon" is a crowd pleaser, drawing boisterous response from the audience. But earning that response requires careful work by Guttenberg and Graynor in those first few minutes. "The greatest respect I can give the audience is to fool them that we're married," he says. "I love playing it. The greatest part of any character is when you can play it honestly. He's not lying at all to the audience. I never tell the audience what's going on. I just am in love with this girl. So when it's revealed, it's a wonderful part to play because I'm playing the truth all the time."2. He Loves a Good 'Male Romantic Scene.' The revelation about Jerry and Nina's relationship comes while Nina is offstage, donning some wedding-night lingerie. Jerry hears a knockit's more like a set-rattling poundon the door and answers it to find his friend Eddie (Grant Shaud), who, in confronting Jerry, informs the audience of the truth. "Grant and I are friends, and when I start connecting with him it's great," he says. "I love all kinds of work, but there's something great about doing a buddy scene. It's the male romantic scene." Guttenberg's career picked up steam in 1982, when he starred in one of the quintessential buddy movies of that era, Barry Levinson's "Diner." He cites it as one of a list of great films that showcase the power of bro-love. "You love your buddy," he says. "There's nothing better. 'The Magnificent Seven,' 'The Great Escape,' 'Diner.' Buddy movies. Guys talking. So I love that scene with Grant."3. He's Serious About Stage and Screen. "You approach the work the same," Guttenberg says of shifting gears from screen to stage. "You just get serious about it." Not that the mediums don't come with their own challenges. For Guttenberg, the biggest difference is the most obviousthe night-after-night nature of theater versus the stop-start way of film and television. "When you're in a film, you get it right that day and then you move on," he says. "[Onstage] it's a different timing. You're making the timing, not the editoralthough you can make your own timing in films, but sometimes it doesn't work and the editor makes it work, or it works and the editor does something that makes you look bad."4. He Likes to Party Down. Younger audiences may know Guttenberg best from his appearance in the Starz series "Party Down," a comedy about a group of Los Angeles cater-waiters. The series lasted only two seasons, but it has developed a cult following. The season 2 episode "Steve Guttenberg's Birthday," in which the cast spends a day hanging out with the man himself, is considered a fan favorite. Guttenberg had worked with series star Adam Scott on several episodes of "Veronica Mars" years earlier. When he spotted Scott in a Times Square ad for the then-new "Party Down," he left his friend a phone message congratulating him on the show. "He called me back and said, 'Hey, we're thinking about doing a show on you.' So I said, 'Oh great.' Eventually he sent [the script] to me, and I said, 'Oh, this'll be great.' " In the episode, Guttenberg acts as a sort of friendly benefactor, opening his lavish home to the caterers and offering plenty of booze and career-nurturing advice. He says that the humor comes from how true the situation is. "Most of the time when you have somebody who is a big star, they're usually very nice people and very grateful people," he says. "You know, the attention and the money they receive and the salaries they receive are ridiculous. They're way overpaid. There are a lot of big stars that when they're around people that they can pamper a little bit, they love it."5. There are Things He Can't Talk About. Next up for Guttenberg is "A Novel Romance," an indie film he stars in and co-produced, which will open in limited release this month. But there's one potential project he won't discuss: a "Police Academy" sequel, about which rumors have circulated for years. "I know they're developing a script," he says. If a project develops, will he do it? "I can't talk about that."