Produced in the Bi-State: Greg Cromer discusses his journey to acting and the importance of Midwest values
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - For our second edition of Produced in the Bi-State, Taylor Holt spoke with Greg Cromer, an actor and a native of Manchester, Missouri. He’s best known for his work on FX’s ‘Better Things,’ but has made guest appearances on a myriad of television series over the past two decades.
From his time as a lawyer turned killer on CBS’s ‘NCIS,’ to a traumatized father on ABC’s ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ and a doctor on NBC’s ‘Community,’ Cromer has shared the silver screen with several big-name stars.
That includes fellow St. Louis area native Jon Hamm, of whom the two starred opposite one another on AMC’s ‘Mad Men.’
Cromer even lived not too far from another celebrity peer as a kid.
“It’s funny. I grew up on a cul-de-sac. It was Foxcliff Court, which I’m still very fond of. Right up the street, about three doors up, was Jenna Fischer, from ‘The Office,’ which is kind of crazy,” Cromer said.
Growing up, Cromer attended Piermont Elementary and Parkway West High School, where he spent his time playing sports and enjoying life with his friends.
“We would walk down to Manchester Road, go to the baseball card shop. Buddies of mine and I’d go hang out at Queenie Park. That was another good hangout. We go down to the river. You know, when you say the river in St. Louis, it could be any number of rivers, or it could even be a creek,” Cromer laughed.
“In junior high, we used to do a float trip every year down in Cuba, Missouri. We had like 20 guys from Parkway West, and we would go down every year to do a float trip and camp out,” Cromer continued.
Now, Cromer likes to bring his West Coast friends to the Midwest to enjoy his little slice of heaven.
“In July, we’ll be coming back and going to Table Rock Lake. So, we’ve gathered a group out here. We started taking a few different people with us, and they loved it so much that now, like this year, we have 30 people from Los Angeles going with us to stay at Table Rock Lake for a week.”
It wasn’t until he got into college that the idea of acting popped into his head. He says he first felt a natural calling to the field while preparing for spring fling at Mizzou. However, it wasn’t until he moved to Kansas City and experienced Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman’s 1995 film, ‘Seven.’
“That last scene of that movie is so crazy. Brad Pitt says to Kevin Spacey, ‘I hope I’m not disappointed.’ There’s a lot of buildup to this. And Kevin Spacey says, ‘Oh, you won’t.’ And in my head, I’m thinking, ‘Oh, what can this be?’ And then when he opened that box and saw what he saw, for whatever reason, it hit me really square, and I couldn’t stop thinking about that.”
“The whole way home, I was putting myself in his shoes and tossing and turning. I couldn’t sleep, so I got up the next day and was like, that’s what I want to do. I want to do something where people are affected, whether they’re laughing, crying, or scared. So, I decided to move out to LA and do a bunch of stupid movies,” Cromer continued.
Despite the big move out west to pursue his dreams as an actor, Cromer credits the Midwest values instilled in him as a kid for his success.
“People back home are the best. I wouldn’t have been able to stick it out as long as I did if not for all my friends and just the upbringing my parents gave me of not quitting. It’s such a terrible business when it comes to rejection. And you really, really have to want to do it for all the right reasons. Otherwise, you’ll get chewed up and spit out.”
“Too many people come out here [Los Angeles] and think they’re just going to get discovered at the mall,” Cromer continued. “You have to put in the legwork, and I think I learned that back home. With Midwestern values, you start to network, show up for work, do a good job, treat people well, and things will eventually happen.”
One genre Cromer naturally gravitates to is comedy. As a kid, some of his favorite films included the ‘Monty Python’ franchise and NBC’s ‘Family Ties.’
However, he says it’s easy to get typecast in Hollywood and has had to fight to break out of the box he’s been placed in.
“So, my career has gone in these flows of four or five years I’m doing comedies, and then four or five years I’m doing dramas. Lately, though, I’ve been a killer. I feel like I’m killing people all the time, which is interesting. It’s fun because you get to play something dark that you wouldn’t obviously be in life. But I prefer comedy for sure, and it’s what I’m most comfortable doing,” Cromer continued.
“I never studied it, but I’m also of the mind that it’s not really rocket science,” Cromer said. “You know what I mean? It’s kind of just playing make-believe, especially for comedy. Those are fun because you get to play and improv, and it’s generally light on the set. It’s not this dark, brooding atmosphere.”
During his trips back to the Midwest, Cromer and his family make sure to hit the staples of St. Louis. Growing up as a true sports fan, he can’t up a chance to visit Busch Stadium anytime they’re in town.
“We always plan things around games. As far as favorite haunts, it’s Busch Stadium, hands down. I would like my ashes spread in center field, if that’s possible,” Cromer laughed. “It’s all about the Cardinals for me. All the time. I don’t miss games.”
Plus, you can’t miss a stop at the zoo when traveling to the Lou! Who doesn’t love a day full of free fun surrounded by animals?
“That’s what I tell everyone about! We go back to the zoo, and people are like, ‘Wait, I don’t understand. Where do we pay?’ I say, ‘You don’t need to worry about it. Just follow me and enjoy. I gotcha.’”
“We’ll go to Forest Park, down to the Hill to get some food, and go downtown. The zoo, the Science Center, the magic house, I mean, come on. You can’t beat these things,” Cromer continued.
Make sure to follow First Alert 4 to watch additional episodes of Produced in the Bi-State and learn in-depth behind-the-scenes information about actors and musicians from the Bi-State area.
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