A Chat With the Star of ‘The Last Rites of Joe May’
Artist Profile: Dennis Farina
By Masha Savtiz
LOS ANGELES—“Joe May is more like me than I’d like to admit,” says the seasoned actor Dennis Farina of his starring role in his new film The Last Rites of Joe May.
In a late September interview, I spoke with the down-to-earth Farina about his recent work, the roles that interest him, and the parts he would still like to play.
“I’m interested in people who are a fish out of water… they’re always on the outside looking in,” muses Farina.
Perhaps best known for movie characters Jimmy Serrano, the mob boss fromMidnight Run, Ray Bones Barboni in Get Shorty, or detective Joe Fontana from NBC’s Law and Order, Farina’s career broke through with Michael Mann’s famed 1980s drug-enforcement drama, Miami Vice.
Since that time, Farina has built up quite a résumé working with performers like Bette Midler, Brad Pitt, and Sir Ben Kingsley, as well as directors such as Steven Spielberg, Ed Burns, and Guy Ritchie.
Are there still roles that Farina wants to explore?
“I’d like to play a priest,” he says. There’s also the title from the book by James Frey, My Friend Leonard, who he notes is similar to Joe May in some respects.”