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Ray Romano Scored Role On ‘Vinyl’ Even Though Martin Scorsese Had ‘Never Heard Of Him’

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 04:32 PST, Jun 12, 2016

Ray Romano, the American comedy actor and Emmy award winner, has made a comeback on the small screen through Vinyl, Martin Scorsese’s new drama series on HBO. The Gold Derby reports that Ray plays the role of Zak Yankovich, an executive at a record company, who is constantly at loggerheads with his business partner over business choices and substance abuse issues.

Ray Romano’s rowdy character is shown to misbehave in every way imaginable, and this is what fans have come to expect from a Martin Scorsese project.

Ray Romano was quick to grab the opportunity that came his way, even though the role is quite different from his earlier works. And for Ray, the enthusiasm to play the role came with the fear of working with the legendary Martin Scorsese, the film genius who is regarded as an encyclopedia of the film industry.

According to IndieWire, the very fact that Martin Scorsese does not watch sitcoms proved to be a blessing for Ray, as he is popular as a comedy actor in the sitcom genre and the casting directors were looking out for an actor who can play serious roles.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Martin Scorsese’s lack of knowledge of television sitcoms was so extreme that he actually had no idea who Ray Romano was when he received his audition tape.

As it turned out, the Executive Producer of the new HBO series simply liked what he saw on the audition tape, without even knowing that Romano is a multi-Emmy award winning television actor.

During an interview on June 9, 2016, Ray Romano called the experience of working with Martin Scorsese “surreal.” Because not only is Scorsese executive producing the series, but he is doing so with none other than Mick Jagger.

“The whole thing is surreal. I talked on the phone with Mick Jagger – well, his producing partner was on it too, it’s not like he called me up personally – and it’s like, what world is that?”

Ray Romano’s biggest challenge was to live up to the expectations of Scorsese, as he admitted that he was harboring certain inhibitions. The very idea of calling and introducing himself to the great Martin Scorsese sent shivers down his spine and made him panicky. However, he found the legendary directory to be very friendly and easy to get along with.

Ray got well along with the director by sharing things about his family and by discussing their shared interest in Italy on the set of the series.

Despite his mental blocks, Ray Romano has managed to deliver a heartbreaking performance in Vinyl, even though his role in the drama is not very showy. Zak’s desperation and struggle to support his family and his reflections on the lost hopes and dreams have been captured beautifully by the former Everybody Loves Raymond actor. Romano fantastically portrayed Zak’s fight and struggle to run the company, despite the challenges posed by the people around him.

Fans will almost certainly take a liking to Ray’s powerful, endearing, and sympathetic character who is, in essence, a good-hearted underdog. Despite having played comical characters in his previous works, Ray Romano was keen to take up a role that had a sketchy side to it. The experience of playing the character of Zak was thrilling for Romano, as the character is considered a nice guy in an ugly business. Ray felt that he personally identified with Zak, who is a tragic figure trying to succeed in a mean world. The key similarity between Ray Romano and his character Zak is that both of them want to succeed by validating themselves, and not that their success at any cost.

Ray Romano’s powerful performance has won him positive reviews and audience attention and he is tipped to win an Emmy award nomination in the Best Drama Supporting Actor category. Earlier, Ray Romano won the Emmy award for the hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond in 2002, 2003, and 2005 in the Best Comedy Actor and Best Comedy Series categories. Additionally, Ray has proved his acting skills in the dramas like Men of a Certain Age and Parenthood.

Ray Romano’s popularity can be attributed to the CBS hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond which catapulted him into the mainstream comedy world. According to Closer Weekly, Ray Raymond admits that a lot of his success as an actor in the hit show can be attributed to the love and support that he received from the late Doris Roberts, his unforgettably iconic sitcom mom.

The New York Daily News reports that Doris Roberts, the veteran actress and four-time Emmy award winner, passed away on April 17, 2016, at the age of 90.

Ray Romano took the lead in paying tribute to the late actress publicly at a somber cast reunion last month. Us Magazine reports that Romano fondly remembered Doris and spoke about how her energy and spirit motivated him to deliver his best.

“Whether working professionally or with her many charities, or just nurturing and mentoring a young, green comic trying to make it as an actor, she did it all with such a grand love for life and people.”

It is clear that Ray Romano will miss Doris throughout his professional life as it was her love and support that helped him to establish himself as a professional actor and comedian in the first place.

[Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Waterkeeper Alliance]

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