Stephen Sheffer Talks Poutine, “Birth Control” & Fun Playing The Bad Guy In “Cold Comes The Night”

You probably know Stephen Sheffer from The Farm on Adderley, where he’s worked for about 5 1/2 years. What you might not know about Stephen, who started as a bartender at The Farm and now organizes events both for there and Sycamore, is that he’s an accomplished actor and filmmaker who can be seen starting tomorrow in the Tze Chun-directed thriller Cold Comes the Night opposite Bryan Cranston and Alice Eve.

We talked to Stephen about his experiences in the neighborhood, his journey as an actor, Jackie Chan and Celine Dion, and more.

“I’ve pretty much been acting straight out of the womb,” says Stephen, who grew up singing in choirs and opera performances. After attending art school in Ottawa, he studied math and physics at university.

“Which was crazy,” he says. “I remember my Dad saying, ‘Are you sure about that?’ And he was ultimately right.”

Stephen then joined a comedy troupe and left school to write and produce plays, eventually booking a surprising gig that would change his country of residence and trajectory as an artist.

“I booked a Hanes commercial with Jackie Chan and Michael Jordan and that gave me enough dough to move to New York City to study at Circle in the Square Theatre School on Broadway,” he says.

Since moving to Brooklyn, Stephen has been in the Sundance and Cannes-screened Doorman as well as The Naturalist, which is currently screening at international festivals. A production of The Threepenny Opera in which he played a street singer was also recently nominated for an “Outstanding Revival of a Musical” Drama Desk Award.

Photo by Jill Usdan

And, of course, he’s met a number of friends and fellow artists through his day job, too.

“What I love about Ditmas Park is all the familiar faces,” he says. “I really feel like I’m part of a community down here and that feels great.”

In addition to acting, Stephen writes and produces–and he’s hoping to join the film and Ditmas Park-based parts of his life in the near future.

“I’ve made a couple short films,” he says, “and have co-written a feature film called Birth Control that I am planning on shooting this summer. It’s a comedy about two best friends who decide to have a baby together. It’s hilarious and my writing partner [Meghan Hemingway, who also collaborated with Stephen on short films Stand Sentry and The Bone] and I love it.”

Stephen says pending fundraising, permits, and other concerns, he would like to shoot at least some of Birth Control in Ditmas Park.

“We’re developing a TV show for a big-time network, too,” he says, “but nothing set in stone there, so I don’t want to jinx it. If nothing else, though, it feels great to be validated.”

As for Cold Comes the Night, Stephen has a simple theory about why he got the audition to play Jacques–because he’s Canadian and speaks French.

“I think the casting director thought I was actually French-Canadian,” he says. “Despite my undying love for poutine, Pepsi and Celine Dion, I’m not.

“That being said, this is one of those roles that fit like a glove. For other auditions, I’ll work hard on stuff and let it percolate. With this, I felt like I instantly knew what to do with the part, so that gave me a lot of confidence.”

Stephen says upon being called back, he happened to tell the film’s producer and director on that his Dad was from Québec. “This is true,” he says, “but he’s not French-Canadian either!”

Once Stephen officially got the part, he headed upstate to begin filming. He says Jacque’s wardrobe helped him further get into character–and tipped him off as to who he’d be playing opposite.

“I was dressed in a track-suit and given a silver-chain with a cobra on it,” he says. “I asked the costume designer who was playing Topo, and she told me it was Bryan Cranston.

“At that point, I hadn’t actually seen Breaking Bad, and knew him by reputation only. I promptly went back to my hotel room and started mildly freaking.

“That passed, though,” he says. “I showed up on set and Cranston and I went head-to-head.

“What people say and think about him is true. He’s very generous, open, and relaxed. It was really fun to wield my wildness against him as a weapon.”

Aside from being just a nice guy, Stephen says Cranston’s experience with violent roles came in handy, too.

“At one point, I stick a gun in his face. He taught me to always double check the prop guns by firing them a full round away from people first.

“Wise advice, I’d say.”

Then Hurricane Sandy hit–and although Stephen says the set wasn’t disturbed too much, it gave him an opportunity to spend time with his other costars as well.

“We were all paired with someone else from the production as a ‘buddy’ to make sure everyone was okay,” he says. “I was matched up with Leo Fitzpatrick, who’s most well-known for playing Telly in Kids, so it was neat to get to know him a little bit, too.”

All around, Stephen says, his role in Cold Comes the Night was a hugely educational experience.

“Jacques is an important role for me because it was an opportunity to play a character that is very far from who I actually am,” Stephen says. “He’s prone to extreme behavior, so it was really fun to delve into that and let ‘er rip.”

So, what’s the best way to keep up with Stephen’s forthcoming work? You can visit his website, the main site or Tumblr for Birth Control, or, he says, “Just stop me on the street and ask me what’s up.”

And if you want to check him out as the badass, French-Canadian-ish, gun-wielding Jacques in Cold Comes the Night, you can do so at W 13th Street’s Quad Cinema or W 42nd Street’s AMC Empire 25 starting tomorrow, January 10. See Cold Comes the Night’s Tumblr for more information on showtimes.

All photos via Stephen Sheffer