'Master' behind the camera

After years of being in front of the camera, Mary Stuart Masterson
is making her feature directorial debut with the film "The Cake
Eaters," and star Tom Cavanagh says it's about time.

"She's been doing film and working for as far back as I can remember
and she's still young. She still looks like she did in 'Some Kind of
Wonderful,'" adds Cavanagh of the 40-year-old actress. "With the
amount of time this woman has spent on film sets, osmosis alone is
going to have its way and beyond that, she's intelligent and she has
vision. I think it's a very good thing that someone like that with a
strong voice is taking it to the next level."

The film, which recently wrapped, tells the story of a man who
returns to his small hometown after pursuing his dreams in the city.
It stars Cavanagh, Aaron Stanford, Bruce Dern and the screenwriter,
Jayce Bartok.

"Directors can go a couple of different ways. Sometimes you get
these technical craftsmen who have no idea how to talk to an actor.
Then you have people who are really good with the actors, but they
can't complement what they're telling the actor to do with their
visuals," notes the former "Ed" star. Masterson, however, "knows her
way around the camera and equally impressive is her way of talking
to the actors." He predicts, "She'll just have her pick of directing
jobs. I know I would rush to work with her again."

Northwest Herald (Sep. 2006)