'What I really want to do is act'

Peter Riegert's story is a familiar one. Now 57, the veteran character actor — probably best known for "National Lampoon's Animal House," "Crossing Delancey" and "The Mask" — has seen roles in movies and television dwindle as the years go by.

So he decided to make his own movie, giving himself the plum part of a burned-out marketing and sales manager in "King of the Corner," a comedy based on author Gerald Shapiro's "Bad Jews and Other Stories."

"I could lie," Riegert said with a laugh, "and tell you that I wanted to cast someone else as Leo, but you'd never believe me. That would be a real whopper, wouldn't it?"

"King of the Corner" sees Riegert wearing more hats than those of director, co-screenwriter and star. He's also had to act as studio head, publicist and marketing director, since the film doesn't have studio distribution. In fact, he's been accompanying prints of the film as they make their way from market to market, including Salt Lake City this weekend.

"We're breaking new ground here," Riegert said by phone from Buffalo, N.Y., one of a handful of cities where the film is playing. "Well, technically, it's not new ground — this is the way they used to do things in this business."

He's hoping his touring with the film will get people into theaters and raise enough awareness to bolster later DVD sales. "It's funny, because we've already got a distributor lined up for the DVD but can't even find one studio that wants to release the movie in theaters. It's frustrating, too, obviously.

"I don't know if it's just laziness, a lack of creativity or what, but I've had people at the studios look at it and say they just don't know what to do with it. And then they tell me how much they love it, which is crazy, because if they really do love it, then you think they'd come up with ways to sell it to audiences."

"King of the Corner" certainly doesn't lack for star power. Among the cast members are Eli Wallach, Rita Moreno, Isabella Rossellini, Eric Bogosian and Beverly D'Angelo.

"This is not a hot, young, sexy cast, but these are great and talented people," Riegert said. "In fact, I challenge you to find a better ensemble cast in any movie that's playing in theaters right now."

The cast is composed of Riegert's friends, and he hadn't actually planned to call in favors, he said. "I've known most of the guys for a long time, so I brought them together to do a read-through on the script. And as it turns out, they fell in love with the material and wanted to do my movie.

"That meant I could pay them less than they're used to."

"King of the Corner" is not Riegert's first foray into directing. He has directed some theater, and his short film, "By Courier," an adaptation of an O. Henry short story, was nominated for an Academy Award in 2001.

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