As Co-Writer, Executive Producer and Lead, Steve Lichtenstein’s film, Aaron with 2 A’s is about an older man who is following his dreams and wants to live life to the fullest…if he can only get out of his own way!
Tell us about your film, Aaron with 2 A’s. Why is this project so important to you?
3 years ago, I wrote a monologue and started to find a story I wanted to tell. To a large degree Aaron is me and my life. But others who have read the script have said they see themselves. It is so important to me because it is so personal to me. So, there is vulnerability in showing yourself, warts, and all, publicly. Of course, the story is dramatized so it is an extension of me. After working for 3 years on it, the film has become my baby. My son always did want a sibling. So now he has a film for a sibling. Seriously, it does become part of you. We are currently in post-production and editing the film. I came up with an idea and got together with Mark Resnik. We started to flesh it out and once I knew the message I wanted to impart, it morphed into a very personal, yet universal and dynamic story that I think will impact and inspire people. I never thought in a million years that I could have these many slashes. The story is mine. I am a Co-Writer, the Executive Producer and Lead. The film is being directed by Michael Goldburg. It also stars Pamela Jayne Morgan and Anthony Robert Grasso among an incredible cast and crew. The producer is Randi Sloane, and my co-writers are Mark Resnik, Montana Rock, and Michael Goldburg. It is about an older man who is an underdog following his dreams and choosing to live his life to the fullest if he can only get out of his own way before he destroys everything he already has. It is quite an amazing thing to have people believe in your vision and want to join. The film takes a lot of effort by a lot of people who believe in the story and message. It has taken hold of me deeply and rooted itself in my being. This and a couple of other recent projects I’ve done have taught me that to make any film is an unbelievable accomplishment that takes a belief in the vision, dedication, hard work, fun, and fortitude. I admire all the dreamers who inspire me.
I hope that people will take the journey with us and donate to our go fund me drive. Quality Film Making isn’t cheap. I hope people will be part of making this dream come true. We also have pages on Facebook and Instagram. Please feel free to visit, like and comment on posts. Aaron with 2 A’s go fund me link is:
What is it about Aaron with 2 A’s that will resonate with the audience?
Seeing how anyone who shifts their attitude can change everything. Hopefully, people will see some part of themselves in the story and see that they can follow their dreams no matter how old they are, or the obstacles involved. My desire is to inspire and impact people. They may even come to appreciate their own life as it is, instead of seeing what they are missing. The film is a dramedy. So, there is a mix of humor inside the drama. Although I’d like it to, the film will not solve the world’s problems…but it is an important film because it brings inspiration, hope and joy into the world at a time when we can all use that!!!
Tell us about your role as Roy Cohn in Angels of America. What roles intrigue you?
I loved the play, Angels in America. I have always loved history. What really resonated about the play was the incredible writing of Tony Kushner. Any character you play must have a great story to tell. The story Angels tells is about Aides, and plot lines and themes that come from that. One of them is how someone who will go to any length, to maintain and grow his power, could deny who his inner being was and even hurt others because of it. At first, I thought of Roy Cohn the way everyone rightfully thinks of him. I have studied Roy for 4-years now. I watched many documentaries and other videos about him. The mannerisms, the exterior Roy we all saw. But what got him to being that Roy we hated intrigued me. I had to go deep to see the similarities in myself and Roy. To see how someone who felt many of the same things I felt growing up, took that experience, and twisted it and used it against others. He grew up being bullied, told he was ugly, always sought attention and love from his parents and got little in return. He was an underdog. He was alone. He carried that into adulthood. The more he felt insecure, bullied, and needing attention the more the hard exterior came out and the more he used it against people who could hurt him. He wanted people to need him. An actor no matter who he plays always gets a bit defensive of his character because he must justify the person’s actions. I now have a weird feeling about him. I know all the pain he caused, but I can also see the human and his suffering. He was a very complex person with so much hidden and denied on the inside. I love characters who are that complex. I guess the best example of who he was, that I can supply, is he was one of the most powerful people in the country, a King Maker, who slept in a bed with all his stuffed animals and loved stuffed animal frogs. At times he would play with them. The little boy was always there needing love and approval. Also, to never be bullied again, he became the bully. And moreover, he could never accept his own gayness or Jewishness. Then he got AIDS and wouldn’t accept that. Playing his stages of dying was a challenge too.
I love to play well-defined characters who have a mix of good and bad. Characters who are underdogs and have a chip on their shoulder. The powerful A types. It is also wonderful to play someone who impacts society and has secrets.
What role has stretched your acting ability?
I believe that I have a good deal of range as an actor. Honestly, any role I have ever played has stretched me in some way. The deepest roles I have had a chance to play recently were over zoom. I was involved with a group that mounted play readings that were full productions So that really stretches one. Boss Finley in Tennessee Williams’s Sweet Bird of Youth was a very deep role filled with hypocrisy, irony, and love. In comedy I have played roles from Barney Cashman in Last of the Red Hot Lovers by Neil Simon to Prisoner of Second Avenue by Neil Simon. But I think playing Roy Cohn really stretched me because we had 2 weeks to prepare for Part 1 of Angels in America. Then 1 week for Part 2. So, there were many long intense rehearsals and playing a progressing disease that finally kills him was a challenge. And of course, playing some who really lived adds another level. Being able to play the opposite of the intensity of Roy Cohn to play Ronald in Like Daughter Like Mother directed by the late Clyde Baldo and Saul the soup guy in Sure Fire directed by Michael Goldburg certainly stretches your range.
You received a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Uptown Manhattan Film Festival for your role as Ronald the powerful quirky dad. Tell us about this role.
Good old Ronald! Ronald was an accountant, now retired. His wife passed away 11 years ago. But he can’t seem to move on. Dates are rare for him. He is looking for his late wife in someone else. His doctor son and his friends have pushed him and convinced him lately to pick up his game. While he has travelled a great deal, it has been with his son. He and his son are very close and always have been. They have their own little games and code. Money is not an issue for Ronald, and he would be a great catch. He just can’t help talking about his late wife and getting emotional. He is after all, a very sensitive man. He was a lot of fun to play and Devi Morgan who wrote the script did a marvelous job in giving me a lot to play with. The director was the late Clyde Baldo who got tons of angles and put together a wonderful film. Devi Morgan, Jordan Gosnell, and Michael Wachs are amazing actors and made it easy to play of off. The film has been in close to 100 short film festivals and has won many awards.
I found a lot of things in my life that were very close to Ronald. I always create a back story to justify a character and the movements I make. I looked to use the physicality that I have continued to develop and learn. We got to rehearse which really helped. Getting to play and evolve was a great experience and I was honored to have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
You had mentioned that you have ironic humor. What roles would you like to see in the near future?
Yes, I like to laugh at the flip side of things. It is what brings out some of my quirkiness. Well, I got close to playing a scene with Al Pacino so there’s that. If you’re reading this David O. Russell, Aaron Sorkin, Tom McCarthy, Kathryn Bigelow, Steven Spielberg, etc… I’d love to work with you. I’d like to be directed by Anthony Robert Grasso and Jean Louis Rodrigue. I look forward to working with Michael Goldburg again. There are no limits to the directors, actors and producers I would love to work with. Damien Lewis, Paul Giamatti, Mark Ruffalo, George Clooney, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Robert Grasso, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Olivia Coleman, Emma Thompson, and on and on and on. I would love to do any role that is part of a great story. I desire to work on films like Stillwater, Dark Waters, Spotlight etc… and on the other end I look forward to working on projects such as Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as well as Law and Order.
What projects are in the works?
For now, the film has been the priority. Once we go through the edit, we then must do sound editing, coloring and add the score. We will be getting the whole festival marketing strategy together and hopefully by October be submitting to festivals. We will also have a premiere screening as well. I am continuing my training in workshops etc…
I will be working on starting another script as well. Possibly the feature for Aaron.
I have also been consistently auditioning for various film and TV roles. I was pinned on a couple of episodic programs not too long ago. So, my management team and new projects will keep me busy. I’d like to thank my wonderful agents at SW Artists and my fantastic management team at Dream Maker Talent Management. I am so grateful for what they have done for me and their belief in me.
https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/stevelichtenstein
Jules Lavallee is a Celebrity Writer in LA.