HE'S SURE ABOUT BEING PROVOCATIVE

The Record (Bergen County, NJ); 8/26/1994

HE'S SURE ABOUT BEING PROVOCATIVE -- ERIC STOLTZ RETHINKS HIS FILM CAREER
By EVONNE COUTROS, Staff Writer

Some film actors crave to be loved on screen, but Eric Stoltz yearns to be provocative.

"For some reason, I want to either offend people or stimulate them," said the red-haired star of the upcoming romantic comedy "Sleep With Me."

Stoltz, nominated for a Golden Globe for his riveting portrayal of the disfigured Rocky Dennis in 1985's "Mask," seems, at 32, to be pursuing roles that reflect Nineties issues and society.

He has four films being released this year; "Killing Zoe," in which he plays a heroin user, opened recently to disappointing reviews.

"I'm not sure what I'm thirsting for in film," the amiable and loquacious Stoltz said by telephone from Scotland, where he is shooting "Rob Roy," with Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange. "But I seem to be defining my choices by what I don't want."

He also starred in "Naked in New York" earlier this year as a Manhattan playwright. The film earned respectable reviews.

In November, Stoltz will emerge as a drug dealer in Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction," with John Travolta. It won the Gold Palm at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Stoltz, however, considers "Sleep With Me," opening Sept. 23, his love project. It's his second as an actor-producer (the first was last year's "Bodies, Rest & Motion"), and the screenplay was written by six male buddies.

It's the story of three pals in their 30s -- Stoltz, Meg Tilly, and Craig Sheffer -- caught in a love triangle while dealing with issues of commitment, mores, morals, relationships, and marriage.

"A group of us in our 30s wondered about marriage ... if it's possible to be faithful to one person, handle a lifetime commitment, and how it changes relationships with friends, family, and work," said Stoltz, who's been romantically linked to actress Bridget Fonda for four years."These questions were bubbling in our heads, so we decided to make a film about it."

Added Stoltz: "We didn't want to be ponderous or preachy or self-indulgent. We wanted to deal with these issues against the backdrop of comedy."

The project was slated to be shot in 16mm black and white because Rory Kelly, the film's director and one of its writers, had excess film in his refrigerator.

To the delight of everyone involved (except perhaps Kelly, with all that film), the story won financing and turned into a larger MGM release -- in color.

It's also offered Stoltz the chance to repeat as a producer.

"In some ways it's more relaxing," he said of producing. "You don't have to worry about what you look like, and you're not as concerned with the vanity side of acting. You don't have people hovering about trying to make you appealing."

After some 20 films, including "The Waterdance," "The Fly II," "Memphis Belle," and "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," Stoltz says he's assessing his career.

"I'm just getting to that," he admits, adding that he was jarred by the death of his mother a few months ago.

"It devastated me and made me rethink my entire life, direction, and what I wanted," he said.

The son of teachers, Stoltz was born in California and lived in American Samoa until he was 8, moving back to Los Angeles, then Santa Barbara, where he graduated from high school.

Stoltz was "quite unhappy" studying literature and drama at the University of Southern California, so he left after three years.

"I had been in school too long," he said. "It was part of my rebellion because coming from an academically oriented family, what's the most rebellious act you can do? Drop out of college."

He turned to acting, and that career has included stage as well as film work. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as George Gibb in 1989's "Our Town."

"I've always felt comfortable on stage," he said. "It's allowing yourself to be vulnerable through someone else's words in a safe environment."

In film, his criteria for choosing a project vary.

"It can be as diverse as an actress I want to work with or a director who's a friend -- or even money," Stoltz said.

"But what I don't want is to be in a film that will be shown on an airplane," he said, adding that those projects are "light, generic, homogenized, and go down easily."

Illustrations/Photos: PHOTO - Eric Stoltz with Meg Tilly in "Sleep With Me," which is to open Sept. 23. Stoltz also served as a producer for the romantic comedy.