Watertown movie 'extra' finds no shortage of work

Apr. 3—WATERTOWN — City native Ed Abbate is continuing his extracurricular activities as a movie extra, something he has done since 2004, with a couple of recent film projects.

Abbate has an "extra" role in the film, "Manodrome," filmed in the Syracuse region and released in November. The drama/thriller stars Jesse Eisenberg, Adrien Brody and Odessa Young. Abbate's scene, with Eisenberg, was shot at Destiny USA. The film is available to rent on various sites such as Amazon, Google Play and Vudo for $6.99. Its plot: "Tormented by personal demons, Ralphie (Eisenberg) encounters a mysterious organization of men who welcome him as one of their own. As he struggles to define himself, pressure mounts and a powder keg is lit as he blows a hole in the lives of everyone he touches."

"Jesse is a quiet guy," Abbate said. "I was standing right next to him."

Abbate also has a role in the horror film, "EXscaped," which was partially shot at an abandoned Watertown warehouse in September. Michelle L. DiBernardo, filmmaker actress and president of the Syracuse International Film Festival, co-wrote and is director of the psychological thriller. "She has a couple more scenes to do," Abbate said, before "EXscaped" is released this summer.

Abbate is also associate producer and has role as a "mob guy" in the independent film, "The Sentinel," the story of a combat veteran who struggles to care for his young son while dealing with severe PTSD.

Abbate said that several other people from Watertown have scenes in "The Sentinel." It's still in production. "My scene is at a boxing match," Abbate said.