An indie actor in this town has a tough life — living from small paycheck to small paycheck,auditioning, waiting for good parts, praying for a big break.
For Paul Cram, who has appeared at the Guthrie (“Edgardo Mine”), small Twin Cities theaters (“Everywhere, Signs Fall” at Gremlin) and in numerous indie films (“Contract Killers,” more) , the actor’s life has come with a fair share of lacerations, bruises and other physical injuries. (Not to mention his having been killed by gunshot, poison. stabbing and other means).
As Cram relates in this story on the website Backstage, stunt work is often flat-out harmful to one’s health. There’s the guy who was supposed to kick a gun away in a scene, but instead kicked Cram in the head. Another time, an overzealous fellow actor turned a fake pistol-whipping scene into a real one. In the photo at right, from the movie “Subversion,” Cram’s injuries are courtesy of makeup artist Crist Ballas.