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Initially, "Manny and Alfredo
thought nobody would believe [my portrayal] because [I had] only
played good guys." Perez, who had appeared with Cannavale in the
acclaimed, but short-lived A&E drama 100 Centre Street, knew the
quality of Cannavale's work. So, the producers behind Washington
Heights took a chance that audiences would respond to Cannavale as a
thug with aspirations. Their bet paid off. Cannavale delivers an
impressive performance as a neighborhood hustler in Washington
Heights. Although he has very little time on
screen, Cannavale's Angel steals each scene he appears in and
Cannavale projects a multifaceted thug with dreams of building a cash
reserve and returning to the beloved Dominican Republic to spend his
days tilling farmland and his evenings swinging in a hammock.
While the Union City, New Jersey native is of
Italian and Cuban heritage; Cannavale threw himself in to the role of
Angel because he was eager to portray a seemingly bad guy with
concrete goals. To prepare for his role as a sympathetic toughie,
Cannavale developed an idea of the character and drew upon Junot
Diaz's Drown, a collection of short stories that describe the
Dominican immigrant experience in America.
Before Cannavale became widely known to film and
television audiences, he cut his acting teeth in the theater. Most
notably, Cannavale has worked with Lee Strasberg, Naked Angels, Circle
Rep, The Public, Williamstown and the Roundabout. Cannavale started
working on television when he met John Wells and was cast on his NBC
series Trinity. Cannavale's recurring role on Trinity lead to his
breakout role as Bobby Caffey in another John Wells produced series,
Third Watch. Other film and television roles followed, including his
scintillating performance as Adam Ball in HBO's Sex in The City.
The demands of television have not sapped
Cannavale's desire for doing films in the off-season. His typical
television schedule can mean 15-hour days, leaving about 7 to 8 weeks
off between seasons. During that hiatus, Cannavale is busy with as
many film projects as possible. The self-describe workaholic who
"never want[s] to take a vacation," can also be seen in The
Station Agent and "The Devil and Daniel Webster" alongside
Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. M
May 2003
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