ARCADIA BILTMORE CENTRAL CORRIDOR Valentine s Day! DATE IDEAS FOOD OPTIONS FASHION STYLES TOM SIZEMORE THE ACTOR OPENS UP ABOUT HIS NEW ARIZONA MOVIE, DURANT S NEVER CLOSES SHAKE IT UP MEET OUR FAVORITE BARTENDERS WWW.UPTOWNPHOENIX.COM RICHMAN MEDIA GROUP FEBRUARY 2015
BY SUSAN LANIER-GRAHAM PHOTO BY MANFRED BAUMAN TAKES ON AN ARIZONA LEGEND WITH THE LEAD ROLE IN THE MOVIE DURANT S NEVER CLOSES, WHICH IS WRITTEN, DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY PHOENIX S TRAVIS MILLS UPTOWN 34 FEBRUARY 2015
A tough guy on the outside, but a ball of mush inside. Actor Tom Sizemore was describing the characters he likes to play and perhaps himself, as well. At 53, the actor is prepping for his next role, a part in Durant s Never Closes, a Running Wild Film about Phoenix legend, alleged Mafioso, and restaurateur Jack Durant. Who is Tom Sizemore? Tom Sizemore was born in Detroit s Corktown neighborhood in 1961, the eldest of three boys (later a half brother, half sister and one step-sibling joined the family). His early years were pretty normal for Sizemore. Although his parents married early, and both had come from meager backgrounds both grandfathers worked the auto assembly lines in Detroit the elder Sizemore studied hard, attended Harvard on a scholarship, and returned home a scholar and lawyer. Sizemore was surrounded by family growing up. I had a large family. My dad s two brothers were important in my life. I didn t realize until I was older that my uncles were both small-time criminals. While his father had gone to law school and made good, his uncles hadn t made the same smart choices. But to Sizemore, none of that mattered. His parents kept the kids away from any of the uncles problems, and the Sizemore family seemingly lived an idyllic life. Until Sizemore turned 13, that is. That was the year his parents separated. From the age of 13 until he turned 15, Sizemore says his life was a mess because of the divorce. During that time, I threw myself into acting, he explains. Until I was 13, I always thought actors had to be born in Hollywood. Then I read a James Dean biography and found out he was born in Indiana. Sizemore knew then what he wanted to do with his life. Sizemore says his parents grudgingly supported his acting. I think they supported it out of guilt over the divorce, he says. I found out later that my parents thought it was a phase and I d get over it. Rather than changing his mind and attending law school or medical school as his parents hoped, Sizemore attended Wayne State University and then received a master s degree in theatre from Temple University in 1986. After college, I moved to New York City, he says. I never really thought about the odds against making it as an actor until I moved to New York. At the end of his first year in the Big Apple, he returned home to Detroit, discouraged. Despite the fact that she had hoped he would choose another career early on, his mother encouraged him to keep trying. She drove me back to Manhattan, Sizemore laughs. Turns out, mom really did know best and in 1989, Sizemore had his big break when Oliver Stone cast him in a bit part in Born on the Fourth of July. Over the years, Sizemore has appeared in films alongside many of Hollywood s greats, under the direction of the industry s superstars: Kevin Costner s Wyatt Earp, Oliver Stone s Natural Born Killers, Steven Spielberg s Saving Private Ryan, Martin Scorsese s Bringing Out the Dead and Ridley Scott s Black Hawk Down. Now, he s poised to take the lead Tom Sizemore as Jack Durant. Photo by Michelle Palermo. role, playing Jack Durant, in Durant s Never Closes, written, directed and produced by Phoenix local Travis Mills. Who is Jack Durant? Jack Durant is a bit of a legend in Phoenix. He was born in the obscure backwoods of Tennessee, played pro baseball in the minor leagues, and worked as a pit boss for Bugsy Siegel in Las Vegas at the Flamingo Hotel in the 1940s. Married and divorced five times during his life, Durant ran a whorehouse in Globe-Miami, and was considered one of Arizona s 10 most dangerous men by the FBI at the time. Some say he was in the Mafia. In July 1950, he opened Durant s steakhouse in Downtown Phoenix a restaurant that will celebrate its 65th birthday this year. Sizemore says he can relate to Durant. From what I ve learned so far, he was a hardass, a taskmaster, explains Sizemore. But underneath, he was loveable and very needy. Durant by all accounts a truly selfmade man told people that to understand FEBRUARY 2015 35 UPTOWN
James Alire on set. Photo by Michelle Palermo. Travis Mills on set. Photo by James Alire. him they needed to eat at his restaurant, because the restaurant was who he was. Durant created the restaurant that still stands as an icon in Central Phoenix. Back in the day, regulars included Joe DiMaggio, Clark Gable and John Wayne. The iconic red leather banquettes and red floral wallpaper has been silent witness to dinners with Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball, and every Arizona governor since 1950. The classic pink building with the red awning (but locals usually enter through the back door) has changed little in its 65-year history, even after Durant himself died in 1987. Now, the restaurant is being recreated for the big screen, and Sizemore is eager to portray the legend behind the establishment. Durant s Never Closes Travis Mills traveled the world as a child born to expat parents, he grew up in the Comoros Islands off the east coast of Africa before finding his way to Arizona in 1997. Mills finished high school here, and was one of the earliest attendees at what was then the new Arizona State University (ASU) film school. Mills passion for films was recognized by one of his ASU professors, Gus Edwards. When Edwards retired, he started a new venture with Mills: the two of them founded Running Wild Films in 2010 with a commitment to make great films right here in Arizona. Since founding the company, Mills has completed five features and more than 100 short films, including the ambitious 52 films/52 weeks project in 2013. Inspired by the book The Saga of Jack Durant by Mabel Leo and the play In My Humble Opinion by Terry Earp, Mills wrote a screenplay about Durant entitled Durant s Never Closes. Mills says that he wants Phoenicians to learn more about this iconic figure in our state s history. Durant is a fascinating character, explains Mills. I d heard rumors about his Mafia connection, and then I read the UPTOWN 36 FEBRUARY 2015
Phoenix New Times article. I found the book and play and he became more and more interesting. He s larger than life. He was a dynamic, important figure very talented but very dangerous. Mills says that, despite Durant s larger-than-life character, he hopes the movie will make him relatable to the audience. It s really about people in charge of their own little worlds. We all have to deal with employees, competitors. Once the screenplay was written, Mills had to decide on casting. He wasn t certain at first about who would play the starring role. Sizemore doesn t look anything like Durant, but Mills says that wasn t the point. I want to be accurate to the personalities, he explains. When I met with Tom, I saw everything in the guy pain, anger, happiness. He brings a weariness, life experience, and pain, but also happiness to the story. The film will shoot almost exclusively here in Phoenix. Our mission is to prove you can do it from Phoenix, says Mills. The world is changing. You can make movies anywhere. I don t want to go to L.A., but I m okay bringing L.A. to Phoenix. Durant s will be recreated on a local set and filming will take place throughout the Valley. Mills says he has considered filming some of the flashback scenes of Las Vegas and Tennessee on location, but there is a possibility that even those will be filmed here in Arizona. Sizemore as Durant Sizemore s voice grows excited when talking about the script and the part he will play in the movie. I didn t know Travis Mills when I read the script, he explains, but it s a really good script. Travis is single-minded and focused. For Sizemore, the director is often the key as to whether a film succeeds. A great director makes the movie, he says. Among his favorites are Spielberg and Stone. Sizemore loves portraying the tough guy characters. I love the guys who are tough on the outside but inside they re just a ball of mush, he says. The dichotomy of that fascinates me. Sizemore is eager to play Durant and to film in Arizona. I m looking forward to Tom Sizemore in character. Photo by Nick Fornwalt. coming to Phoenix. I m a huge Suns fan, he laughs. And, he is already getting ready for the part. I ve been reading about him, and Travis is going to arrange for me to talk to some of his friends. He also plans to spend about two weeks at a local Los Angeles restaurant, seeing how the restaurant works behind the scenes. Looking Ahead Sizemore is energized as he talks about his future. He doesn t ignore or apologize for his past. I made some bad decisions with women and drugs, he says without prompting. I derailed my career. I did it myself and I can t blame anyone else. It took a long time to pick up the pieces. But pick up the pieces seems to be exactly what Sizemore has done. He has been acting steadily the past few years, steering clear of tabloids and scandal. He enjoys being with his 9-year-old twin sons, Jayden and Jagger. He has a new manager and a role on Red Road, the original SundanceTV drama series about a small town sheriff, a tragedy, and a cover up, starring Jason Momoa. Sizemore is also hard at work on a pet project producing and starring in An Honest Thief, written by his brother, Aaron Sizemore. It s based on my uncles, explains Sizemore. A decade ago, both of his father s brothers and his sister died within five years of each other. It was a hard time for Sizemore s father, and the sons wanted to do something for their dad s birthday. We decided to write a short for his birthday. My brother is a lawyer, but he s also a really good writer. The script was great. It s a character study about three thieves. Sizemore plays one of three thieves who steal a baseball card collection from a Detroit pawnbroker. The film is still in pre-production and the brothers have been trying to raise the money to film on location in Detroit. Sizemore says that most of all, he just wants to keep on acting. I love to act. I know some actors [who are middleaged] who don t enjoy it as much anymore, but I always enjoy acting. Find out more about the upcoming movie Durant s Never Closes online at www.durantsnevercloses.com. FEBRUARY 2015 37 UPTOWN