Eric Thal Interview on "A Stranger Among Us" (July 16, 1992)

Eric Thal (born August 10, 1965) is an American film and stage actor, perhaps best known as Ariel in Sidney Lumet's A Stranger Among Us; Sam Nivens in The Puppet Masters; Samson in Samson and Delilah; Meade Howell in The Wedding; and Rick in Six Degrees of Separation. Youth Born in Niskayuna, New York, to Joan, a home-maker, and Herbert L. Thal, Jr., an electrical engineer, Thal, the youngest of five children, was raised on The Main Line of Philadelphia.[2] He began performing as a magician[1] and started studying acting at age 14, with Richard Brewer,[3] formerly of the Hedgerow Theatre. He graduated from The Haverford School and attended Lafayette College for one year, studying engineering and education, before moving to New York to pursue acting. He worked a variety of jobs including telemarketer, waiter, construction worker, janitor, and massage therapist, before being cast in his first film role in 1991.[4] Career Thal's film career started when Sidney Lumet cast him in the lead role of Ariel opposite Melanie Griffith, after he auditioned for a smaller role.[5][6] The film, written by Robert J. Avarech, portrays a murder that takes place in a Hasidic community, with Thal playing the role of the son of The Rebbe.[7][8] He went on to play Alex Perkins, opposite Penelope Ann Miller, in The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag[9][10] and the character Rick in the film Six Degrees of Separation, alongside Heather Graham and Will Smith.[11] Thal had no scenes with Donald Sutherland in Six Degrees of Separation, but went on to play the role of his son in The Puppet Masters,[12] directed by Stuart Orme. He also worked alongside Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Beals, James LeGros and Jon Stewart in Wishful Thinking.[13] He starred opposite Sarah Polley in Joe's So Mean to Josephine,[14] directed by Peter Wellington. He co-starred alongside Karyn Parsons and Isaiah Washington in Mixing Nia.[15] Other lead roles include Carl Heine, Jr. in Snow Falling on Cedars,[16] directed by Scott Hicks, and the role of Harry opposite Elliot Page in Mouth to Mouth.[17] He also appeared in the romantic comedy film The Good Guy,[18] which premièred at the Tribeca Film Festival. Thal also appeared in a number of TV mini-series and shows. He starred opposite Elizabeth Hurley and alongside Dennis Hopper, Diana Rigg, and Michael Gambon in the TV movie Samson and Delilah.[19] He played opposite Halle Berry in the TV movie The Wedding,[20] produced by Oprah Winfrey, directed by Charles Burnett, and based on the book by Dorothy West. On February 16, 1998 Jet Magazine's cover featured Halle Berry between Thal and Carl Lumbly, with the title, "Halle Berry Must Choose Between A Black Man And White Man In TV Movie 'The Wedding.'"[21] Thal played Detective John Cahill in the unaired American pilot of Ultraviolet, which was produced by Howard Gordon and Chip Johannessen. He appeared in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Tommy Hedges, and twice in Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Didier Foucault (alias Dennis Dupont)[22] and Don Craddock. He was a guest star in the final episode of Hack,[23] alongside David Morse. Thal originated the role of The Special Witness in Christopher Durang's Sex and Longing on Broadway at The Cort Theatre in 1996.[24] A Stranger Among Us is a 1992 American crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Melanie Griffith. It tells the story of an undercover police officer's experiences in a Hasidic community. It was entered into the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.[2] It is often cited as one of Lumet's two failures of the 1990s, the other being Guilty as Sin (1993). Despite the poor reviews suffered by both these films, Lumet received the 1993 D. W. Griffith Award of the Directors Guild of America. The film was also the first credited role for actor James Gandolfini. The shooting of the film was used as an example in Lumet’s book Making Movies. A Stranger Among Us received negative reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 22% of 41 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "A disappointing misfire for director Sindey Lumet, A Stranger Among Us tries to tell a murder mystery and a fish-out-of-water love story, doing a disservice to both."[3] Some of the criticism of A Stranger Among Us is based on comparisons with the Academy Award-winning film Witness, which has a superficially similar plot. Similarly, Lumet's earlier film Fail-Safe was unfavorably compared to Dr. Strangelove, but in that case both films have subsequently achieved cult status. Griffith's performance in the lead role has also been heavily criticized, for which her role won her the Razzie Award for Worst Actress (also for the year's Worst Picture, Shining Through), while Tracy Pollan was nominated for Worst Supporting Actress. Setting Some aspects of the plot recall the 1977 murder of diamond dealer Pinchos Jaroslawicz.