,

humor and timing are very much a
Sills. Ten years ago, Larry was one of
returned to Michigan a few months
part
of my background. The humor is
the
victims
who
died
in
the
crash
of
later.
joyous, yet at the same time, expecting
Northwest Airlines Flight 255, bound
"I just wanted to see if I could com-
the worst."
for Phoenix from Detroit. "This play
pete at this level in New York — and I
For now, Sills says he's having the
is really for him," Sills says quietly. "I
learned that with more training, I
best time of his life. "It's a wonderful
know he is watching and has some-
could. Looking back, I am stunned at
feeling, spending my whole day doing
thing to do with my getting the part."
my resolve."
something that I am wildly interested
About his own Judaism, Sills says
After earning a bachelor of arts in
in," smiles Sills, as the waitress clears
it has always had an impact on his life.
music, Sills took the LSATS (law school
the dinner plates. "There is a star
In fact, he has it in his contract that
admission test) but decided to put law
shining for me right now and I waited
he won't work on the High Holidays
school on hold to follow his acting
dream. This time, his parents, Archie
and Rhoda Sills, who live in
Bloomfield Hills, supported his deci-
sion. "We felt that Doug had to
explore the opportunities as they
became available," says his father.
In trying to carve a niche for
himself in the world of theater, Sills
moved to San Francisco and attend-
ed graduate school at the American
Conservatory Theater. There, he
became connected with a group of
West Coast actors.
"I did theater in the Bay area,
both musicals and non-musicals,
was able to get a union card and was
approached by an agent who wanted
to represent me," recalls Sills, who
moved to Los Angeles after gradua-
tion and, in addition to acting in
television sitcoms, continued in the
theater, landing jobs in two touring
companies, including Into the Woods,
which came to the Fisher Theatre in
Detroit.
It was just as he was starting to
concentrate on directing and pro-
ducing that the fortuitous phone
call came from his agent, suggesting
he try out for The Scarlet Pimpernel.
The rest, he says, is history
Although Sills doesn't want to
think about Tony Awards, it's hard
to imagine that given his dynamic
leading-man performance and
uncanny on-stage timing, he won't
at least be up for a Tony nomina-
tion. "Sure, it's always a fantasy, but
it doesn't do any good dwelling on
it," he says. "If you do, it starts to
get in the way of your work."
This past week his parents flew to Top left: Douglas Sills in The Scarlet Pimpernel.
Top right: Pamela Burrell, Sandy Rosenberg, Douglas Sills and Christine Andreas in
New York and sat in the preview
The
Scarlet Pimpernel.
audience. "I was nervous at first,
having my family watching me, but Above: Christine Andreas, left, plays Marguerite to Douglas Sills' Pimpernel.
the play is so taxing that it was all I
a long time for it. But, of course, as a
or Passover. "I think for any of us in
could do to stay on track," he says.
good Jew, I am waiting for the sky to
the arts, any artistic pursuit is a jour-
"But at the curtain call, when the
fall. But then again, as Saul Bellow
ney of faith," reflects Sills, who was
house lights went on, I could see their
would say, 'Enjoy every day!'"
bar mitzvahed at Shaarey Zedek,
faces. It's any child's dream, to be able
where his parents are still members.
to share this with your parents, know-
"And faith can mean a lot of things,
ing that it means everything to them."
including a journey of God's work.
Sadly, all the success and excite-
"Culturally, Judaism has had a
ment is bittersweet. Sills, who has two
sisters, also had an older brother, Larry major influence on my work. My

Phocos by Joan Marcus

Pimpernel, who is married to the
sophisticated and experienced
Marguerite, travels from England to
France in order to rescue innocent vic-
tims from the guillotines. His identity
remains a secret, even to his love.
In preparation, Sills studied about
that time and place in history.
"I started to do work and research
before the contract came through,
because this could be my only shot and
I felt strongly that when the opportuni-
ty arises, it's your responsibility to be
ready," he explains. "I studied period
paintings and costumes at museums,
rented period movies from the video
store and read everything that I could
find set during that time."
When he finally received the long-
awaited call, Sills was overwhelmed.
"There was a lot of celebrating taking
place at my house that night," laughs
Sills, who had been living in Los
Angeles and had to quickly find an
apartment in New York. He only had a
few days before rehearsals started.
Previews began Oct. 7, and the play
opens on Sunday. "Sometimes I stand
in front of the theater and look up and
say, Thank you, God!'"
For Sills, while this golden opportu-
nity was a dream come true, it was
nonetheless a dream that he had recent-
ly tossed aside. "I was getting less inter-
esting parts offered to me, so I was
tapering off in the acting department,"
says Sills, who had recurring roles on
"Coach," "Sisters," "Party of Five,"
"Murphy Brown" and "Empty Nest."
"I wasn't bitter, I just figured it was time
to take my career in another direction
in the entertainment field."
Sills, 37, became interested in acting
at an early age. Born in Detroit, and
raised in Franklin Village, he was intro-
duced to theater while at Camp
Tanuga. "My uncle [Sid Friedman]
owns Tanuga, and my siblings and my
family would go there every summer,"
recalls Sills. "I watched my sisters per-
form in camp plays, and I wanted to be
just like them. So I tried it, and loved
it."
With a continued interest in the arts,
Sills, who attended Franklin Elementary
and Cranbrook, took dance and voice
lessons and acted in school plays. He
went on to the University of Michigan
and majored in voice and music.
During two summer vacations, he
landed a job at Opryland in Nashville,
singing in shows. Finding it both fun
and rewarding, Sills decided to drop
out of Michigan for a semester to see if
he could make it in the Big Apple. "My
parents freaked out!" chuckles Sills, who

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1997

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