Matt Cici, a former Maple Grove resident, made his screen acting debut earlier this year in a new film called The Center. You might remember Maple Grove Magazine’s coverage of Cici in 2011, when he was working on finding a distributor for his first film, Lambent Fuse. He co-wrote the script and decided to step up into the director’s chair.
His new movie, The Center, follows Ryan (played by Cici), a recent college grad stuck at a dead-end job. After seeking comfort in a therapy gathering called The Center, Ryan quickly becomes immersed in the cult-like group, where he learns about himself and about how his decisions affect others.
The film, begun in 2011, was directed by Charlie Griak, who worked with local Minnesota actors and producers to make the film. It was featured at a number of independent film festivals throughout the country this year and met with much success.
Cici spoke with Maple Grove Magazine shortly after the film’s debut, and we asked him to share some of the experiences he had during filming.
What made you decide to do this film?
I had just finished wrapping a feature film as an assistant director in South Dakota. I was interested in working on a project that was local. Ryan [my character] is sort of lost in his life. He’s intelligent and quiet, and has low self-confidence. I felt connected with him, even though he had some darker qualities.
The biggest take-away was the professional scale…the production was so well-organized and I watched everything come so fluidly into motion. This was my first feature-length film, so I also gained confidence in the acting side of my profession. It was more of a professional growth [opportunity] for me.
How did you get your start?
I started in eighth or ninth grade. In English class we were reading a book aloud. I said this line and everybody in class started laughing. As I reflected back on that, I thought it was kind of fun. It’s this fascination of being someone else—it’s like living out a fantasy. As an actor, you can be all the different things you’ve dreamed about. I decided to do film stuff as an extra credit opportunity, which I continued to do in college as well.
Do you have a preference now between acting and directing?
I do love both of them equally. They’re about creation. With the character of Ryan, he was very lost, and he made me question my own choices, because the character is questioning his choices. Directing-wise, I love creating something from a very large idea and putting a lot of things into the final product.
Do you relate to a project differently when you are in front of the camera?
Definitely, your focus is on the film and the story. The passion is still there, but I think the way you approach the project is completely different. As a director, your primary focus is getting the best performance out of the actors. As an actor, your mind is really in the role of that character. The cool thing about film is that with so many focuses, it all comes together beautifully.
-Check out Matt Cici’s debut screen performance in The Center.
