Arturo Castro Instagram – Ben Gazzara was the main bad guy in the original Road House. He was also my mentor and directly responsible for kickstarting my film career.
When @roadhousemovie premieres in a week, it’ll be a mind blowing full circle moment for me. Here’s the story:
In 2006 Ben was shooting a movie called Looking for Paladin in Guatemala. I was there on summer break from acting school in nyc, and was asked by my dear friend/acting teacher to come help out on their table read. Some roles were cast but the actors hadn’t flown down yet, so I stepped up and played their parts.
Ben was a no bullshit kinda guy, and people were sometimes nervous around him. But I was just so happy to be involved that I read with him as if he was my longtime buddy. At the end of the table read he turned to the director and loudly stated “If you don’t cast this kid in the film, you’re a fucking idiot!” Haha
The director, and now dear friend, eventually did, and Ben took great care in teaching me the ropes of film acting. He was the first actor I admired to tell me that I had real talent.
It’s been years since he passed away, but I’d like to think he’d get a kick in knowing how things turned out. Without Ben, there is no Road House, so it’s nice to think that even from beyond this life, he’s still helping get me cast. 🙂
I’ll leave you with a quote he loved to say “Actors don’t die, they just go on tour.”
Thank you Ben, now and always. | Posted on 16/Mar/2024 00:43:44
