Zach Galligan was 18 and still living with his parents when he began work on his first starring role in a movie seven years ago. It was a special effects-laden horror-comedy that he knew had potential to become a major hit, especially since the producer was Steven Spielberg.
"Gremlins" did become a hit - in fact, it remains No. 22 on Variety's list of the biggest moneymaking movies of all time.But Galligan virtually disappeared, at least as far as mainstream moviegoers are concerned.
Oh, he showed up in a TV movie or two, as well as the forgettable theatrical film "Waxwork" a couple of years ago. And he had some success on Broadway, replacing Matthew Broderick in "Biloxi Blues."
But you might think a movie as successful as "Gremlins" would lead to better things. After all, the careers of "Gremlins" co-stars Phoebe Cates and Judge Reinhold seemed to take off afterward.
"I was never really acting," Galligan said in a telephone interview. "I was not taking it seriously. Acting was very much a hobby for me. It wasn't really until I was finishing college and doing it sporadically that I began to take it seriously. And that was just a year-and-a-half ago. Since then I've worked steadily for an actor, I would say. An actor is working steady if he's active four to six months a year."
Now Galligan is pursuing his acting career in earnest and stretching his abilities with a very different character in "Mortal Passions," which is in the dramatic independent competition at the Sundance United States Film Festival in Park City. (The film has also been picked up by MGM-UA and is scheduled to open in Salt Lake theaters Friday.)
"It is a departure because I usually play the boy next door, someone without that many problems. But this is a confused young man, the classic cuckolded husband. He's low-key and off the beaten track as far as my types of roles concerned."
The film is a modern film noir thriller, a sort of "Body Heat" variation with Galligan's character double-crossed by his wife and his own brother.
"The producer-director, Andrew Lane, is a friend of mine. He sent the script, asked me what I thought about it and I said, `I can't play the older character.' And he said, `No, we want you to play Todd.' I said, `Let me think about it.'
"I was never really hesitant."
Like most of the films in competition, "Mortal Passions" was a very low-budget production - under $500,000. "We shot it in four six-day weeks in the middle of blistering heat waves in a neighborhood that is not one of L.A.'s better areas. In between police raids, helicopters, heat waves and doing 10 pages of dialogue a day, it was pretty tough.
"It's slicker than its budget. The director of photography did a good job and the director is responsible for the brooding look, the darker moments. We were trying to get shadows and light to recreate the film noir look."
In addition to "Mortal Passions," Galligan recently completed "Gremlins II," which will be released in June. The film reunited Galligan with producer Steven Spielberg and director Joe Dante.
"Most of the original cast isn't back. We changed the locale so drastically - it's set in New York City. There's myself and Phoebe Cates and Dick Miller and Jackie Joseph. Then there's a whole new collection of really fun, interestingly developed characters played by John Glover, Robert Prosky, Christopher Lee. . . . Christopher Lee is really good, spoofing his horror movie persona."
Galligan said he was impressed with the effort that went into the production, in particular the growth he saw in director Dante. "Joe's made some amazing strides. The shots are really beautiful. He uses the camera in an incredible way. There are eight different camera moves in one take. It's packed with even more in-jokes. All sorts of people do cameos in it.
"And it has less of a mean streak than the first one, it's much more lighthearted and funny. We're all really proud of it and happy with what we've done.
"It's definitely not a schlocky sequel effort. A lot of thought and planning went into this for years.
"But this will definitely be the last one. I highly, highly doubt if another one could come together. I just have he feeling that everyone who's been involved with it have sort of taken the idea and exploited it to the fullest for these films."
-CATCH OF THE DAY: Monday: "To Sleep With Anger," in the dramatic competition, hasn't been seen by anyone except the festival programmers, but it is one of the festival's hottest tickets and a big draw due to Danny Glover's presence in the cast. (Egyptian Theater, 7 p.m.)
Tuesday: "Never Leave Nevada," also in the competition, is a quirky black-and-white character comedy that is something of a throwback in style to the kind of film that used to dominate the festival a decade ago. Funny and offbeat, it grows on you over the course of its 88 minutes. (Holiday Cinema I, 1:30 p.m.)
-STAR-SPOTTING: Cheech Marin - as in Cheech & Chong - was at the "Stanley & Iris" premiere Friday evening, looking dapper in a suit. But "Roger & Me" director Michael Moore was dressed in the same casual manner in which he appears in his movie, though he may have gone commercial on us: His trademark baseball cap said "Warner Bros.," the company distributing his film. Also, an apology to John Cusack for misspelling his name twice in Saturday's paper, but then it took me a long time to learn the spelling of Dan Aykroyd's name too.
The festival is presented by the Sundance Institute in cooperation with the Utah Film Commission. For further information about tickets or specific events phone 328-FILM.
Egyptian: "Iron and Silk," 10 a.m.; "Longtime Companion," 1 p.m.; "Secret Wedding," 4 p.m.; "To Sleep With Anger," 7 p.m.; "Mortal Passions," 10 p.m.
Holiday I: "The Other Side of the Moon," 10:30 a.m.; "To Protect Mother Earth," 1:30 p.m.; "Dance of Hope," 4:30 p.m.; "Preston Sturges," 7:30 p.m.; "Painting the Town" and "Metamorphosis," 10:30 p.m.
Holiday II: "The Last Stop," 10:15 a.m.; "Visa U.S.A.," 1:15 p.m.; "The Ambassador from India," 4:15 p.m.; "The Knack," 7:15 p.m.; "Water and Power," 10:15 p.m.
Holiday III: "Vienna Is Different," 10 a.m.; "The Story of a Three-Day Pass," 1 p.m.; "I.F. Stone's Weekly," 4 p.m.; "Hollywood Mavericks," 7 p.m.; "How to Be Louise," 10 p.m.
Prospector: "Roger & Me," 10 a.m.; "Chameleon Street," 1 p.m.; "The Kill Off," 4 p.m.; "The Killer," 7 p.m.; "Duck, You Sucker," 10 p.m.
Sundance: "A Matter of Degrees," 7 p.m.
TUESDAY
Egyptian: "H-2 Worker," 10 a.m.; "Vienna Is Different," 1 p.m.; "Mr. Hoover and I," 4 p.m.; "The Natural History of Parking Lots," 7 p.m.; "House Party," 10 p.m.
Holiday I: "The Spider Game," 10:30 a.m.; "Never Leave Nevada," 1:30 p.m.; "The Long Way Home," 4:30 p.m.; "A Time to Die," 7:30 p.m.; "Petulia," 10:30 p.m.
Holiday II: "A Man of Principle," 10:15 a.m.; "Little Fish in Love," 1:15 p.m.; "Sophisticated Gents," 4:15 p.m.; "Watermelon Man," 7:15 p.m.; "Rock," 10:15 p.m.
Holiday III: "The Story of a Three-Day Pass," 10 a.m.; "To Protect Mother Earth," 1 p.m.; "I.F. Stone's Weekly," 4 p.m.; "Painting the Town" and "Metamorphosis," 7 p.m.; "Berkeley in the Sixties," 10 p.m.
Prospector: "Discovery Program," 10 a.m.; "The Horseplayer," 1 p.m.; "The Unbelievable Truth," 4 p.m.; "A Matter of Degrees," 7 p.m.; "The Plot Against Harry," 10 p.m.
Sundance: "Metropolitan," 7 p.m.