The independent, low-budget film "The Station Agent" quietly wowed critics across the nation and swept up several awards even before its national release date.
The film will be opening in Albuquerque Friday at Madstone.
For star Bobby Cannavale, the film was an opportunity to work with great friends.
Cannavale said he remembered sittingˇaround withˇcast members after filming was over, talking about the movie.
"Man, there was never a bad time," he said in a conference call. "It was the best experience."
Perhaps because director Tom McCarthy wrote the scripts with Cannavale, Peter Dinklage and Patricia Clarkson - the other two stars - in mind.
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About 3.5 years ago, McCarthy called Cannavale, a longtime friend, and told him he was writing a part for him. These circumstances allowed him to have quite a bit of influence on the script and elements of his character, Cannavale said.
The movie is about a young dwarf (Dinklage) who moves to an abandoned train station in New Jersey attempting to live life as a hermit after his friend dies. He meets an artist (Clarkson) and a Cuban hot dog vendor (Cannavale), and the three develop a friendship.
Cannavale, who was born in Union City, N. J., has played parts in numerous TV series, including "Trinity," "Law and Order," "Sex and the City," "Oz" and "Ally McBeal." He also starred in "Third Watch."
He said making "The Station Agent" has been the project he is most proud of so far, mainly because he was able to work alongside friends.
"That doesn't happen a lot in this business, when literally everyone you're working with is your friend," he said. "All we did was hang out at the Howard Johnson."
He also said the script appealed to him because he had to read it a couple of times to fully understand it and much of the story was expressed through behavior, not words.
"These people were conveying their loneliness, but not in obvious ways," he said. "They really connected, and they're not explaining anything - they're just being."
Cannavale recently finished filming his first big film role, "Shall We Dance" starring Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez and Susan Sarandon. He said although he appreciates all of his roles, he prefers to watch independent movies and would love to keep making that type of film.
"I've been lucky and really been able to bounce around," he said. "I would love to be in a great play next."ˇ
He said he also loves comedy, and would like to be able to do more comedic films in the future.
For now, Cannavale said he hopes people like the movie, but he tries to stay away from what the critics have to say, but he was pleasantly surprised to hear that Ebert & Roeper gave "The Station Agent"ˇtwo thumbs up.
"I don't really care what the critics say," he said. "I don't look for them, but it's nice to hear, you know?"
