A History lesson on the ‘engine of capitalism’

MANILA, Philippines - Scenes of “cataclysmic floods, massive bridges being built, cities being lit up, union struggles and riots, car races, fights, attempted assassinations, even an electrocution” certainly do not make up your standard historical program.

But actor Eric Rolland, speaking exclusively to The STAR via phone from New York, says viewers can expect these very things on History’s The Innovators: The Men Who Built America.

These “innovators” refer to men that network refers to as an “engine of capitalism as they transformed everything they touched in building the oil, rail, steel, shipping, automobile and finance industries. Their paths crossed repeatedly as they elected presidents, set economic policies and influenced major events of the 50 most formative years this country has ever known. From the Civil War to the Great Depression and World War I, they led the way.”

Rolland plays the iconic American financier, John Pierpont “JP” Morgan in the eight-part series, which also features other giants such as Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller and Cornelius Vanderbilt  — “remembered for their entrepreneurial spirit and innovative approaches to growing their respective empires, these men ushered post-Civil War America into the modern era.”

A professional actor who appears largely in theater and short films, Rolland recounts how he tried his luck for a then “untitled History project which was looking for guys (his) age to play famous people.”

He continues: “I’m an American history buff, so I was really thrilled to see this list of people that they were casting.”

The casting office sent him some lines with which to prepare, then Rolland made for the producer’s office on a Monday morning. “The hallway was jammed with guys — some of who were in period costumes and sideburns,” he recalls. For some reason, the actor was asked to read for the Rockefeller role instead — with a camera trained on him and with the casting director, director, and producer in attendance. “That was unusual, for all of them to be there,” Rolland says. “(After) they asked me to do the Rockefeller side, they looked at me kind of funny then told me to do the JP Morgan part.”

The next day, Rolland was formally offered the role of Morgan. “I said yes before they could change their minds,” he says, with a laugh.

The actor took the role very seriously. Rolland leafed through biographical publications and watched recorded material on the late great banker. He also stumbled upon what he called a “massive biography of JP Morgan (titled Morgan: American Financier, penned by Jean Strouse) written with access to his private papers.”

Rolland’s own exhaustive research, plus inputs and directions from History producers, directors and writers, enabled him to flesh out the part.

“The challenge for me was to know all this (information) we gathered to understand the context for Morgan, but at the same time to remember that, first and foremost, he’s human. He’s just like you and I — not this mythical figure from the past,” he explains.

The characters on Innovators, continues our interviewee, had much of the same motivations and challenges that we face today. Rolland was instructed by History “to not hide behind the Morgan mask or put him up on a pedestal.”

Translating the icon into a compelling yet believable character also entailed interpreting his manners. “I try to bring a lot of that in,” narrates Rolland. “His presence in meetings, how he would dominate them, how he would fix his eyes on a person so that there would be no choice than to bend to his will.”

Such measures were crucial, he submits, because, “JP Morgan is almost like a caricature here in the United States when you mention him.”

Indeed, Morgan is largely thought of as almost a cartoonish industrialist with an almost cartoonish moustache and large nose (owing to a condition called rhinophyma brought about by rosacea).

Acting as counterpoint to the historical drama’s narrative are “contributing insights and perspectives via exclusive interviews with contemporary business giants such as Steve Case, Mark Cuban, Donny Deutsch, Carly Fiorina, Alan Greenspan, Dick Parsons, Ron Perelman, T. Boone Pickens, Charles Schwab, Jack Welch and Steve Wozniak,” according to History.

One could contend, and rightly so, that even as they oversaw the recovery of America from post-war doldrums, these tycoons flexed their muscles in a less democratic and equitable context.

“Looking back in hindsight,” posits Rolland, “these were men who believed that they were following the American ideals. They were socially mobile and (showed) that they need not be born to a title or become powerful… it was capitalism run rampant.”

He adds: “Yes, these men did reach forward and exceeded their grasp, but as they were reaching forward and monopolizing, there were external factors as well.”

Rolland says that The Innovators puts it all in context — a tale about the deeds and relationships of the big industrialists, along with the labor and populist movements spawned in reaction to their perceived omnipotence. The show promises to be as visually compelling as made-for-the-big-screen Hollywood flicks – using computer-generated images that History says “incorporate 12 million historical negatives, many made available for the first time by the Library of Congress.”

Concludes Rolland: “It’s an extremely entertaining show — not like your typical documentary series. It tells the stories of these men in a very personal way that anybody across the globe could relate to.”

The Innovators: The Men Who Built America premieres on History on March 13, 9 p.m.