Actor, professor find common ground

When Wayland resident Richard Lerner was seated next to actor Joe Pantoliano at a college football game last fall, the two had a lively conversation about a topic important to both of them -- mental illness.

Pantoliano, an Emmy-award winning actor who had played a role in "The Sopranos," told Lerner, a child development specialist, about a film he had just produced and starred in that told the story of a family coping with schizophrenia. Lerner, a professor at Tufts University, was enthralled and asked for a copy of the film, "Canvas."

That set the wheels in motion for a screening at Tufts last week attended by more than 350 mental illness specialists, community leaders, and students. Lerner arranged a 90-minute symposium about the latest developments in the mental health field for the producers. They, in turn, got a chance to spread the word about their movie, which they hope will be purchased by a distribution company and released in the fall.

Lerner said he wanted to get involved because he believes in the film. He said it presents an authentic view of "the realities of schizophrenia" and its effects on a family. He also liked the message of hope. "It's just an incredible film," he said.

Before the screening Sunday, which was sponsored by a host of university departments, Lerner and his wife, Jackie, hosted a dinner at their Wayland home for Pantoliano and his family, and the film's writer and director, Joseph Greco.

Jackie Lerner spent two weeks preparing food for the 50 people invited to the dinner, including a number of Tufts deans and professors. Their son, Justin, who is in film school at the University of California at Los Angeles, flew home for the event.

Greco said the movie was inspired by his experience growing up with a schizophrenic mother. It was filmed in Hollywood, Fla., his hometown.

"It's like a love letter to my parents," Greco said. "I felt this was my way of sublimating what I had gone through. Every filmmaker has something they are passionate about, and for me, it's mental illness."

Greco, 34, said he was excited about the chance to show the independent film to some of the nation's leading mental health experts. It was one of a handful of screenings since the film was completed in October.

The film focuses on a family coping with the declining mental health of the mother, played by Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden. Her son, played by 11-year-old Devon Gearhart, an Atlanta actor who also attended the screening, and her husband, played by Pantoliano, struggle as her condition worsens. Pantoliano's character begins building a boat in the backyard that he hopes the family eventually can sail together.

Pantoliano said mental illness wasn't a special interest of his when he started making "Canvas," but "it is now." He said he had been looking for a meaningful role to play after his character in "The Sopranos," the obnoxious Ralph Cifaretto, was killed off. "I didn't want to be defined by the character I played," he said.

An informal poll of the "Canvas" cast, he said, revealed that nearly half had a direct connection to someone who is mentally ill. He said being involved in the film forced him to look at some of his own problems, including depression. He hopes the movie can help remove the stigma associated with people suffering from mental illness.

Lerner, 60, said he wants to continue working with Pantoliano to raise money for research on mental health, specifically about the impact of mental illness on a family.

Lerner said he's glad that something so meaningful has come out of an encounter with a Hollywood star, whom he now calls by his nickname, Joey.

"I never anticipated this," Lerner said. "It's interesting the doors you get to walk through in life."