Such a familiar face

He's the guy on telly ads treated to an early morning cup of lousy coffee with the alluring cry, in what seems to be a Russian accent, ''Waky, waky, Dave.'' Eryn Wilson's face is so frequently on our television screens he almost seems like family. And it is family to whom the actor attributes his thriving career. He says his taught him how to appreciate the light side of life. 'We used to observe people as a family and fool around a lot,'' says one of the lead actors in Silo Theatre's latest production, Three Days of Rain. ''As a result I didn't see acting as a huge stretch.'' The Pulitzer Prize-nominated play, which launched Julia Roberts' theatrical career, is about a brother, sister and childhood friend who gather to divide the assets of their deceased father. Three Days of Rain is about a tense, brittle reunion in which much more is at stake than who gets the house. The tension is cranked up a few notches by the brother's discovery of their father's sparse diary. Eryn performs opposite multiaward winning actress Tandi Wright (Shortland Street, Willy Nilly) and Glen Drake (Shortland Street, The Talented Mr Ripley) in the local premier of this timeless love story. The 34-year-old West Aucklander says that although he loves acting he has faced the harsh reality that he must earn money in order to feed his passion. He co-owns a film production company. ''Because I'm not acting all the time, when I do act I really am excited about it.'' Heading overseas to drum up work is not high on Wilson's list of things to do. He says he doesn't feel compelled to leave the country because he is passionate about Kiwi work. ''And looking for work overseas is way tougher than you think.'' Eryn describes acting as ''soul food with no money''. He says he loves the fact that ''acting justifies exploring other people's lives within the context of a play. I love being able to get inside the head of, for example, a heroin junkie something you would never be able to do in real life. ''I don't believe in planning. I like being spontaneous after all, life's too short.''
Three Days of Rain, The Silo, until Aug 25. Tickets: ph 970 9700 or see www.ticketmaster.co.nz.
By Sharu Delilkan