A: A. I was on an episode of a childrens tv show when I was a child and that hooked me into the industry! I then did theater productions all through school and had extra roles in "Blow Out" by Brian DePalma and "Eddie & The Cruisers". I've taken acting courses on and off since I was a teenager. I really focused on acting in 2005.

          A: I was initially hired only for a background role in "The Happening". After two days on set I was chosen to be in some scenes with Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, Mara Hobel and Kerry O'Malley and turned into a two week shoot that I had an incredible time filming! My character in the script was listed as "Father In Elliot's Group" and I wound up being in the film for about 10-15 minutes and was also featured in the theatrical and television trailers. I was in all of the scenes that take place at the crossroads and out in the fields. It was a great experience that brought me to the attention of people around the world, so I'd like to thank M. Night Shyamalan for that.

(Mark Wahlberg, Kerry O'Malley & Roberto Lombardi in "The Happening")

          A: In any situation, not just a movie review, I feel I owe it to myself to make my own decisions. Regarding "The Happening", I have read both good and bad reviews of the film and that's fine. I personally enjoy Night's films. To me all of his films are more about human relationships with the horror aspect being almost secondary. The two weeks I worked on "The Happening" were alot of fun with a great cast and a terrific crew. All during production it was always intended as a homage to B movies - from the dialogue to the acting. M. Night Shyamalan has an undeserved reputation for being difficult and that was not my experience at all. He couldn't have been nicer or more professional. Take the film for what it is.

(Roberto Lombardi & Zooey Deschanel in "The Happening")

          A: The weather was really the only issue in "The Happening". It was September in the Philadelphia area and an average of 95 degrees out every day! When I worked on "The Last Airbender", that was tougher! That film had very hot, heavy costumes made of wool, rubber and nylon plus the whole shoot was full on fight choreography! I'm not a complainer though. I've had to run, crawl through streets, be covered in red syrup, stick my hands in pig intestines, be spray tanned white, wear large cosmetic contact lenses, scream, cry, etc all for hours at a time... And you know what? I'd do it all over again!

(Robert Bailey Jr., Joel de la Fuente, Zooey Deschanel & Roberto Lombardi in "The Happening")

          A: No! Only because the entire script was not given out. I knew what my scenes were, but even the leads in the film were only given script pages to work on. I liked what we were shooting and the feeling on the set was that we were making something fun and we all enjoyed the experience of working on "The Happening". When we wrapped I felt pretty confident that it would be good and I would not be edited out!!

          A: No, I was strictly an actor on "The Happening", though on other films I have been a Producer, Assistant Director, Casting Director and many other things.

          A: Absolutely!

          "Abduction" was a year long adventure and another film that people either loved or hated! It was meant to be more disturbing than horror in that you had a small town in New Jersey called Process that was kind of quaint on the outside, but was sinister behind closed doors. The townspeople would kidnap the tourists, drug them, sell their body parts, impregnate the women to sell the babies or sell them into sex slavery! This was all done without the slightest trace of regard for humanity and that's what made the film disturbing. It was more of a psychological thriller. After some early cast changes we had to reshoot some scenes, but we wound up with a great cast & crew! "Abduction" won a TLA Raw award too! John Orrichio is a terrific director/writer and we got along so well that we joined forces and have two more films and two television series pilots we're producing.






(Roberto Lombardi & Gregory R. Campbell in "Abduction")





          "Extinction" is a sci fi / adventure film that is in development at the moment. We have an amazing cast attached that includes Luke Goss, Richard Brake and many more. The script was written by Maurice Vaughan and it just rocks! It takes place between three different worlds and focuses on the lead character Steve Colossus who is a rebel fighter. High on special effects, but equally as high on the characters and acting. Directed by A.J. Carter.









          Dead Collections - This is also a John Orrichio film. We are currently in production on "Dead Collections" and it's the story of Sara (the amazing Kim Santiago) who loses her husband in a freak accident. She becomes destitute and is forced to move in with her elderly Uncle who's house is haunted. As her life unravels, Sara is stalked but she doesn't know if it's ghosts or something worse! She then consults a psychic (Matt Locker). I play Sara's debt collector Thomas and it also stars the multi talented Edward X. Young. The ghost effects are really great and it's got not only good scares, but a nice twist on the genre. It comes out in the summer of 2011.

          A: Oh wow, yes! I like to stay really busy, so... I work with another awesomely talented writer/director named Chris .R. Notarile of Blinky Productions. My first film with him was "Methodic". I had a small role, but it led to me being attached to all the planned sequels plus a few more of his projects, "Stand Off" being next. I just completed Chris' short film "Kill or Be Killed" that starred both myself and the mega talented Andrew Roth. It's making the rounds on the festival circuit now. I have also done quite a few of Chris' amazing fan films such as "Escape From New Jersey", "Mr. J" and "Punisher '79-82".

          Besides "Dead Collections", John Orrichio and I are producing "Ghost Blunders", a half hour scripted comedy series that spoofs ghost hunting shows! I am one of the leads. The pilot is complete and being shopped now. John and I are also in pre production on a crime drama called "Johnny Blue" that stars Shirley Jones, Kevin Sizemore and myself along with a really great cast & crew.

          I also completed work on an intense film by director Adam Ahlbrandt called "The Cemetery". It's a well made scarefest with lot's of gore! It stars Tabetha Ray, J.D. Brown, Ruby LaRocca and Billy Gram (and me!) and between the demonic possessions and great effects should make fans of the genre very happy. It's due for release around Halloween, 2011.

          A: Man, there's so many... Having just met John Carpenter last summer, he's be at the top of my list! I'd also love to work with Sam Raimi, Wes Craven, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, Peter Jackson - I could go on! Some up and coming producers/directors I like are Brandon E. Brooks, Thomas Churchill, Richard Diaz and Christina Sampson. Christina and I produced a short film called "Just Like Me" and our working on our first feature together. She's very talented.

          A: Every actor looks for good scripts that have something original about them and have directors they want to work with, but what I try to do, and this is difficult in horror, is not repeat myself too much so I'm not typecast. Because of my look, I get cast as the "bad guy" alot! So, I try to play different types of bad guys! Outside of horror I've done comedy and drama, so I've played a comedian, a grieving father, a doctor, a detective, etc. just to show I'm versatile and can handle whatever a role requires.

          A: I'm also a musician and I've recorded and released more than ten albums in different bands and I still write music for soundtracks. I concentrated on music until I got back into acting in 2005. Some of my band pictures from the 80's are scarier than "The Exorcist"! I own my own company called "RTL Productions" and also come from a family that is very involved in the entertainment industry.

Roberto Lombardi in "The Cemetery")

          A: The last horror movie I saw in a theater was either "Saw 7" or "Paranormal Activity 2". The last horror DVD I watched was the 30th anniversary edition of "Maniac". Joe Spinell nailed that character! After working on "The Cemetery" with Adam Ahlbrandt, I watched "The Burnt House". That might be one most people probably haven't seen.

          A: Thank you! It's been a pleasure. Keep reading obscurehorror.com, it ROCKS! - END -