After looking at a billboard of new television series “Enlightened” featuring the head shot of a snarling Laura Dern complete with runny black eye makeup, one might think that actor Erich Lane’s latest television appearance is as dark and intense as some of his other projects, including the zombie movie “Strain” or the frat boy-turned-criminal stage play “Bash.”
“Enlightened” is a new comedy series that premiered Oct. 10 on HBO. Lane, a UCLA alumnus of the School of Theater, Film and Television, was featured in the pilot episode and had the opportunity to work with Golden Globe winner Laura Dern throughout the series.
Lane’s character on “Enlightened,” Kevin, plays an assistant to the former boss of Dern’s character, Amy. Throughout the show, Kevin has awkward interactions with Amy upon her return from mental treatment. Dern plays the lead and is also the executive producer of “Enlightened.”
According to Lane, it took a lot of patience to land this dream role.
“It doesn’t happen immediately,” Lane said. “You do all this work and then you graduate, and you think everything is going to come to you ““ at least at first you do ““ and it’s not always the case.”
Lane said he looks at the success of UCLA alumnus Beth Behrs, who currently plays one of the two lead characters in CBS’s “2 Broke Girls,” as a source of inspiration because they both went through the same program at UCLA.
“If you want to work in film, television, theater ““ any medium ““ you have to have a solid foundation of training, and UCLA gives that,” Lane said.
According to Lane, however, how well his training has prepared him for the economic downturn’s effect on the entertainment industry is hard to say.
“Studios are making fewer films, and that trickles down to actors.”
Lane said that many actors who have enjoyed success on the big screen are forced to move to the small screen, and actors who would normally get a guest star role on TV are being bumped further down on the ladder.
“Luckily in my case,” Lane said, “The producers of “˜Enlightened’ (were) willing to bring me in. They gave me a shot.”
Now, Lane said he can flex his comic as well as dramatic muscles comfortably whenever a script demands him to. According to Hernando Bansuelo, a former UCLA classmate of Lane’s and director of Lane in “Bash”, Lane’s acting style is both “receptive” and “savvy.” Bansuelo’s film “Bash” was his final project at UCLA, and it depicted Lane as a frat boy with a violent streak.
Reynier Molenaar, the writer and director of “Strain,” a short apocalyptic film where Lane plays a scientist, also said he noticed Lane’s ability to open up and grasp the script.
“Since the material is so dark, it was important to cast someone who could ground the film in emotional reality,” said Molenaar. “Real life is always a mixture of comedy and drama, and actors like Erich are that rare breed who can shift seamlessly between the two.”
Lane said he tends to work more in the realm of comedy. He even trained with The Groundlings, a prominent improvisation comedy group that has spawned “Saturday Night Live” talents such as Will Ferrell.
“There’s so much humor in life, but a lot of times people aren’t able to see it,” said Lane. “I just love making a fool of myself.”