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Westchester Resident Shines In HBO Miniseries Set In Yonkers

OSSINING, N.Y. -- Looking like a "troublemaker" on a movie set was a positive for Ossining resident Ray Arrucci. 

Ray Arrucci plays a troublemaker in "Show Me A Hero."

Ray Arrucci plays a troublemaker in "Show Me A Hero."

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Ray Arrucci

Arrucci, who runs The Cortlandt School of Performing Arts in Croton, with his wife, Carol, was cast as an extra in "Show Me A Hero," a miniseries airing on HBO starting Sunday night that was filmed in Yonkers and is about racial tensions in Yonkers in the 1980s. 

On his first day on set in October, Arrucci was one of 100 people in a demonstration. Director Paul Haggis spotted him and pulled him from the crowd.

"We need someone who can play a troublemaker," Haggis told Arrucci. "You look like a troublemaker."

Arrucci said he is not a troublemaker and isn't sure why Haggis singled him out.

"He probably saw a tall guy in the second row, and liked the look of my face," Arrucci, who is 6'1, said. "I'm easy to get along with but it depends on how someone perceives you. I had the look."

Arrucci said he didn't know who Haggis was, but when he realized he was a prominent writer and director, he thought it was pretty cool.

"I saw myself three times in the trailer," Arrucci said. 

The "troublemaker" went down to Yonkers from October to December, filming all over the city.

"It was amazing," Arrucci said. "I got a lot of work out of it and I'm glad it's seeing the light of day. I'm excited to see how much I actually am in it."

Arrucci got to work with Alfred Molina, Oscar Isaac and Jim Belushi and he said they all were a joy to work with.

"Belushi was cracking jokes in between takes," Arrucci said.

On Sunday, Arrucci said he will watch the show with his wife and children.

"They're going to get a kick out of it," Arrucci said. "They will probably scream when they see me on screen."

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