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Ann Arbor To
'Pearl Harbor'

University ofitlichigan grad makes Hollywood
debut in star-studded blockbuster.

SETH HITSKY
Special to the Jewish News

0

n the screen he is Lt.
Anthony Fusco, a young
Italian fighter pilot from
Brooklyn, N.Y., one of the
"top gun" heroes of Col. James
Doolittle's daring air raid on Japan to
avenge the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
But in reality, he's Greg Zola, a 26-

1:11

5/25
2001

74

year-old Jewish actor four years out of
the University of Michigan's musical
theater program, making his
Hollywood film debut.
Zola plays a soldier-buddy to Ben
Affleck's and Josh Hartnett's leading
men in the highly anticipated Pearl
Harbor — and can't wait for its
Memorial Day weekend opening.
Also starring Kate Beckinsdale and Alec
Baldwin, Pearl Harbor is a symphony of

Not long after the
planes and explosions, tied
In "Pearl Harbor,"
shooting was finished for
together by the film's person- military personnel
Pearl Harbor, Zola's
al story lines and romance.
prepare for war,
father, Ralph Zola, died.
So far, Zola has only seen
including, left to right,
"It is terrible that he'll
the scenes that he is in, and Jimmy Doolittle's
never see the movie," says
won't see the movie in its
co-pilot (Paul Francis),
the actor." It's rough, it's
entirety until it opens.
Danny Walker gosh
a rough time in my life.
"The idea of this movie
Hartnett), Red (Ewen
"I feel in the past two
coming out is scary," he
Bremner, background),
months that I've just
says. "I don't know what
Rafe McCawley (Ben
my part is going to be. I've Affleck), Gooz (Michael been starting to put my
feet back on the ground."
never experienced the
Shannon, background),
Zola made his own ama-
whole film editing process Col. Doolittle (Alec
teur films as a teen and his
where what you shoot may Baldwin) and Anthony
parents were always very
not wind up in the movie. R. Fusco (Greg Zola).
supportive of his projects..
When you're in a play,
what you act is definitely going to be
"My parents took me to a lot of plays,"
he says. "They were very avid theater-
up there."
goers and very artistically inclined."
A "veteran" of the U-M student
After gaining experience acting in
stage, Zola's only other film role was as
a teenager in a student film, Noam and plays and musicals throughout high
Yacov. "I played Noam, a chasidic kid
school, Zola auditioned for the
University of Michigan's musical the-
from Brooklyn, rebelling against his
upbringing," he says. "Noam plays soc-
ater program. "To get in felt like a
major achievement," he says.
cer on Yom Kippur — it was intense."
It is fitting that Zola's second film
While at Michigan, Zola acted in fac-
role is the part of a young Italian, also
ulty-produced shows, as well as making
from Brooklyn. Brought up in a Jewish
lasting contributions to student-run the-
household in Englewood Cliffs, N.J.,
ater. "U-M had a remarkable student-run
just across the river from New York
theater, Basement Arts. There was a great
student running it, Adam Greenfield,
City, he was exposed to many different
who was just an amazing artistic director
ethnicities from an early age.
"I had a feeling I would be playing
at 21. He not only let students direct the
ethnic roles, and I like ethnic charac-
plays they wanted to do, he allowed me
ters," he says.
to put up an original play"
Zola's parents offered him multiple
In the four years since graduating from
perspectives on Judaism. "My mother's college, Zola has played leading roles at
side of the family is very observant,
Seth Hitsky is a New York-based
while my father's side of the family is
less so," he says.
freelance writer.

I biopic, it would begin in his blue-col-
lar childhood home in northwest
`L.
Detroit, just after World War II.
His parents were German-Jewish
Detroit native Jerry Bruckheimer
immigrants who arrived in the United
States in the 1920s; his father was
produces "Pearl Harbor"
active in a Conservative synagogue
(whose name the producer says he
NAOMI PFEFFERMAN
In the 1980s, Bruckheimer and his
* cannot now recall), where Jerry
Jewish Journal. of Greater Las Angles
then-partner, Don Simpson, churned
became bar mitzvah.
out a string of testosterone-fests like
z.
Bruckheimer senior, a clothing sales-
erry Bruckheimer laughs when
Top Gun and Beverly Hills Cop.
Jerry Bruckheimer on the set man, never made more than $140 a
you mention the reviews that
(In the latter film, it's no accident
of "Pearl Harbor." week. But his son was more ambitious.
charge he makes money, not art.
that the Eddie Murphy character sport-
When his parents dropped him off
"Thanks for reminding me," he
ed a Mumford High School T-shirt.
the math, he's probably the most finan- at weekly movie matinees at the local
Bruckheimer, a hands-on producer, was cially successful producer in movie his-
quips. "But I get great reviews from
theater, he dreamed of Hollywood.
the Bank of America."
born and raised in northwest Detroit,
tory, with film, video and soundtrack
Bruckheimer studied photography,
A fitting response from a producer
where he went to Mumford, before
revenues topping $11 billion.
won some local prizes in advertising
who is the uncontested King of the
graduating from University of Arizona
So what if the critics dump on his
— including one for a 60-second snot
Hollywood Blockbusters.
as a psychology major in 1965.)
movies? Bruckheimer says he personally
for Pontiac in which he parodied
Even after his partner Simpson died
His Pearl Harbor, at $140 million
identifies with the genre. "It's about
Bonnie and Clyde — and fled Detroit
the priciest movie ever approved by
of a drug overdose in 1996,
overcoming your problems and succeed- for New York.
one studio, opens today with the
Bruckheimer continued to reign as cin
ing," he says. "I like movies about [tri-
Still, Hollywood was his Goldene
biggest series olexplosions ever
ema's adrenaline mogul with flicks such umph]. It parallels my own life story"
Medina; he arrived there four years
recorded on film.
as Con Air and Armageddon. If you do
If Bruckheimer made his own
later, giving up a lucrative Madison