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Age: 36
Hometown: Pittsford
Current residence: Fairport
Occupation: Actor & clerical assistant
Race Eberhardt is not a super-powered secret agent. But Race Strait, the character he portrays in the upcoming adventure film “Strait Undercover,” boasts those qualities. And since the role of Strait was written specifically for Eberhardt — and then Eberhardt helped develop the character during the filming of the movie — it’s logical to conclude that both Races have remarkable powers.
Eberhardt’s might be his adaptability and confidence on screen. He fell in love with acting at age 10 and has been involved with theater groups in the Rochester region since then. Eberhardt also appeared as an extra in two independent movies, including 2013’s “Bury My Heart with Tonawanda.”
By day, Eberhardt works at Paychex, where he’s been for 15 years. But he’s long been called to the stage in productions by Artists Unlimited, the local theater and choral group that integrates performers both with and without disabilities.
“Strait Undercover,” produced by local video agency Fish & Crown Creative, is Eberhardt’s first-ever feature. His duties on set found him fending off bad guys in the middle of the night and running up a storm. “I loved it all the time,” Eberhardt said.
Filmed over six months in 2022 and 2023 in Greater Rochester with a dozen actors and a professional crew, “Strait Undercover” is, writer-director Ben Gonyo said, quite the step up from Eberhardt’s past work.
“Then you add in the complexity of having Down syndrome,” Gonyo said. “What he's pulled off is an amazing feat.”
Gonyo first met Eberhardt while casting actors for a television pilot. In their initial work before the film, Eberhardt and Gonyo developed a quick rapport. Gonyo would call for another take, and Eberhardt would bust his chops with comments like “Poor baby Ben didn't get what he wanted.”
“I saw something there,” Gonyo said. “I was like, this guy has something about him that's a star quality, if you position it correctly.”
Gonyo set out to create a project that could showcase Eberhardt’s talents. “He said, ‘Race, let’s write you a movie,’” Eberhardt recalled.
Thus was born “Strait Undercover.” It follows Race Strait, a United States Department of Agriculture agent who yearns for a bigger case than the low-level cattle counts and water runoff investigations he’s assigned.
Luckily, Strait can communicate telepathically with the earth, which gives him an edge to solve a much bigger mystery.
On set, Eberhardt — who prefers mini Snickers bars to coffee — didn’t simply endure the eight- and 10-hour shooting days, Gonyo said. He shined.
The star brought his penchant for physical humor to the film, which was designed to be a quirky action-comedy. He also gave Gonyo some marching orders on aspects that didn’t make the final cut: “You save that scene for the sequel.”
Offscreen, the highly motivated Eberhardt is something of a multi-hyphenate. He knits homemade scarves on a table loom and sells them; the profits go toward sustaining Artists Unlimited programs. He recently returned from Croatia, where he officiated his brother’s wedding.
“Strait Undercover” will ideally make the festival rounds (Gonyo mentioned submitting it to Sundance, among others) after it receives finishing touches, including a musical score and color work. The ideal next step is linking with a major distributor to find as large an audience as possible before a world premiere.
Ultimately, Eberhardt anticipates more onscreen adventures, with or without Race Strait at the helm. “I’m hoping to continue doing it,” he said.
Of course, he’s absolutely rooting for that sequel. — PATRICK HOSKEN
Hometown: Pittsford
Current residence: Fairport
Occupation: Actor & clerical assistant
Race Eberhardt is not a super-powered secret agent. But Race Strait, the character he portrays in the upcoming adventure film “Strait Undercover,” boasts those qualities. And since the role of Strait was written specifically for Eberhardt — and then Eberhardt helped develop the character during the filming of the movie — it’s logical to conclude that both Races have remarkable powers.
Eberhardt’s might be his adaptability and confidence on screen. He fell in love with acting at age 10 and has been involved with theater groups in the Rochester region since then. Eberhardt also appeared as an extra in two independent movies, including 2013’s “Bury My Heart with Tonawanda.”
By day, Eberhardt works at Paychex, where he’s been for 15 years. But he’s long been called to the stage in productions by Artists Unlimited, the local theater and choral group that integrates performers both with and without disabilities.
“Strait Undercover,” produced by local video agency Fish & Crown Creative, is Eberhardt’s first-ever feature. His duties on set found him fending off bad guys in the middle of the night and running up a storm. “I loved it all the time,” Eberhardt said.
Filmed over six months in 2022 and 2023 in Greater Rochester with a dozen actors and a professional crew, “Strait Undercover” is, writer-director Ben Gonyo said, quite the step up from Eberhardt’s past work.
“Then you add in the complexity of having Down syndrome,” Gonyo said. “What he's pulled off is an amazing feat.”
Gonyo first met Eberhardt while casting actors for a television pilot. In their initial work before the film, Eberhardt and Gonyo developed a quick rapport. Gonyo would call for another take, and Eberhardt would bust his chops with comments like “Poor baby Ben didn't get what he wanted.”
“I saw something there,” Gonyo said. “I was like, this guy has something about him that's a star quality, if you position it correctly.”
Gonyo set out to create a project that could showcase Eberhardt’s talents. “He said, ‘Race, let’s write you a movie,’” Eberhardt recalled.
Thus was born “Strait Undercover.” It follows Race Strait, a United States Department of Agriculture agent who yearns for a bigger case than the low-level cattle counts and water runoff investigations he’s assigned.
Luckily, Strait can communicate telepathically with the earth, which gives him an edge to solve a much bigger mystery.
On set, Eberhardt — who prefers mini Snickers bars to coffee — didn’t simply endure the eight- and 10-hour shooting days, Gonyo said. He shined.
The star brought his penchant for physical humor to the film, which was designed to be a quirky action-comedy. He also gave Gonyo some marching orders on aspects that didn’t make the final cut: “You save that scene for the sequel.”
Offscreen, the highly motivated Eberhardt is something of a multi-hyphenate. He knits homemade scarves on a table loom and sells them; the profits go toward sustaining Artists Unlimited programs. He recently returned from Croatia, where he officiated his brother’s wedding.
“Strait Undercover” will ideally make the festival rounds (Gonyo mentioned submitting it to Sundance, among others) after it receives finishing touches, including a musical score and color work. The ideal next step is linking with a major distributor to find as large an audience as possible before a world premiere.
Ultimately, Eberhardt anticipates more onscreen adventures, with or without Race Strait at the helm. “I’m hoping to continue doing it,” he said.
Of course, he’s absolutely rooting for that sequel. — PATRICK HOSKEN
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