He has appeared onstage in An Upset (EST) and Wright Flight (Roanoke Island Festival, NC).
Lauria was a regular on TV's "Gilded Lilys" (ABC), "The Chicago Code" (Fox) and "Friday Night Lights" (NBC). Additional screen work includes "Parenthood" (NBC), "CSI" (CBS) and "Lipstick Jungle" (NBC).
| Full given name: | Matthew Lauria |
| Where you were born/where you were raised: | Born near DC. Grew up in Dublin, Ireland. |
| Zodiac Sign: | Zebra-Cornucopius |
| What your parents did/do for a living: | Dad: Animator/Artist. Mom: Nurse. |
| Siblings: | One sister has degrees in philosophy/ethics and conflict resolution. As a part-time gig, she translates/edits political texts... in Mandarin. The other sister is a horse trainer and badass-cowgirl. They are both knockouts. |
| Special skills: | I can throw knives rather impressively, and jump over most people's arms at shoulder height. Truth. Hiya! |
| Something you're REALLY bad at: | Remembering names... and faces (Ugh!) |
| First Broadway show you ever saw: | Ragtime or Chicago, one of the two. |
| Did you have any particular mentors or inspirations when first starting out? | When I was 20, in L.A., I met Kevin Spacey, who told me that if I really wanted to be an actor I should go back to school (I had dropped out) and get legitimate training. So we met at Samuel French on Sunset Blvd. and he helped me pick out about a dozen plays, from which to choose audition pieces; he then coached me on the monologues. It was surreal; he was one of my idols in high school. I'll always be grateful. |
| If you could go back in time and catch any show, what would it be? | Ooh...toughy. Maybe Elia Kazan's Death of a Salesman, with Lee J. Cobb (1949), OR the original production of American Buffalo, with Kenneth McMillan and Duval. |
| Current show other than your own you have been recommending to friends: | I saw Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in Chicago, and I would definitely recommend it. I'd like to see The Book of Mormon [and would like to have seen] Golden Boy and Glengarry Glen Ross. |
| Favorite showtune(s) of all time: | "Heaven on Their Minds" (Jesus Christ Superstar), "Corner of the Sky" (Pippin), "A New World" (Songs for a New World), "Comfort and Joy" (Bat Boy), "Lily's Eyes" (The Secret Garden). |
| Some favorite musicals: | The Secret Garden, Rent, Les Miserables, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Bat Boy, Into the Woods, Ragtime, Once on this Island |
| Some favorite modern plays: | The Libertine, American Buffalo |
| Some favorite modern playwrights: | Stephen Jeffreys, David Rabe, David Mamet, Sam Shepard, Suzan-Lori Parks, Tennessee Williams, Tracy Letts |
| Broadway or screen stars of the past you would most have loved to perform with: | Marlon Brando, and (why the heck not) Michael Chekhov. |
| Your personal performance idols, living or dead: | All obvious (but deservedly so): Brando, Orson Welles, Day-Lewis, Pacino, Hoffman, Pete Postlethwaite, Malkovich, Cate Blanchett, Duvall, Jeffrey Wright, Bill Macy, Kevin Spacey, Danny Devito, Helen Mirren, Streep and the list goes on and on and on and on... |
| The one performance – attended - that you will never forget: | In 2005 I saw Ben Whishaw in a bizarre play called Mercury Fur at a tiny theater called the Chocolate Factory in London. His performance made me think, "Damn, I need to step it up." |
| Music that makes you cry, any genre: | Any one of Luciano Pavarotti's numerous performances of "Nessun dorma" from Turandot |
| MAC or PC? | MAC!!! (please send free products to the address below...) |
| Most played song on your iPod: | "The Distance Between" (Elijah Ford). Close second: "Lost in the Light" (Bahamas). Geez! I must be in a "softy" phase. |
| Most-visited websites: | Google image search: "Matt Lauria tricycle banana" |
| Last book you read: | Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" |
| Must-see TV show(s): | Downton Abbey, Luther, Mad Men, Girls, Homeland |
| Last good movie you saw: | "Silver Linings Playbook" |
| Some films you consider classics: | "It's a Wonderful Life" "A Streetcar Named Desire" "Citizen Kane" |
| Performer you would drop everything to go see: | Michelle Armstrong, lead singer of the rock band, Dame (and also my foxy wife). |
| Pop culture guilty pleasure: | Old school Mariah Carey |
| Favorite cities: | Austin, TX; Dublin, Ireland; Boston, MA |
| First CD/Tape/LP you owned: | CD: "Gangsta's Paradise" (Coolio). Tape: "Ride the Lightning" (Metallica). |
| First stage or screen kiss: | Romeo and Juliet |
| Favorite or most memorable onstage role as a child/teenager: | Einstein in Picasso at the Lapin Agile in high school. |
| Favorite liquid refreshment: | Sparkling water |
| Pre-show rituals or warm-ups: | I watch The Last of the Mohicans and then run around in a loin cloth. |
| Worst flubbed line/missed cue/onstage mishap: | High school, sophomore year: I was understudying the role of Michael in Dancing at Lughnasa and I got to go on one night. The role has three huge narrative monologues. Halfway through my third one, I thought, "Oh sh#t! I've already said this speech...oh no, wait...have I? F*#k!"
And then I just stood there limply, staring out at the audience of moms and peers. I honestly considered bolting, but then I pictured my teacher, lurking in the wings, waiting to tackle me (she was a robust woman) and decided to take my chances on stage instead. I vamped... badly. It was the WORST feeling. |
| Worst job you ever had: | There were several horrible (restaurant and retail) ones. I was fired from most of them. |
| Who have you played on "Law & Order"? What edition? | Jake Lally, a kid accused, who didn't do it... dhum, dhum, dhum! "Criminal Intent" (season 7, episode 20). I played Dreama Walker's older brother. I had four lines. |
| Favorite screen/commercial gigs: | "Friday Night Lights" |
| What drew you to this project? | I loved the script and I wanted to work with David Cromer. |
| Most challenging role you have played: | Each project, in recent years, has come with its own stack of challenges. Otherwise, it would not be worth doing. |
| Leading man role you've been dying to play: | Davis in Paul Downs Collaizzo's Really Really |
| Leading lady role you wish you could play: | Juliet |
| Something about you that surprises people: | I've never drank alcohol. |
| Career you would want if not a performer: | Play in a rock n' roll band! |
| Three things you can't live without: | My wife, electric guitars, pecan pie. |
| "I'll never understand why…" | … some people let their cell phones ring and ring in public without silencing them. |
| Words of advice for aspiring performers: | When you're starting out, have a clear idea about the types of projects you want to do... and then never lower your standards. Also, here's a bit of advice I was given: There's no such thing as being good; there's only working hard and having fun. |
