Eric Rolland Joseph Reilly, the former Freehold High School art teacher and drama coach, was sitting in front of his television on Oct. 30 waiting to see what most teachers rarely see — a former student “make it.”
Reilly watched Freehold High School graduate Eric Rolland appear on the History Channel as J.P. Morgan in “The Men Who Built America,” which focuses on powerful men like J.P. Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie.
“The Men Who Built America,” premiered on Oct. 16. Rolland appeared in the episode on Oct. 30 (to be repeated Nov. 3) and will appear in the 9 p.m. Nov. 6 episode (to be repeated Nov. 10).
Rolland worked under Reilly’s tutelage for four years, playing lead roles in plays Reilly directed.
“I remember Eric was very versatile in his acting,” Reilly said. “He could play the lead in a drama or the lead in a comedy, and he has earned his Actors Equity card, which is not an easy thing to do.
“This is a really big deal,” he said of the History Channel presentation. “And this is the type of work that will be seen forever in various educational venues. It is not a sitcom that will disappear. This will last.” In an interview with the News Transcript, Rolland, who grew up in Freehold Township and attended Freehold Township public schools, remembered his school days fondly.
“My first acting experience was playing Thorin in ‘The Hobbit’ in Mrs. Reynolds’ fourth grade reading class at the Burlington Road School (now the Catena School). After that experience, I was ruined,” he said laughing.
He said he was “hooked” on acting and worked on his craft in high school, appearing in productions of “Picnic,” “The Boyfriend,” “The Grass Harp” and “Charlie’s Aunt.”
“Those plays gave me a taste for the interesting,” Rolland said.
He appeared at the Bucks County Playhouse in Pennsylvania as part of the venue’s high school festival series.
Rolland pursued theater studies at Temple University in Philadelphia. He said he enjoyed dramatic and comedic roles and did not approach them differently.
“I find the best way is to act as true to the script as possible,” he said.
His college acting experiences included working with well-known actors such as Danny Woodburn, who starred as Nicky in “Seinfeld,” and Tom Sizemore, who appeared in “Saving Private Ryan” and “Black Hawk Down.”
Rolland said that after his son, who is now 19, was born, he took a 13-year break from acting. “Acting required a lot of travel and night work and I wanted to be at home with my son,” he said. “Part of those 13 years were spent as a stay-at-home dad.”
He returned to acting in an Ocean County College production of “Scarpino,” a physical comedy, and has been on the acting path ever since. He has been pursuing acting full-time since 2009.
Rolland won an NJACT nomination for his role as Felix Unger in “The Odd Couple.” He appeared in four plays at the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey in Madison, and also performed in plays in Highlands, North Carolina, Red Bank, and Holmdel. He has earned his Actors Equity card and joined SAG-AFTRA.
All that work eventually led up to his audition for the part of J.P. Morgan.
“I read a posting for an untitled history project on the History Channel. They were searching for actors to play Carnegie, Morgan, Theodore Roosevelt, Rockefeller and Vanderbilt,” he said.
He expected to read for the part of Roosevelt, but was asked him to read for the part of Morgan, which was more of a leading role. He was offered the part the next day and filmed his role in July.
“The people were all wonderful to work with,” he said of the director, cast and crew. “I had a really great time. I am really pleased with the results. It looks like no other show and I think it will set a whole new standard for doing films like this.”
Calling the series “docutainment,” Roland said “The Men Who Built America” is mixed with historical footage from the Library of Congress and also includes interviews with modern businessmen such as Donald Trump, chairman of the Trump organization; Steve Case, founder of America Online; Russell Simmons, co-founder of Def Jam; and Jack Welch, chairman of General Electric.