Actor/ writer/director Peter MacNicol, who currently co-stars in the FOX dramedy Ally McBeal, has been signed for exclusive spot representation by SunSpots, the Hollywood production house headed by director David Dryer and president Linda Dryer. SunSpots is MacNicol’s first commercial roost; his directing credits include two episodes of Ally McBeal: "Making Spirits Bright" and "Fools Night Out."
According to Linda Dryer, the company became aware of MacNicol through a mutual friend who works on the set of the FOX series. A fan of MacNicol’s work as an actor, Dryer found out that he’d directed some of the episodes. "I felt they were very strong from a directorial standpoint, and it just clicked with me immediately that he would be great for doing comedy spots," she assessed. Through her friend, she approached MacNicol, who was very interested in other opportunities as a director.
From the start MacNicol felt comfortable at SunSpots. "I didn’t find SunSpots, they found me. And I’m glad they did," he said. "At the first meeting it was clear we were a fit." He also said that he was attracted to the "family feeling" of the company as well as its straightforward philosophy. "SunSpots is not just highly professional," he added, "but safe and supportive too."
Dryer said SunSpots plans to make MacNicol available for select comedy assignments, and that the director is very committed to the new venture and confident that he’ll be able to find the time. "[Directing spots is] a real priority for him," Dryer said. The director’s reel, which consists of excerpts from the aforementioned McBeal episodes, is already in circulation, and while no assignments had been finalized at press time, Dryer is optimistic. Asked if there were plans for MacNicol to direct a spec spot to bolster his reel, she said, "I think that real spots will start coming in for him quickly. He’s such a hot ticket right now."
MacNicol also has a diverse background in comedy to draw upon. In addition to his TV and film credits, he has experience in the fields of screenwriting, teaching, voice work, theater and improvisational comedy, which he believes will ultimately benefit him as a director. "Improvisation is about making lasting impressions quickly which, it occurs to me, is what directing is all about; commercial work in particular," he said. "The directing I’ve done on Ally McBeal has all been with a care to making the comedy integral to the characters and the situations, in finding the comic truth to a scene."
A Texas native, MacNicol studied drama at the University of Minnesota before moving to New York City to pursue theater. He found regular work on the stage, and was also cast as Stingo, the Southern writer and narrator of the ’82 drama Sophie’s Choice. Continuing to work on stage, MacNicol later appeared on Broadway in Black Comedy/The White Liars, The Nerd and Crimes of the Heart. Additionally, he starred in the New York Shakespeare Festival productions of Romeo and Juliet, Richard II and Twelfth Night. He also studied filmmaking at New York University, and in the late ’80s taught acting for two years at the Stella Adler and Playwright studios.
MacNicol relocated to Los Angeles in ’91. Most recently he co-starred in the feature film Baby Geniuses; other notable feature credits include Bean (’97), Dracula: Dead and Loving It (’95), Addams Family Values (’93), Housesitter (’92) and Ghostbusters II (’89). He starred on Chicago Hope for two seasons (’94-’95), has appeared in several made-for-TV movies, and has penned a screenplay which was optioned by the Jim Henson Company. MacNicol is also active as a voice actor in the cartoon world. He is managed by Marc Epstein and is repped as a feature director by the Endeavor Agency, Beverly Hills.
MacNicol joins a director roster at SunSpots that, in addition to David Dryer, includes Larry Carroll, Malcolm McNeill and Kevin Dole. SunSpots is repped on the West Coast by Sandra Riley of San Francisco-based Free Lunch, in the Midwest by Chicago-based Jim Christell of Jim Christell and Associates, on the East Coast by John Naitove of Naitove & Company, New York, and in Detroit by Pat Costa of Illumini Productions.
