Home is where the heart is for actor Guy Nardulli. So, when he became coproducer of the film “Dirty Hands,” he couldn’t think of a better location to set the story than Norridge and Harwood Heights, where he grew up.
It may seem a stretch to set a film about gangs, drugs, and murder in those bucolic suburbs but they made it work. The film, which stars Patrick Muldoon, Kevin Interdonato, Michael Beach, Denise Richards, and Nardulli has been picked up by Saban Films for nationwide release on April 24.
Nardulli’s producing partner Kevin Interdonato wrote and directed the film and is one of the actors. It was easy to convince Interdonato to film in Norridge and Harwood Heights.
“He trusted me wholeheartedly,” Nardulli said. “We did a location scout.”
The director wanted a dark, gritty, dirty city, Nardulli reported. “Norridge and Harwood Heights are not dark, gritty and dirty,” he said. “I sold him on the fact that it was the neighborhood. I sold him on the fact of my relationships.”
Because those suburbs have alleys, they used those — dumping garbage cans to get the desired gritty effect.
Nardulli praised the help they received from Harwood Heights Mayor Arlene Jezierny, whom he called “amazing. Arlene opened up the city for us.”
Nardulli’s roots in that area go deep. His father served on the Harwood Heights Police Force for over 40 years, so they received support in this endeavor from the authorities.
“I was able to shoot on the street. They were so accommodating to me,” Nardulli said. “I couldn’t ask for a better place to shoot at. It was a community involvement which I fell in love with.”
Nardulli said the film is about “two brothers who go through a routine drug deal and they mess it all up.” Their loyalty is put into question. The news release notes, “With a Kingpin’s son murdered, the brothers must fight for their lives.”
Nardulli plays an evil character named Rodney, who runs the drug market.
“Growing up in Norridge and Harwood Heights, I never wanted to be an actor,” Nardulli admitted. “I had football aspirations.” He said that he is embarrassed to admit, “I made fun of the drama kids.”
He played football at Elmhurst University and in Europe for a while and then tried a diverse range of careers.
“I came back, and I was doing fitness modeling,” Nardulli said. “Opened up a restaurant. I wanted to go to law school. I was all over the place.”
Then he did a calendar shoot in Jamaica and was discovered, so he moved to Los Angeles, where he immediately got a role in “General Hospital.” Nardulli was 29 at the time — a late start for an acting career but a very successful one.
He said he did his homework, connecting with acting coaches. Nardulli joked, “In Hollywood, you can throw a stick out the window, and you’ll hit an acting coach.”
Despite his long-ago derision of actors, it turned out that acting was a perfect fit for Nardulli. “The minute I got in front of the camera on ‘General Hospital,’” he realized, “This is exactly what I want to do.”
Nardulli is also in front of the camera as Johnny the Zip, a New York mobster, on the Paramount hit show, “Tulsa King.” They just wrapped season four.
He is particularly busy promoting “Dirty Hands.” That included inviting the entire cast to the Harwood Heights home he grew up in for a huge Italian meal cooked by his mother.
“Dirty Hands” is coming out on April 24, and it will be streaming on all the platforms — Apple TV, iTunes, Prime Video, Voodoo, which was Fandango, and YouTube movies, and on cable from Xfinity to Verizon.
There will also be what Nardulli is calling a Red Carpet event at Ridgewood High School.
Nardulli graduated from the high school and, since moving back to the area a year ago, has been coaching football and substitute teaching there.
The event will be a screening of the movie on April 22nd at 5:30 p.m. Actor Patrick Muldoon and producer/director/actor Kevin Interdonato will be there, and cars used in the film will be in the parking lot. The event is free, but registration is required. For reservations, call 708-829-3694.
Nardulli said that he is pleased he was able to help his community by “bringing jobs to the area, bringing revenue to the businesses, and bringing Norridge and Harwood Heights on the map.”
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
