Warren F. Disbrow of Visual Experiences, Inc. was very lucky to find Guy Camilleri for the role of Edward Crowley in Scarlet Moon. Well actually, he may have found us by reading the trades. If I remember correctly, we advertised in Hollywood Reporter and Backstage for actors. At the time, he was doing a lot of theater in New York. I remember him being excited for the role, so much so that he shaved his head before meeting with us.
Although I have had some experience with acting at the time, I wasn't nearly as accomplished as Camilleri. I wasn't out there pursuing acting gigs because I was also holding down a fulltime job. Camilleri was the real deal as a working actor. With that being said, I was never intimidated to work with someone with more experience. I actually relished it.
Camilleri came down to New Jersey well prepared for his scenes and was very professional in his work habits. It also helps that he is an extremely nice guy. Sometimes, I find the people that are more experienced easier to work with than those just starting out. Disbrow did add the "666" to his forehead. He didn't come down like that. I am not sure what footage of his ended up in the final edit of "Dark Beginnings," the prequel to "Scarlet Moon." I should be checking out that footage soon.
While his role was a serious one, Camilleri was pretty funny in the scene where the artist Satanya (played by AnneMarie Donato) spruced up the Baphomet, giving it a more psychedelic feel. With my character, Andreas, being the one that recommended her, I had to explain the final product to Crowley. Most of that scene was improvised!
I am my worst critic and I will always find things I might have done differently but I love the way the struggle between Crowley and Andreas turned out. It was definitely a power struggle between our two characters, especially when I kept pleading with Crowley to allow me to kill Keiler, a religious vampire portrayed by Robert Uhrman. Keiler refused to bite people so he achieved his blood supply by draining rats. It was towards the end of the film which was during the previously mentioned struggle that I sort of received a compliment from Camilleri. During one scene, he flubbed his line and we both started cracking up. It was the reason for this flub that I will always hold dear to my heart. He told me that he looked into my eyes and no longer saw Dominic Gregoria but was totally looking at Andreas. To receive those words from someone with his experience meant so much to me. It made me feel like my character had really arrived.
