Interview by Paul Salfen
In this interview, Oscar nominee Eric Roberts (Runaway Train, The Dark Knight, The Expendables) and Director Dan Hunter talk to Paul Salfen about filming MR. BIRTHDAY, a heartwarming family holiday story.
SYNOPSIS: While working his maintenance job at an upscale hotel, Barry encounters the mysterious Mr. Jay. He introduces Barry to the International Birthday Network, an agency that helps children across the globe suffering from miserable birthdays.
The comedy also stars Jason London (Dazed and Confused, The Man in the Moon, Wildfire) Anna Marie Dobbins, Charlotte Ciano, Fred Sullivan, Tanya Melendez Lynch, and Mike Messier.
More About Eric Roberts:
ERIC ROBERTS is an Academy Award nominee for his role in Runaway Train, and a three-time Golden Globe nominee for Runaway Train, Star 80, and King of the Gypsies.
In addition, Roberts received acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival for his role in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints in which he played the older version of a then new
Channing Tatum, and It’s My Party. He also starred in La Cucaracha, which won Best Film at the Austin Film Festival, and for which Roberts won Best Actor at the New York Independent Film Festival that same year. Eric and Anthony Edwards and Ryan Reynolds’ In Cold Blood, directed by Jonathan Kaplan, received an Emmy Nomination.
Other notable projects in the works include Season Two of The Righteous Gemstones with Danny McBride. And Damien Chazelle’s Babylon with Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Flea and an incredible cast. Plus the upcoming Hard Luck Love Song. Eric has also been appreciated for his roles in The Dark Knight, Final Analysis, The Pope Of Greenwich Village, Star 80 and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice for Warner Bros., Millennium Films’ Lovelace and The Expendables for Lionsgate.
On television, Roberts’ memorable recurring roles include USA’s Suits, Grey’s anatomy, CSI and Code Black for CBS, NBC’s Heroes, and Crash for Starz, Fox’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine, CBS’ Hawaii Five-O, HBO’s Entourage, ABC’s Less Than Perfect and many fun, campy projects for Lifetime and Hallmark, plus so much more. Many of these films and television pieces feature the music of Eric’s stepson, Keaton Simons.
The younger generation knows Roberts from music videos, too many to count, but which include Akon, Eminem, Ja Rule, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, The Killers, and that’s the short list.
Roberts works internationally, in Til Schweiger’s Head Full of Honey, a Warner Bros. Germany production and as DEA boss “Erick Sheldon” in La Reina del Sur for Telemundo Global Studio and Netflix.
Roberts grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He began his career in theatre in New York City where he won the Theatre World Award for his role on Broadway in Burn This. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife since 1992, Eliza Roberts, of Animal House fame. Also occupying their lives are what Roberts cares about more than anything, the kids ~ Emma Roberts, Keaton Simons, Morgan Simons and the grandkids and a whole array of rescued animals who are shown love and overfed every day.
