Michael Gaston Talks About W. The Movie

By Christopher Moore

With a career that includes stage, television, and film, Michael Gaston has found himself right in the middle of a successful career as an actor, but he never quite planned it that way. With performances in on and off Broadway, Gaston knows the stage. These days though, it is his role in Oliver Stone's new film "W." that is on his mind. He took a few minutes to talk with Broadway Magazine and Broadway.tv about the film, his career, and what is coming up next.

"I'm not one of those guys who sort of knew from an early time that he was going to be an actor... I had a whole other life back in northern California where I grew up," reveals Gaston. With credits that include The Sopranos and numerous other television and film roles, Gaston is very much a natural born actor. "I always thought what I'd be was a teacher and a coach. Then, for awhile I thought I'd be a lawyer...then I met some lawyers," he smiles.

"What I love about what I do is that I get to bounce around pretty freely. The fact that I got a lot of training early in my career and then spent a lot of time on stage has allowed me the latitude to go back and forth (between film, stage and television)," explains Michael. "I love being on stage. There's no question, I love the immediate contact with the audience, but I also really, really enjoy network television....working on Jericho, working on Blind Justice before that."

With the upcoming opening of Oliver Stone's film "W." about President George W. Bush, Gaston may well find himself in the middle of one of the most popular films of the year.

"Essentially it's a rumination...an attempt to try to understand how we got here. How did this guy, an alcoholic, underachieving son of a large political family...how did he rise from a perpetual screw-up through his young adult life to the most powerful man in the world?" Gaston says of the film's story. With the film's trailer showing spot-on images of George Bush and the leading figures from his administration, the movie seems to offer a unique take on the current and recent White House team.

"I play General Tommy Franks, who was the head of Central Command, which meant that he was in charge of both the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq....I really don't look anything like him. Oliver (Stone) referred to me not as a look-alike but as a feel-alike," says Michael. If the Oliver Stone film is his most current high profile project, it is not the only project Michael Gaston is involved in at the moment.

"I just finished a pilot for HBO that David Milch (Deadwood, NYPD Blue) wrote about cops in the 70's...it's a wonderfully dramatic period in New York. We're just waiting for HBO to do what they do to decide whether or not it's going to be on the air," Michael Gaston tells our team. With his authentic blend of confidence and charm, there is little doubt that Michael Gaston will find himself on stage and screen for a long time to come.

Watch the entire conversation with Michael Gaston right here on www.Broadway.tv .