Few movie actors have careers long enough to play an overgrown adolescent in a hit movie, then 27 years later play the equivalent of that character gone to seed in middle age.
Not everyone, in other words, gets to be Peter Riegert. He launched his acting career as Boone in “Animal House,” then enjoyed a steady and acclaimed list of lead and supporting roles. Now, at 58, he caps his own middle age by writing, directing and starring in “King of the Corner,” an indie movie about a man like Boone trying to grow up.
Leo Spivak of “King of the Corner” was never meant to be a sober sequel for the frat-house farce, but Leo is “that guy 30 years later,” Riegert said. “He regresses through the whole movie.”
Riegert will bracket his career by talking about both movies tonight at Starz FilmCenter. He will present “King of the Corner” at 7 p.m., then talk about “Animal House” at a 10 p.m. screening of the hit.
Riegert, who went from “Animal House” in 1978 to offbeat romantic leads in “Local Hero” and “Crossing Delancey,” doesn’t mind digging familiar togas out of the closet to help his new movie cause.
“The fact that I have anything people want to talk about, it’s fine with me,” Riegert said. “(‘Animal House’) gave me an identity. It was great fun. It was a rather extraordinary way to begin a movie career – I thought it was typical! You work for seven or eight weeks, and then six months later you have a monster hit.”
With offers of good roles fading as he ages, Riegert is in the kind of life transition that drives his Leo character to distraction. Five years ago, Riegert started his changeover, directing an O. Henry story in a short movie nominated for an Oscar. He has looked for more directing projects since.
A Nebraska writer sent him stories when Riegert visited Lincoln with his short; Riegert loved the one about Leo Spivak, simultaneously worried about his sick father, his bored wife, his disappearing job and his teenage daughter.
Riegert helped author Gerald Shapiro reshape the material into a screenplay and began raising money for “King of the Corner.” He’s showing it around the country without a major distribution deal, counting on future DVD sales building from word of mouth.
Acting as traveling salesman for his movie project has given Riegert reason for renewed optimism – and pessimism. “With DVDs and video and film festivals and good theaters showing film, the average American is much more familiar with indie and foreign films than they used to be,” he said.
On the other hand, he sees the distractions of the Internet, video games and cable channels. “Americans are endlessly in toyland, so it’s a lot to compete with,” Riegert said. “And Hollywood is so interested in making $100 million, that $5 million in profit isn’t enough. That’s strange to me. My God, that’s a fortune.”
Staff writer Michael Booth can be reached at 303-820-1686 or mbooth@denverpost.com.
