Yo, Vincent Piazza! How He Became one of The ‘Jersey Boys’ (Exclusive Interview)

Admit it. Thanks to the media, the state of New Jersey has been put through such extremes in public perception; you wonder why its citizens haven’t asked for a permanent ban in coverage. (Case in point, New Jersey’s current and scandal beleaguered governor Chris Christie encompasses all that you think defines “Jersey.”) In fact, your choice of clichés is probably dictated by the generation in which you were born. For some, it’s a Martin Scorsese-directed gangster melodrama. For others, it’s a fist-pumping orgy of supreme bad taste captured for reality television’s cameras. But love it or hate it, being from Jersey is on par with being from Texas: Go big or don’t go. It may also sum up why “Jersey Boys” has captured the minds – and ears – of millions of people around the world.

One of the most successful American musicals in recent years, “Jersey Boys” is the quintessential jukebox narrative that turned baby boomer nostalgia into megabucks. Sure it’s a classic variation of the “rags to riches” story, in this case four gents from the wrong side of the tracks who become international music sensations. And while the story of singer Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons is decidedly irresistible to behold, it is their music that stands tall. For an audience bombarded with the TMZ-championed exploits of today’s prefab musical “stars,” the Valli/Four Seasons sound still does not know no any imitators. It remains tunefully singular, which makes Clint Eastwood’s film adaptation of the hit show such a bold and welcome addition to summer film season.

Taking his cue from the bold falsetto of Valli’s vocals, Eastwood eschewed the Hollywood propensity to cast box office guarantees in a Broadway adaptation to the big screen. The Academy Award-winning director instead turned to members of several “Jersey Boys” casts to bring the musical to life, mirroring the freshness that Valli and the Four Seasons first brought to American radio in the early 1960s. Led by the Tony-winning talents of John Lloyd Young as Valli, stage actors Erich Bergen and Michael Lomenda were also quite secure in bringing the Four Seasons’ legendary hits to life in a new context. Yet, it is the wild card of Vincent Piazza, the sole member not from a stage company, who proves one of the key reasons why the film “sings.”

“John Lloyd, Erich and Michael were there to help me through the numbers,” Piazza said, “which was a blessing. I had great teachers. And I knew I was in the best hands with Clint. The fact that he believed in me gave me all the self-confidence I needed.”

Piazza, who is best known for his role as Lucky Luciano in HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” is probably the definitive depiction of being a “Jersey Boy.” As represented in the musical, his role as Tommy DeVito was more than one of the group’s founding members. He was the engine behind their version of the American Dream. But despite possessing a swagger and charm that made things happen, it also proved the reason why the group’s fall would become such a sobering cautionary tale on the challenges of fame.

“I felt strongly about Tommy,” Piazza continued. “I really could get behind Tommy. I grew up with guys I felt that had similar temperaments. You know, that big heart but a very tender ego?”

Hell yes, DeVito is a showy role to enjoy, but a risky one. You question why Valli and the group remained loyal to such a huckster. Yet, he is also the most layered character in “Jersey Boys” and the one that may also play to your sensibilities as to what it is to come from the Garden State. Thanks to Piazza’s intrinsic charm and, yes, swagger, his take on DeVito brings a lot of vitality to Eastwood’s often too staid direction.

Taking some time out of one very busy day promoting “Jersey Boys” in New York to talk to Desde Hollywood via telephone, Piazza proved himself as someone who understands the concept of self-confidence. The conversation may have been brief, but he validated why you can’t keep a good Jersey Boy down. And it all went down much like a perfect summer radio song as delivered by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

It’s interesting how certain works become an obsessive part of our popular culture. Fans of “Jersey Boys” the musical are legion for very personal reasons. Have you been able to gauge their response to Clint Eastwood’s telling of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ story on film?

A lot of it has been through the interview process. I only got to see the film myself a few weeks ago. Generally speaking, because it’s a different medium, there’s a different feeling to the movie versus the stage play. The most obvious thing is the immediacy of the stage play, the ability to reach the back row to convey a story and keep the audience engaged for two and half hours. There are a lot of wonderful advantages and vitality that come along with that. In the movie, there’s a different form of vitality and a different brand of intimacy. You get to know these guys and these relationships on a deeper level through the filmmaking and the editing of it. And of course, opening it up, letting it breathe a little bit more. I felt that the musical itself was a great, or logical choice for adaptation for a film because it is so well balanced. You have a real strong, dramatic narrative and it’s coupled with great music that’s enduring 50 years later.

One of the most telling lines in the film, “Everyone remembers it how they need to,” is spot on in defining the biopic genre. People really love the myth more than the truth. But, the rise and fall of the Four Seasons, as compelling as it is to watch and understand in the film, seems so innocent by comparison to today.

Can you imagine if social media or outlets like TMZ existed back then? They would have been over before they started.

Or maybe not? We love a good scandal today, too.

And we pick apart the carcass, right? Which is the nature of society, I guess. With something like “Jersey Boys,” each one of these guys, in truth, could have had their own biopic for very different reasons. You would have got a version of the story, probably a bit of a glamour pic about each and every one of them. What I love about it is these four guys got together in real life. And still, in the telling of their story, could only agree to disagree at the very end of it all. [Laughs] I think there’s something really truthful about that. That’s the way they need to remember it for themselves. Whether it’s to cope with what it was, either their success or failure or the fallout of certain relationships. I think there’s something really commendable about that and honest.

What impressed me most about the story of the Four Seasons was the extent of their trust and loyalty to each other. I mean, handshake agreements and no lawyers? Even though they implode because of Tommy DeVito’s machinations, they held it together for a long time. For a certain generation, that concept of family did count. It’s a powerful message.

I hope that a wider audience feels your realization because it is something that isn’t common today. Handshake agreements don’t hold up. As a matter fact, they are not held up, they’re mocked. If you went into a handshake agreement with anyone, the immediate response from people around is “Are you stupid? Are you naïve? How can you think that’s even possible?” But in many ways, it was beautiful.

As richly Eastwood realized the period details of the Four Seasons’ history, it is their music that dominates it all. In fact, given the energy with which it’s performed in the film, Valli and the group’s sound feels practically new. As the sole member of the group who didn’t come from the Broadway or touring companies, did that prove a little intimidating or inspiring?

For me it was just an honor being a part of what these guys had built already. I walked into a situation without the musical background that John Lloyd, Erich and Michael have. Their work, along with many others, made the musical a success, which is why it was adapted to begin with. I walked into that with a lot of humility. I guess the inspiration was the timelessness of the story. It’s about the underdog, the perils of fame, the friendships, and the great bonds that these guys formed over the years. And of course, the great music they produced. Like, “Sherry,” for instance. That’s a song that I knew quite well. But after getting to know the story, it now encapsulates something else. You know what it took to get there as an audience member, or reader, as in my case. There’s a triumphant feeling about that song now, especially where it’s placed in the movie. It’s their breakout hit. It holds a different meaning despite the fact it was written for very different reasons.

The movie may chronicle the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, but it is Tommy DeVito that takes center stage at times. Was he really such a larger than life presence?

I understood the lengths that people would go to help out their best friends and seize the opportunity of a voice like Frankie’s and trying to get it out there with all this passion. But, if it’s not appreciated, or the longer time goes on and these relationships get intertwined, it’s hard to keep score. It’s hard to know right or wrong, which ultimately gets us to that “agree to disagree” moment in the end.

While a theatrical element exists in Eastwood’s adaptation, your performances are all in keeping with a naturalistic conceit. How did you all avoid “playing to the back row?”

If anything is ever big or “put on” it comes from a place of fear when it comes to those “larger” performances. Maybe in certain cases, that sort of a character is necessary if you’re something a little more geared towards farce. In this case, it was Clint’s faith and confidence in the ensemble as actors that allowed us to work seriously and intimately on these relationships and who we all really are in the film. I can’t speak for the other guys, doing it on stage and performing for 1,500 people a night and trying to hit the back row. It might require you to be bigger in certain cases. I think in this case, there’s a bit of relief to let the camera tell the story and just really exist in these relationships as truthfully as possible.

Tommy is such a badass; the movie sometimes feels like a “Sopranos” episode or a Scorsese narrative with songs.

That’s a cool thing! There really is a swagger to Tommy. I think that was one of his greatest strengths and also one of his greatest weaknesses. Tommy really was the engine, I felt, in many ways. Kicking down all those doors and all the other clichés like that “Never Say Die” attitude. I felt this character embodied that in this movie.

“Jersey Boys” opens nationwide on Friday, June 20.