Faces in the crowd at Fenway

There I was, bunked in section 162, near Fenway's leftfield sideline, during last night's game against the Rays, when I spotted a familiar face sitting a few rows away. It took a moment to sink in, but I was sure it was the guy who played one of the Savage brothers from Mystic River and who portrays Rhode Island mob boss Freddie Cork in Showtime's Brotherhood. Yes, as the girlfriend confirmed, it was none other than Kevin Chapman.

The Boston Globe wrote about him last year:

He was "discovered" by the late film director Ted Demme while serving in the Hub's Cultural Affairs Department and debuted in the locally made "Monument Ave" flick.

Previously, Chapman had been doorman and also spent a year as a stand-up comic. About the latter he admitted, "I didn't have a passion for it."

But when he started acting he knew he'd found his passion. Since then he's been in a flock of films ranging from "Cider House Rules" and "A Civil Action" to "Mystic River" and "Two for the Money."

Along the way, he's had the chance to work with folks that have names like Pacino, Eastwood, McConaughey, and Snipes.

He's devoured the entire experience. "As an actor," he explained, "you're asked to portray life, and the more life experience you have, the broader the brush you can use as an artist."

On Pacino: "I used to go in on my days off just to see Al work." On Eastwood's reputation as a lightning-fast director: "He told me, 'You know, Chap, there's usually nothing I see in "Take 7" that I didn't see in "Take 2.' "

Though Chapman now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two kids, he loves coming back to the East Coast. "I miss a sense of community out there that you get here," he said.

He even bought a house in Marshfield that served as his extended family's compound while he commuted to Providence for "Brotherhood."