"I Am A New York Actor"

Matt’s enthusiasm for this show is no different from how he’s approached his entire career. We spoke on the phone from L.A., where Matt was out for pilot season. “I’m so excited about what’s going on in New York production-wise. It’s wonderful to watch the transformation of what used to be this little outpost for film and TV. The tax credits championed by our union created so much work. However, I still migrate west every year for a spell because there are writers and producers in L.A. that I need to stay in touch with. I think it’s important to be aggressive about seeking work. I’ve graduated from sleeping on my L.A. friends’ couches. These days I have my own bedroom.”

At an early age, Matt’s family moved from New Jersey to Detroit, where his father was from, and there he attended high school and college, engaging in sports and other school activities, and eventually he discovered the high school musical. “We did all the classics. I loved the camaraderie. When I played the title role in Pippin, everything changed. I wanted more challenges. More drama. An English teacher introduced me to forensics.” In this speech and debate activity, students gain confidence in public speaking, and many of these programs include theatrical monologues and dramatic duos. Matt recalls, “Our drama teacher was very encouraging and helped me get a full scholarship to Wayne State University to study theater. Still, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be an actor. I thought about teaching and journalism. But then I was in a car accident, and I took some of the settlement money and studied abroad for a semester at BADA [British American Drama Academy] in its inaugural year. I studied with some of England’s finest teachers — people from the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Old Vic, the West End. I listened to lectures by Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi. Studied acting with Yale School of Drama’s Earle Gister. I met Harold Pinter. I came back from that summer at 19 years old thinking, ‘OK! Now I want to be an actor.’ It wasn’t until later on I realized I wanted to be a British actor!”

His experience made him seek a more regimented and disciplined Europeanstyle training, and this led to his audition for Juilliard. “I got in as an alternate, but I showed up on day one, ready to give it my all. And I got my ass kicked. In four years, my tough Detroit exterior got molded into a more versatile actor.” And the young man who started at Juilliard as an alternate attended his final year on full scholarship through the Princess Grace Foundation. “It’s a wonderful organization that gives money to performing arts students. They’re adamant about staying in touch with scholarship ‘alumni’ and continue to offer financial help for you to educate yourself within your discipline.”

Juilliard offers its graduates a presentation opportunity with agents and casting people, and there Matt met Joan D’Incecco, legendary casting director for All My Children. “It happened very fast. I got a note at school from Joan. Next thing I knew, I had a meeting. Then I had a screen test. Then I had a job. I was taping the role of Trask Bodine by day and then running back to Juilliard at night to play King Lear in our spring repertory production.”

He mourns the loss of dear friend D’Incecco (who died in 2016), as well as the soap opera genre. “It helped me pay my student loans and get a little cash in the bank. It was a great way for New York actors to cut their teeth and learn how to act in front of the camera. So many great actors got their start in daytime. Alec Baldwin, Julianne Moore, Kevin Bacon, Meg Ryan.

“Make no mistake: I was terrible!” Matt laughs. “You do six years of theater training and then they throw you in front of a camera. And soaps, because they were shot three-camera style, were very technical. No room for your method acting. ‘Learn your lines. Hit your mark. Check the gate. We’re moving on.’ We had to shoot an entire episode every day! It was an acting factory. Eventually, if you’re lucky, you find a happy place where the acting and the technical needs work together.”

He got his Equity card doing a play that spoofed daytime TV called Quiet on the Set that featured several other daytime actors. “It was a blast sending up every night what we were doing every day. And I was playing multiple roles: the director, the makeup lady, the delivery guy … And I thought, where else can you do this except New York? Shoot a hit soap during the day and get on stage at night?” And, like most actors in New York, Matt also found work in commercials and voiceovers.

Matt’s career has continued to mirror his early days. He returned to the stage off-Broadway recently with Emma and Max at the Flea Theater, written and directed by indie film director Todd Solondz. And Matt is a champion of independent film. “I auditioned for the controversial film Compliance for a lead role — didn’t get it — so the director was reluctant to offer me a smaller part. I told him I would do anything because I believed in the film. Every role is significant because it adds to the story.”

With roles that have spanned contracted and recurring characters on The Sopranos, Banshee, Harry’s Law, Homeland and NCIS: New Orleans (to name a few), as well as turns in indies and major motion pictures, Matt continues to expand his repertoire with memorable characters. “Most recently, I’ve been recurring on Billions as New York Gov. Buffalo Bob Sweeney, something that started as a one-off and has grown over two seasons into a fully fleshed-out character. The talent on Billions is amazing. I’m always humbled at the table read to see the ensemble I’m working with.”

To those feeling rejected or discouraged, “Think about the long game,” Matt advises. “I’ve never felt relaxed. I don’t ever want to feel settled as an artist. There’s no ‘big break.’ It’s a myth. There might be a moment where a door opens — wide. But believe me, that door has a spring on it, and it always wants to shut again. There’s something to be said for longevity. Always keep fighting. Answer the bell for the next round.”

Matt’s also been a fighter for SAG-AFTRA. He was elected to the national and local boards for several terms and served on several committees. “As an actor, I’m a collaborator. And the unions feel like family to me. We’re all in this together. Growing up in Detroit, I was part of a union family. My great grandparents, my grandparents, my dad, all worked in union shops, so I saw firsthand what the benefits were.”

One benefit turned out to be a lifesaver. Matt recalls, “About 13 years ago, I had a heart attack. And I had to have open-heart surgery. Intensive care, top surgeons, extensive follow-up. Quadruple bypass when my wife Anne was eight months pregnant with our twins. And yet, it felt like a blink, because I never had to worry about how I was going to pay for all of it. I can’t imagine what our lives would be like without my union insurance. I’d still be paying those bills today.”

Thirteen years later, the only hint it even happened are the scars on his chest, but for a fighter like Matt Servitto, it’s all in a day’s work.

Photo: Veteran actor Matt Servitto (Photo by Stuart Tyson)