TRR was recently invited to a special screening of the Sony Pictures film The Walk starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Based on the incredible true story, Levitt plays Philip Petit, a man who attempts the  impossible stunt in Aug 1974, a tightrope walk across the World Trade Center. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, The Walk is one of the rare 3-D film that will amaze you. At this special screening, I talked to Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group Chairman & Baltimore native – Tom Rothman!

What can you tell us about The Walk?

It’s a visually spectacular thrill ride. It’s a movie that’s made for and can be seen on the big screen.

How does it feel to premiere The Walk in your hometown of Baltimore?

I’m very proud of it. I was born and bred in Baltimore. After a couple of hours here, My Baltimore accent has come back.

You know I always here of the Baltimore accent but I can never distinguish it.

Well, I am glad you’re here because it sounds like this. “If I was wet then I will need a “towel” to dry off. The Baltimore accent is alive and well.

How does to feel to have Robert Zemeckis directing this amazing film?

Bob Zemeckis is one of the greatest directors alive. He is a master of movie technology, state-of-the-art effects and entertainment. As he said to me many of times, “I’m a butts in the seats guy.”

Absolutely!

He likes to put the butts to the seats.

Do you have a favorite Zemeckis film, other than The Walk of course?

Like most people, I like Back to the Future.

Ahh yes, that’s my favorite!

But I worked on Cast Away, so that always gets my vote.

You have been the SPE Motion Picture Group Chairman since February, what are some of the things we can look forward to from Sony Pictures?

I am happy to say that we got a lot of great pictures coming out. This weekend, we had the No. 1 film in the country, Hotel Transylvania 2. We got a little James Bond film called Spectre, which really rocks. We also have a Will Smith film coming up around Christmas called Concussion. It’s a really hard-hitting (pardon the pun) film. It takes a look of what’s really going on in the NFL and what they were doing with the concussion scandal. Smith plays a doctor who’s determined to get the truth. I’m a great football fan myself.

So, I take it that you were disappointed that the Ravens just lost their game?

Very disappointed. In fact, before I came here, I was at the first half of the game and that wasn’t going so well but I guess we came back. This is three weeks in a row, Let’s Go guys!

What’s the one thing you love about Baltimore?

I can only pick one thing?

Well, you can do a couple of things.

I would say, if you look and see, that in California they would say that this is an ugly red tie but in Baltimore, they would know that there are lacrosse sticks on my tie. If I could pick one thing, it would be a Hopkins Lacrosse game on home field on a beautiful spring Saturday afternoon.

Thank you Mr. Rothmans for the great interview. Be sure to check out The Walk as it hit theatres

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

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