Danielle Solzman
Colin Donnell spoke with Solzy at the Movies over the phone this week about Almost Love, which Vertical Entertainment just released on VOD.
Almost Love will be released on Digital/VOD on April 3, 2020. What was it that drew you to the film?
Colin Donnell: Mike is actually an old friend of mine. When he told me about the film and the script, I was really excited for him. When he sent it to me and asked me to think about playing Henry, A) I was excited to maybe get to be a part of it and B) when I read it, I just fell in love with all these characters. I think it was a hilarious and very heart-filled look at a group of friends who could be my contemporaries living in a big city and at very relatable points in relationships with each other.
What do you typically look for in characters while reading a screenplay?
Colin Donnell: Somebody who will hire me (Laughs). I love being able to play sort of offbeat characters in their own way. I think one of the things that was exciting for me in looking at the script was that I was going to get a chance to do something a bit of an outside comedic character, which is something that I don’t get to do very often onscreen. I love comedy and I’ve gotten the chance to do it on stage quite a bit but it’s not something that I’m asked to do very often on camera. I was very, very excited and really grateful that Mike was looking forward to giving me that opportunity.
What other things do you take into account when choosing a project?
Colin Donnell: If I open the script and it’s exciting, and I can connect it in some way. I love to work. I think it’s basically as simple as that. When I when I see something that is fun or meaningful or exciting, the chance to do it on stage or on screen—creating something new is very exciting for me.
Arrow ended its run earlier this year. How did it feel to be apart of the series that would ultimately start a larger universe?
Colin Donnell: I’m immensely proud of what Arrow accomplished over its eight-season run. I think that Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim and Andrew all created something very special. It’s awesome to see what it has spawned. I’m very grateful to the fans for making it what it was. I think we really started a new chapter of superhero television on TV. It’s really nice to feel like I was a part of that.
Do you have a fun memory that stands out from working on the show?
Colin Donnell: It’s basically a compilation of a lot of different ones. The first season was incredible but really every time that I came back to make an appearance after that, it was really special because it was like coming back to see old family. Getting the opportunity once or even twice a season over the over the years was something that I really looked forward to.
Does it feel weird starting the month of April without being able to watch the St. Louis Cardinals?
Colin Donnell: I hate it—probably not as much as they hate not being able to play. I am a born and bred St. Louis Cardinals fan so I think everybody’s missing baseball a little bit right now.
Yeah. I grew up in Louisville and we had the AAA affiliate. After they left for Memphis, the allegiance still stuck.
Colin Donnell: I love it.
Here I am living about a half mile to a mile away from Wrigley.
Colin Donnell: Oh, my goodness. All right. At least you’ve got good restaurants to think about.
Speaking of, what were some of your favorite things to do in Chicago while working on Chicago Med.
Colin Donnell: Along those lines, I think Chicago is one of the greatest food towns in the United States. It was always fun to get to go out and experience new restaurants that were opening and go to some old favorites. While I was there with the show, we lived down in the West Loop. It was sort of a hot spot for restaurants and easy to go to other areas of the city. I loved the Art Institute that was there. The culture of Chicago, I think, is pretty unmatched. Especially coming from a place like New York, it was nice to see another city that had such an appreciation for arts, culture, music, and food. I loved our time there.
Going back to the Cardinals, do you have a favorite memory of watching the Cards play—either in person or on TV?
Colin Donnell: I remember one time as a kid. It was during the Mark McGwire era—whatever you think about that. It was during his run to the home run record and I think I saw him hit three home runs in one game.
What are you doing to keep yourself busy during the quarantine and not go stir crazy?
Colin Donnell: My wife is currently five months pregnant so that’s keeping us busy. We are staying up at our house just outside of Manhattan and getting the house ready. We’re both reading a lot, watching a lot of television, and bingeing some movies that we’ve been meaning to get to. I’m excited that people are going to get a chance to see this come Friday because I think that there’s something—not only will it give people another opportunity to kill some time in this craziness but I think the movie is going to be really something that people are gonna enjoy. It’s lovely, light-hearted, meaningful, funny, and an easy watch. Mike put something together that’s special. We’re disappointed that we can’t have the theatrical release but for it to come out at a time like this, I think is really special.
Do you feel that there’s a possibility of the film getting lost under the radar since you don’t really have the traditional press tour with all the TV appearances?
Colin Donnell: I think we’re doing a good job to try to get the word out as much as possible about the film because I think it’s very important to all of us that we—especially to Mike—but all of us who are involved in the film. We think it is something that people will really latch on to at this time and it’s a difficult time for anybody but this was a real labor of love, not only for Mike, but for everybody that he brought on the film. I really hope that the word gets out and people tune in.
