Before he goes back to work as the patriarch in 鈥淭he Gilded Age,鈥 actor Morgan Spector had an opportunity to stretch his wings with a role in 鈥淚 Don鈥檛 Understand You,鈥 a comedy with Andrew Rannells and Nick Kroll.
As the English-challenged Italian Massimo, he tries to get through to the Americans on their Italian vacation. The language barrier? Deadly.
鈥淚 had a wonderful coach who was Italian, and she was extremely patient, both with my dialect and my actual pronunciations,鈥 Spector says. 鈥淚 studied Spanish in high school and a little bit in college, so I thought, 鈥極h, it鈥檚 a Romance language, they鈥檙e both Latin-based. I鈥檒l be fine.鈥
Instead, double consonants made it 鈥渋ncredibly difficult because they鈥檙e pronounced differently. Americans elongate vowels. We don鈥檛 elongate consonants 鈥 that was tricky.鈥
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Morgan Spector, left, plays an Italian man who encounters Andrew Rannells in a home where plenty goes wrong in "I Don't Understand You."聽
When Italians watch the film, 鈥渢hey鈥檒l elbow each other 鈥 鈥檚tupid Americans鈥 鈥 but my hope is they鈥檒l say, 鈥榊eah, you tried.鈥欌
Getting to do a comedy like 鈥淚 Don鈥檛 Understand You鈥 is possible, Spector says, because he has a mother willing to help when he and his wife, actress Rebecca Hall, are both working.
Luckily, 鈥渢here鈥檚 a nice balance in a year, where you do some TV, maybe do an independent film, maybe do something a little bit larger,鈥 the California native says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 tricky at times. It鈥檚 always a balancing act.鈥
And two acting careers in one household? 鈥淲e鈥檝e mostly gotten pretty lucky where my periods of being really busy have coincided with periods for her where she鈥檚 not as busy. There have been times when one of us has to say no to something or when we have to say, 鈥極K, we鈥檙e going to pull our daughter out of school, and we鈥檙e going to hire seven nannies and go live wherever it is.鈥欌
Spector and Hall met on the Broadway play, 鈥淢achinal.鈥
鈥淲e were artistic comrades before we were romantically involved,鈥 he says. 鈥淭hat capacity to work together and sort of partner creatively has always been sort of the DNA of our relationship. It鈥檚 lovely when we do get to work together.鈥
When Spector saw the script for 鈥淚 Don鈥檛 Understand You,鈥 he realized it was 鈥渟ort of a rare jewel where you鈥檙e working with friends.鈥 Directors Brian Crano and David Joseph Craig 鈥渉ave been good friends for a long time and I would do anything with them.鈥 That they comment on what it means to be American in the world is key. 鈥淭he script is brilliant,鈥 Spector says.
So what message does that send to Americans traveling abroad? 鈥淔ind a small country pizzeria with a single, lonely proprietor and try not to kill them,鈥 he says with a smile.
This month, he returns in the sprawling period drama, 鈥淭he Gilded Age,鈥 as George Russell, the 鈥渘ew money鈥 robber baron who works his way through American society, circa 1880.
The series is part of that "lucky" game plan Spector enjoys.
"I Don't Understand You" is now in theaters; "The Gilded Age" returns June 22 on HBO.
