![]() “I was very fortunate in that I worked constantly in film, but I didn’t get any roles that were extraordinary,” he says. Then, in 1977, he moved to Hollywood to pursue the motion picture roles being offered to him. ![]() He started working on daytime serials while working nights onstage. Skipping college, he studied at New York’s American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and then devoted years to working in various regional theater groups in such productions as Romeo and Juliet and Total Eclipse. Assante was raised in Manhattan and rural Cornwall, N.Y., and entertained the idea of being an actor by age 5. His father was a painter and his mother was a music teacher. Just the sort of line you’d expect from an actor who began wanting to be a classical actor. But for me, as an actor, it’s challenging. You have to have a passion for the material to make it work.”Īssante admits that being particular about the roles he takes, “means the stuff I choose to do usually isn’t commercial fare. “I look for vulnerability and accessibility. “It’s very, very tough to find stories that touch you,” he says. Napoleon and Josephine, says Assante, also had an elusive quality that he looks for in all the projects he takes on: “depth of feeling.” “This happens to be a beautifully written script,” he says. It wasn’t just the opportunity to portray Napoleon that attracted the star of such films as Little Darlings and Private Benjamin to the miniseries. The play ended after only two weeks in New York, but Assante’s interest lasted - and when he heard about the television project, he immediately put out the word that he was interested. For his role, Assante did extensive research, reading Napoleon’s writings and letters and traveling to France. “So what’s the point of worrying if I’m going to survive? I did already.”Īssante played Napoleon five years ago, when he appeared as the “little corporal” in a stage production titled Kingdoms. I’ve managed to stay employed.” He pauses thoughtfully, then smiles. “Life’s too damn short to worry,” he says. “You’re dealing with one of the most inaccessible personalities in history, personally and politically,” Assante explains, back in the United States after 13 weeks on location in France. The reign of the notorious monarch is familiar territory for the veteran actor - not because (as his name suggests) he’s French (he’s actually an Italian-Irish New York native), but because Assante previously played Napoleon onstage and because he spent seven months preparing for the miniseries, which turned out to be one of the most grueling roles of his life. Just as he does during an interview, Armand Assante leads TV audiences back through a time warp this week, in his starring role as Napoleon Bonaparte for ABC’s six-hour Napoleon and Josephine miniseries. Instead of the comfortable chair, picture a saddle - and the dark, handsome man in front of you astride a horse, riding boldly into the 19th century. Pretend that the fluorescent lighting of the office is really early streaks of daybreak on the French countryside. Imagine that the blaring car horns outside are trumpet calls to battle.
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