SUZANNE CHESSLER Special to the Jewish News ctor Joey Slotnick is not worried about Y2K in his household. Besides owning an Apple computer touted to be problem-free as 1999 changes to 2000, he has a special respect for the Apple organization after portraying co-founder Steve Wozniak (nickname Woz) in the made-for-TV movie Pirates of Silicon Valley. The docudrama, which showcases the race between rivals Apple Computers and Microsoft for techno- logical dominance in the computer industry, airs 8 p.m. Sunday, June 20, on TNT. Noah Wyle portrays Steve Jobs and Anthony Michael Hall takes the role of Bill Gates. "I think the story plays out well for Jobs and Woz, two young kids kind of following their dream and what they believed to be a good idea while big corporations doubted them," says Slotnick. The two met while working at Hewlett-Packard and created the Apple I in Jobs' parents' garage in Silicon Valley in 1976. "I did tons of research, reading about all the books I could find on the beginning of Apple and the beginning of the computer industry. I watched interviews and saw documentaries. I was very prepared. I never played a real person before so it was real inter- esting to do that research," says Slotnick, last seen in the film comedy Blast From the Past alongside Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone. Slotnick, who owned an Apple computer long before being cast in the movie, enjoys using it for e-mail and playing games. He did not speak with Wozniak, the person ultimately behind all that fun, because the production team decided their interaction might compromise the focus established by writer-director Marryn Burke. "[Woz] was just a shy young guy who figured people might talk to him if he built these computers. I hope the audience will realize that what has changed our universe pretty much was started with a handful of young peo- ple," says the actor, who grew up in Chicago. "It's an American dream story, and I guess [it shows that] if you're a young person interested in electronics and the media, you should follow your instincts and your heart and not worry about what big business says." Slotnick knows all about following dreams in the entertainment business. "I started out in children's theater and did theater throughout high 6/18 1999 94 Detroit Jewish News Computer rs In TNT's "Pirates of Silicon Valley," Joey Slotnick portrays Steve Wozniak, co-founder with Steve Jobs of Apple Computers. The TV drama documents their rivalry with Bill Gates and Microsoft. school," he recalls. "Toward the end of my freshman year in high school, I decid- ed I wanted to be a professional actor and went to Southern Methodist University [in Dallas] to study theater and get a lib- eral arts education." Moving back to Chicago after gradua- tion, Slotnick found work with the Lookinglass Theatre Co. and other compa- nies around town. Top: Noah Wyle, left, as Steve Jobs and Joey Slotnick, right, as Steve Wosniak, co-founders o f Apple Computers. Jobs an d Wosniak created the Apple I in Jobs' parents' garage. Above: Anthony Michael Hall portrays Bill Gates. Soon, he moved to California, secured an agent and began audi- tioning. "When I started doing The Single Guy sitcom, that got me a lot of exposure and great experience," says Slotnick, 30, and single himself. "Then I started doing other things and got diverse roles. Slotnick, who had a part in the independent feature Dinner and Driving, will appear in Idle Hands and Judas Kiss and has voiced several characters in the new animated TV series Family Guy. Previous film credits include Twister, A League of Their Own and Since You've Been Gone. His television credits include guest roles on The Nanny, Beverly Hills 90210 and Ellen. "Woz was a more dramatic role than the ones I've had in the past," says Slotnick, who, in contrast, also tours as part of an improvisation group, Slotnick, Katz and Lehr. "He's very brilliant." Although the Chicago native has never been to Detroit, there is a strong connection to the city. His grandfa- ther, Al Moss, was an award-winning newspaper photographer in the city before moving on to Chicago. According to Slotnick, his grandfather was the first person to take pictures of < Santa with kids and developed the company Santagraph in the 1940s. The actor's mother turned to her Judaism for her personal interest and teaches about the Holocaust for the Shoah Foundation. Working on his new film, The Hollow Man, Slotnick is a student again. He's learning about molecules and making them disappear as he pre- pares to portray a computer scientist in a new take on The Invisible Man. The movie stars Kevin Bacon and has a ten- tative completion date in September. "I started in the theater, so [the stage] is one of the most satisfying things I do," Slotnick says. "I like bonding with the people and helping with the sets and lighting when I'm not acting. The performance any the- ater audience sees is going to be differ- ent from a performance another audi- ence sees, and I love that aspect of it." Slotnick does not mind studying to prepare for a role. "It's interesting to learn new kinds of stuff when I get a chance," he says. "When I'm not working, I like. to see < movies, keep fit with hiking and bik- ing, hang out with my friends, read and take pictures. Maybe the interest in pictures is from my grandfather. I'm the _only actor in my family." II Pirates of Silicon Valley premieres 8 p.m. Sunday, June 20, on TNT. It encores 10 p.m. and midnight June 20; 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 23; 12:30 a.m. Friday, June 25; 8 p.m. Saturday, June 26; and 1 and 11 p.m. Sunday, June 27.