Actor. Director. Producer. Author.
© Photography by Matt Stasi
A Note for You:
Hey there and many thanks for stopping by! My name is Eriq, and I am a storyteller. Many of you know me from ER, but a bit more backstory about me: I attended Tisch NYU and Julliard, and spent many years in the theater scene before transitioning into film. I had the pleasure of being in films like Coming to America, One Hour Photo and Logan to name a few. Most of you know that for the past several years I’ve been more focused on directing and producing, being heavily involved in some of your favorite shows like Law & Order, Chicago PD and On Call…. and of course writing my beloved Martyr Maker book series.
With my website and my growing presence on social media, I’m looking to connect more to both my readers and the young students of film— and more importantly, being more open with my fans. On this hub you will find all my upcoming events, exclusive deals on my Marytr Maker novels, and a chance to connect via my newsletter. I can tell you, I read every response you send, and it always warms my heart to see my work move people.
Your Questions,
Answered
Send in your questions to the contact page and I will make sure that they will make it to this FAQ :)
What genres do you write?
I’ve always been drawn to high stakes. Life or death, racing against the clock. Characters who come from death and can’t resist going back to it again and again. Elevated drama with flawed characters whose choices often lead to complete annihilation.
As a child of the 70s, I came up during the golden age of New Hollywood- hungrily consuming films like The Godfather, Dog Day Afternoon, and The French Connection.
People sometimes ask me, “Why do you like to write in the world of murder and mayhem?” I suppose I’m drawn to noirs and thrillers because I’m drawn into circumstances where everything goes wrong for my characters, just like in my favorite films. Because that’s when characters start making the most interesting choices.
Why are you drawn to writing villains?
My villains are some of my favorite characters. They say they are the most fun to write and the most fun to play…and they’re right. Villains have a kind of dramatic flair and freedom that the heroes traditionally don’t. I find that a villain that feels justified makes for the most compelling storytelling.
I grew up watching traditional, highly formulaic procedurals. The good guy always won, and the bad guy was always twirling some overlarge mustache. I’d sit there, kicking my feet and eating my cereal, frustrated even at ten years old. Life wasn’t like that. Good people made horrible mistakes. Bad people made decisions for human, understandable reasons. I knew even then. And I knew then too, that I needed to make my voice heard in this genre somehow. I started out acting in it, and then I began to build worlds— full of good people who chose wrong.
Will we see you on our TV’s again soon?
Over the last several years, writing and directing has taken up most of my time so acting hasn’t been my major priority. But that being said— as my first love, I miss it. If the right role came along: juicy, three-dimensional, interesting in a meaningful way… I might need to make time for that.
A good villain would be something intriguing….