Paul Giamatti deserves to be granted the keys to the county, if such a thing exists. He is presently being exalted in showbiz and Oscar-hopeful circles for his spot-on performance in The Holdovers, and rightfully so, which has earned him the proper props to be given a tribute night at SBIFF last night at the Arlington (see Leslie Dinaberg’s report later today on Independent.com). But in terms of a rare degree of local heroism — which actually had a huge impact on the county’s financial and viticultural life, his major gift to the region came 20 years ago in Sideways. Of course, that coup came to be thanks to the auteur directive of writer-director Alexander Payne, who also called upon Giamatti for The Holdovers.
Giamatti, in conversation with Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg at last night’s Cinema Vanguard evening, was one of those SBIFF-toasted celebs — a list also including Mark Ruffalo — who took time and interest in speaking with the young journalists on the red carpet. (See Leslie Dinaberg's full report here .)
Onstage, he spoke about his youth and sideways venture into acting. The son of a Yale professor, Giamatti moved from studying primate anthropology to the Yale Theater School to playing Harvey Pekar in American Splendor. Then came the call from Payne and the journey to the Santa Ynez Valley in search of killer merlot and mid-life-crisis healing.