Thursday, October 23, 1997
Actor finds his home at ‘Union Square’
TELEVISION: Anderson-Gunter brings his talents to TV with new
sitcom
By Aimee Phan
Daily Bruin Staff
The Anglo-dominated NBC Thursday night lineup is getting a bit
of color this year. Sandwiched between "Friends" and "Seinfeld" is
the new comedy "Union Square," about a struggling, mismatched group
of ethnically diverse people who hang out at a diner.
One member of this posse is Jeffrey Anderson-Gunter, who
portrays Vince, the diner’s owner and a somewhat paternal figure to
the eclectic mix of characters.
"He’s sort of an Ed Asner in a sense," Anderson-Gunter says. "He
loves everybody but doesn’t want them to know that, so he plays
this really gruff guy with an attitude."
While Anderson-Gunter says that while he doesn’t have the rough
and gruff side that his character has, he does have a few striking
similarities to Vince.
Both are from Jamaica (although Anderson-Gunter is also part
Chinese and German) and both are experienced cooks. The reason
Anderson-Gunter and Vince have so much in common is that the part
was tailored specifically for the actor.
"I played a restaurant owner on ‘Caroline in the City’ and at
the time (the creators) were looking for an Ed Asner-type for this
show," Anderson-Gunter says. "When they saw me playing a restaurant
owner, they rewrote the role specifically for me."
Anderson-Gunter’s journey to Hollywood was a long and winding
road as he explored different careers and lived in a variety of
cities before coming to Los Angeles.
Although still fond of his native Jamaica, he admits that it
would have been hard trying to make a living there.
"Jamaica is a real neat place to live in until you start fending
for yourself and have to work," Anderson-Gunter says. "Not all the
jobs are available and things aren’t regularly available there. The
place is still beautiful and the people are still wonderful and
self-sufficient, but it could be better economically."
When Anderson-Gunter did move to the United States, he found
more opportunities. He soon enrolled at Boston University and
earned a degree in broadcast journalism. But after working on an
election, dealing with platforms and interviewing politicians, he
realized that it wasn’t the career for him.
"It was so boring to me," Anderson-Gunter says. "I just hated
that. So after that, I decided to seek what I really wanted to do
and go to New York and find my future."
There he found his niche in the theater world. His favorite role
was the Cheshire Cat in "Alice" on Broadway. And though
Anderson-Gunter has expanded to television and film, the stage
remains his passion.
"Although theater is not as lucrative financially, it is the
most challenging kind of work," Anderson-Gunter says. "It calls
upon all your wits and everything in your instrument. I just like
the whole anxiety of being in the moment when the audience is
there. You’ve got to deliver even if things go awry."
After a successful stay in New York doing theater and founding
the Caribbean-American Repertory Theater, Anderson-Gunter received
what he calls a "divine message" to come to Los Angeles.
He quit the Broadway show he had been working on and packed up
his belongings and pet cat Celeste to head west. Anderson-Gunter
remembers the moment when he abruptly decided to uproot and change
coasts.
"I woke up and the first thing I heard was ‘You gotta go to
California,’" Anderson-Gunter recalls. "I had never spoken to
anyone about it, never thought about it before. But it was so vivid
and intense. I was actually driven to do this thing. It was the
best thing I’d ever done so I can only say it was a divine
message."
When Anderson-Gunter moved to Los Angeles, he added several
other occupations to his resume while waiting for his career to
take off.
He founded a West Coast branch of his repertory company and
plans to continue directing productions with his company. To make
extra money, he would often cater small parties with dishes he
learned from his parents, such as West Indian and Greek
cuisines.
While Anderson-Gunter is busy with his sitcom, he still finds
time to cultivate other interests. He plans on opening a restaurant
and nurturing his repertory company so it can be self-sufficient.
But his priorities are to continue acting and perhaps directing
episodes of "Union Square," which he praises for its ethnic
diversity.
"I think the timing of the show is great as far as the world is
concerned now," Anderson-Gunter says. "It really is sending out a
message of people getting along despite their differences. And the
differences of the world is what makes this place exciting."
TELEVISION: "Union Square" airs Thursdays at 8:30 pm.
Lori De Waal and Associates
Jeffrey Anderson-Gunter stars as restaurant owner Vince on NBC’s
"Union Square."