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AUTHOR’S Corner: Woody Allen’s sidekick shares all

By Lonnie Firestone

NEW YORK (JTA) — There’s a memorable scene in “Annie Hall” when Woody Allen’s character, Alvy Singer, rants about finding antisemites everywhere he goes.

tony roberts“You know, I was having lunch with some guys from NBC and I said, ‘Did you eat yet?’ and [they] said, ‘No, Jew?’ Not, ‘Did you,’ but ‘Jew eat? Jew?’ Not ‘Did you,’ but ‘Jew eat?’” To which his pal Rob — played by the prolific stage and screen actor Tony Roberts — replies, “Max, you see conspiracies in everything.”

It’s an exchange that sums up a quintessential relationship in Allen’s oeuvre: the nervous, insecure schlemiel (played by Allen himself) and his level-headed, self-assured friend.

In several of Allen’s films in the 1970s and ‘80s — including “Play It Again, Sam,” “Hannah and Her Sisters” and “Stardust Memories”— that role belonged to Roberts. Roberts’ confident onscreen presence — not to mention his tall frame, broad shoulders and brown curly mane — was the perfect foil for Allen’s various neurotic characters, making them more funny and enjoyable to watch. Still handsome at 76. Roberts says today that his comedic interplay with Allen was nothing less than serendipitous.

“I don’t even know what chemistry we lucked upon,” Roberts tells JTA. “[Woody] said to me, ‘You know, people like our schmoozing.’”

“Well, clearly people liked it because he made use of it in six films,” he adds.

Now, the actor has published a new memoir that dishes on his decades in film, theater and TV, and explores how he built a successful career while teetering somewhere between fame and anonymity. In Do You Know Me?, Roberts writes that he could star in Broadway shows and hit films and receive critical praise  — yet people would approach him on the street wondering where they had seen him before.

The memoir is filled with anecdotes about working legends like Sidney Lumet, who directed him in “Serpico” opposite Al Pacino, and Julie Andrews, with whom he co-starred in the Broadway production of “Victor/Victoria.” Roberts hopes the book will also be a guide for young actors. He offers advice on preparing for auditions, inhabiting characters and observing human behavior.

And, of course, there’s a lot about Woody Allen, whom he calls “Max” throughout the book, a nod to the personal nickname that started when the perennially introverted Allen told Roberts not to call out his name in public.

Roberts’ fame never reached the height of a Robert Redford, whom Roberts replaced in the 1963 Broadway hit “Barefoot in the Park.” And in films, he typically plays the sidekick rather than the lead. But his nearly 60-year career reveals the strengths of a supporting actor who continually brought the main character’s desires and conflicts into greater relief.

Raised in Manhattan, Roberts was the son of secular Jews who raised him without religious observance. He eventually grew curious about his heritage and took a trip to Latvia, where his grandfather had lived before immigrating to the United States.

He first met Allen backstage when he was starring in “Barefoot in the Park.” It was around the time that Roberts unsuccessfully auditioned — four times — for Allen’s first Broadway play, “Don’t Drink the Water.” Seeing Roberts perform in “Barefoot in the Park” convinced Allen that Roberts was talented and worth casting. According to his memoir, Allen told him, “You were great. How come you’re such a lousy auditioner?”

Roberts talks comfortably about all facets of Allen’s work — but on the topic of the director’s romantic and personal scandals, he eschews commentary. In fact, when several publishers told him they would only publish the memoir if it included details about Allen’s personal life, Roberts says, he decided to publish the book independently. Today, Roberts and Allen are still good friends. And though they haven’t acted together in some time, Allen still screens his new films for him and seeks his feedback.

Thinking back on their most famous film together, “Annie Hall” — which won four Academy Awards in 1978, including best picture — Roberts says, “I don’t think Woody wants ‘Annie Hall’ to be his signature achievement. He would much prefer if it were one of his more obscure, experimental films. Like ‘Zelig’ — that’s the one they should put in the time capsule.”

As for Roberts, like all working actors, he’s excited about his next role, whatever it is.

“I wrote the book about the things I want to be my legacy — a love of acting and a love of performers,” he says. “The trick is to figure out what you love to do and then get paid to do it.”

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