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Although, the admittedly nocturnal, Adam Ferrara has had to adjust to the early hours involved in filming a TV series, as well as cut back on his standup schedule quite a bit to make room for the new show, Ferrara says he really loves his new job. “The people are great. I look forward to going to work everyday.”
T A L K I N G
A D A M F E R R A R A :
Adam Ferrara was in a development deal for his own TV series when a chance at the Leary project came along. But, isn't that the way life often is… just when you've stopped looking the very thing you've always been looking for seems to fall into your lap. Ferrara read for the part in L.A… the ‘powers that be’ liked what they saw and offered to fly Ferrara to New York for a test with series star Denis Leary. A few days later Adam Ferrara got the call he was hoping for… The Job was his!
“The gracious suits that be, something that never happens,” says Ferrara, referring to the rare opportunity he was given to accept the role opposite Denis Leary even though he was in a development deal on another project at the time. “The gracious suits that be said… ‘Go ahead, take it.’” The new series, The Job, which airs on ABC Wednesday nights after The Drew Carey Show, is trying not to be the same as every other sitcom on television these days. The Job is shot entirely on location in and around New York City and New Jersey, rather than in front of a studio audience, and produced without the use of the laugh tracks so commonly found on half hour sitcoms.
Denis Leary's character, Detective Mike McNeil, is kind of an anti-hero, explains Ferrara. “He's got a wife and kids in the suburbs… He's got a girlfriend in the city. He's drinking too much… He's taking pills… He doesn't follow the rules. But he's the best cop in the station house. My character's a by-the-book kind of guy. He doesn't really agree with Denis' way of doing things …but… the thing that aggravates the hell out of him is that Denis gets results.”
Detective Tommy Manetti, Ferrara's character on the show, gets frustrated really easily. “He thinks he's a better cop than he is,” reflects Ferrara. “He thinks he's above it all …but… then, in situations interacting with the other characters, they usually get the best of him and he gets to play that frustration out and it's a fun emotion to play.” And besides that… “they give me a gun,” says Ferrara admitting that having been a fan of shows like S.W.A.T. and Barney Miller while growing up has only added to the fun he's been having playing a detective for the first time in his acting career.
After over a decade doing standup comedy Adam Ferrara is no stranger to the comedy clubs of ‘Gothem City.’ In fact, being born in Queens, N.Y. and raised in the suburbs on Long Island he's no stranger to the city in general. So, the fact that his new series is filmed out of New York only adds another bit of enjoyment to the whole experience. For although a long time resident of L.A., for career purposes, Ferrara admits that he's still a New Yorker at heart and loves the opportunity to be back home near family and friends. It's just one more thing to add to the list of reasons why he's hoping for a long run for The Job on ABC.
The chance to work on a quality project… to perform comedy alongside people who's work he's long admired …and… to be close to where his roots are… Well, right now, as far as Adam Ferrara is concerned this is definitely THE Job for him.
For more information on Adam Ferrara's new ABC series The Job starring Denis Leary visit abc.go.com. For Adam Ferrara's standup schedule visit www.adamferrara.com/adamferrara.asp
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The series is giving him the chance to work with a few people he's worked with in the past including fellow standup comic Lenny Clarke and some first time opportunities like working with cutting-edge actor-comedian Denis Leary (Wag the Dog, The Ref, True Crime)and Emmy award winning writer Peter Tolan (The Larry Sanders Show, Analyze This). “I've always been a big fan of both of those guys so to finally get the chance to work with them is pretty cool,” admits Ferrara.
Stylistically, says Ferrara, the show's somewhat of a cross between NYPD Blue and Barney Miller. Ferrara has always found that the actors who play “real characters as opposed to people that are just kind of out there” have had the strongest influence on him as a comedic actor. This series allows him to work in that sort of style, taking just that approach with the character he's playing. “I think it's extremely well written and well acted… all the elements are there. We actually have a detective on the set with us as a consultant. They're taking the time to make sure that it's very real and that it will be as close to truth as it can be.”
