Speaking to Victor Garber by phone was a great chance to compare film technique to stage technique from somebody on the front lines of both. Garber’s not a household name but if you saw him on the street you’d recognize him in an instant. While he’s known well enough for his role on the television show Alias, “It’s Titanic that everyone remembers,” Garber acknowledged.

To prepare for the role of the architect of the Titanic, Garber read a bio of ship designer Thomas Andrews, but added, “[Jim] Cameron tells you what he wants. When I finally saw the premiere I couldn’t believe what he’d achieved.” Titanic the movie is scheduled for a re-release in 3D on April 6, 2024. Garber also has roles in the upcoming films The Guys Who Move Furniture and Argo (directed by Ben Affleck).

But it’s the legit stage where Garber has found his most challenging roles, including parts in the original productions of The Shadow Box, Sweeney Todd, Damn Yankees (revival), Deathtrap, and Art to name a few. “On the stage you’re working with a different kind of spontaneity,” Garber said. “In film you have less rehearsal time, less research, you stay true to the page.”

But Garber was quick to remind that whether on the stage or in front of a camera “the goal is believability, and the truth is in the moment.”

Garber appears in a DVD that gets released today (September 6) called Entitled, a tense kidnap drama where he plays one of three fathers whose children are being held for ransom. Garber shares screen time with Ray Liotta and Stephen McHattie. As the seconds tick away each parent reveals different motives towards the outcome. Garber said, “It was the twists of the characters that appealed to me.”

- Michael Bergeron