The remarkably prolific actor stars in the new Western set for a July 12 release.
Just how active an actor is Eric Roberts? Consider this: Publicists pitched to us here at C&I no fewer than three different stories about three different films released this week — no, that’s not a typo — that feature the Oscar nominee (Runaway Train), Golden Globe contender (Star 80) and IMDB.com phenom.
Often described as the actor with the most screen credits working in Hollywood today, with more than 730 (and counting) TV and movie appearances under his belt, Roberts will extend the list with Lumina, a sci-fi thriller about four friends desperately searching for their abductee friend in a deep underground military base; The Blues Society, an engaging and informative documentary about the Memphis Blues Festival, for which Roberts serves as narrator; and The Outlaws, a Tarantinoesque tale of Wild West bandits who turn on each other after an audacious heist.
We opted for The Outlaws — which will be available July 12 in VOD/Digital release — because, well, this is Cowboys & Indians Magazine. Arguably more important, Roberts loves him some Westerns. And yes, he actually owns and rides horses.
Roberts has ridden alongside (or faced off against) such notables as Sam Shepard (Purgatory), Martin Kove (Six Gun Savior), Randy Travis (The Long Ride Home), Tom Berenger (Doc Holliday’s Revenge), and James Garner (Roughing It), among many others. He even managed not to be upstaged by a variety of newly revived prehistoric beasts — and lead player Rib Hillis, currently starring in the INSP series The Tall Tales of Jim Bridger — during the modern-day monster rally Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs.
The Hollywood Reporter noted in a November 2020 profile of Roberts that “this insanely prolific stage of his career is a dream and something that has enabled him to have ‘seen the planet for free three times.’ It’s also something he credits to his wife, Eliza, who as his manager oversees his ‘wild’ scheduling and handles up to 30 offers that come in each day.”
And while many of his movies these days are budget-cramped indies that often rely on his name value to get funding, Roberts also continues to pop up in such upscale fare as The Dark Knight, Inherent Vice, and Babylon, and land recurring roles in TV series like Heroes, Suits, Crash, The Young and The Restless, and The Righteous Gemstones.
In the Hollywood Reporter profile, Roberts conceded that his presence in indies “sometimes helps get loans in the bank” for up-and-coming filmmakers. “But I don’t want to sound like I’m being a hero. I’m doing it for myself, to be honest. But my wife pointed out that a lot of these directors are children, and some of them are going to be fantastic and we’re going to discover them. So that’s the attitude I go in with, and it’s been so rewarding. I’ve met such great people.”
Better still, he really has “seen the planet three times for free.”
Eric Roberts slowed down long enough to join us in the C&I Studio to talk about his regard for Westerns, his virtually nonstop work schedule, and what he’s most looking forward to when he retires. Which probably won’t be anytime soon.
