2 Minutes With...Paul D’Amato

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Spencer native Paul D’Amato began his acting career here in Worcester at Mrs. Hickey’s Dance Studio where he learned to tap dance. After a stint in the Army Paul attended Emerson College, majoring in Speech and Theatre and playing a little hockey before graduating in 1973. Over the years Paul has acted in dozens of projects from highly acclaimed feature films like "The Deer Hunter” to hit TV shows like “Law and Order.” He now works at Wachusett Mountain. We caught up with Paul this week to learn more about his acting career and working in the ski sport industry.

You’ve shared the screen with some of the biggest actors out there: Paul Newman, Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken to name a few. When did you start your acting career?

Well unofficially when I was taking dance lessons with Mrs. Hickey, officially at Emerson College. When I got out of the service I knew what I didn’t want to do. My drill sergeant at one point said, “Stop being so dramatical.” I’ve always been like that, I’ve always wanted to act. I knew when I was 3 years old and watching “Hopalong Cassidy” that I could do that.

How did you get selected to be in “Slap Shot”?

I sat down with my agent and he said, “I have to sell you. How can I sell you?” Well, I said, I ski. Everyone skis he said. All right I said, I was a pretty good hockey player, I played in college. “Next time there’s a hockey film… I’ll let you know,” (he said). About a month later I got a call from my agent, “You play hockey right? Do you still skate?” I said I did. “You have an audition at Sky Rink; Paul Newman is doing a hockey film.” At the audition I look out, they're already on the ice but they can’t skate and my heart almost leapt out of my chest because I realized at that point I had a shot, that I was better than these guys.

Newman was already a legend by the time he filmed “Slap Shot.” What was it like working alongside one of the greats?

I gotta tell you, first line I ever had in a movie – first job, first line – I'm looking at my idol Butch Cassidy, I’m looking at the guy that did “Cool Hand Luke,” I’m looking at the guy who did “The Sting” and I have to look him in the eye and say, “Dunlop! You suck cock!” I was a little nervous. Working with Newman was like working with a friend. He was great, he was accessible. He was that easy.

How many movies have you appeared in over the years?

I think I have two dozen things on IMDB, the International Movie Data Base. That only shows the big stuff, but I’ve done a lot of small stuff for NYU, student films. For the most part though, a couple dozen and that includes the Law and Orders and the “Six Million Dollar Man.” I’ve had some great lines over the years.

What’s one of your most memorable moments while on set? Any good scandals?

I got a chance to hold a straight razor to Cher’s throat in “Suspect.” How many people get a chance to really talk to Cher? That was a memorable moment. Filming “Slap Shot” there were some racy moments, I can say more racy than what ended up in the film. There were a lot of hockey groupies around while we were shooting but I was untouched, I remained neutral, I was Switzerland.

Tell us about your stage work.

While Gerard Depardieu was doing the movie “Columbus” I got to do the stage play “Columbus in the Age of Gold.” While Tommy Lee Jones was doing the movie “Howard Hughes” I got to do “Seduced,” the Sam Shepard play, these are Off-Broadway. I got a chance to play a Jewish boxing trainer in “Requiem for a Heavyweight.” I got those jobs where I wouldn’t dream of getting the part on the big-screen, those are A-List actor roles. Harrison Ford gets the job on the big screen, I get the job Off-Broadway. I’ll take that.

You also work in television; how is that different than working in film?

It’s faster. In film work you get a minute a day, it’s very precise. In “The Deer Hunter” we would do 25 takes, in “Heavens Gate” we would do 28 takes. I said “fuck-it” in “The Deer Hunter,” I must have said it 60 times, 28 takes, a couple of warm-ups. How am I going to forget my lines? With television you get two takes and you're out. Unless someone’s cutting your head off, that’s the take. They’ve got to move, they’ve got to get those eight minutes. When you do “Law and Order” you better show-up ready to rock and roll, you haven’t got time to rehearse.

When you’re not acting, how do you fill your time?

For the last 36 years I’ve worked in ski shops, whether it’s in Manhattan or currently at Wachusett Mountain. In 1978 I needed a job; we hadn’t gotten best picture for “Deer Hunter” yet so I went to Paragon Sports, that’s back when you could get a job. The guy asked me if I had ever mounted a ski before and I said no but what’s so hard about putting the middle of the boot on the middle of the ski with a jig. He said, “You’re hired. We’re going to give you a day to prove yourself.” I figured I’d get a good job in the spring but I never left, well except to go to California a few times and to do some shows. That industry has been very good to me and I became good at it.

What do you have coming up?

I’m working on a series for someone my own age, gee what a stretch, huh. If you look on TV most people, baby boomers, are watching late night, they're watching “King of Queens,” they're watching “Frasier,” these are older series. They have an overwhelming appeal to older people. No one's making series geared towards older people but I’m going to try. I’m in touch with a producer, keep our fingers crossed and let’s proceed with reckless abandon.