The Mount Rushmore of Ricky Roma It's no surprise that "Glengarry Glen Ross," the 28-year-old Pulitzer winner by David Mamet, is returning to Broadway: what better time to remount a show about ruthless real estate agents off-loading bum property onto suckers as the nation claws its way out of a recession? At the play's center is Ricky Roma - the salesman's salesman, a shark in a sharkskin suit. There have been three legendary takes on the role: Joe Mantegna, who originated it on Broadway in 1984 (and won a Tony); Al Pacino in the 1992 film (Oscar nomination); and Liev Schreiber, in the 2005 revival (also won a Tony). Next up: Bobby Cannavale, who'll play Roma opposite Pacino in a new Broadway production this fall. No pressure. In interviews conducted by phone or e-mail (and edited and condensed), Mickey Rapkin consulted each of them about inhabiting Roma - and walking in one another's loafers. Joe Mantegna Original Broadway production, 1984 You were the first. What did you make of the script and of Roma? My parents never owned a house. I'd always lived in apartments. I'm reading this script - about leads and all this stuff - I didn't know what the hell Mamet was even talking about. But, you know, the guy's name is Ricky Roma. My name's Joe Mantegna. He's an Italian-American. He's from Chicago. I certainly knew hustlers. I just had to fill in the blanks. In our rehearsal process, Dave Mamet and our director brought in these salesmen. There was this very unassuming woman - a brush lady. She asked us to try to let her sell us a hairbrush. And she was unbelievable. She hit your hot button. She made you feel comfortable. This woman is making 45 cents off each brush. But she made it feel like she was doing you a favor if you buy the brush. What was your inspiration? Is Roma a bad guy or a product of his time? There's nothing sleazy about Ricky Roma. That used to kill me when I'd read that. You want to buy this land. You just don't know you want to buy it until I spell it out for you. You're fulfilling your dreams. I'm making a sale. Everybody wins. At night, I would dress in my costume like I was a matador putting on my suit of lights. This was 1984, and I was wearing a $2,500 Versace suit. And I'm wearing jewelry. I'd go to the tanning parlor and get a tan. When I walked on that stage, my feeling was: I am that matador. And I'm gonna kill every bull that comes into the arena. Al Pacino Film adaptation, 1992 Had you seen Joe Mantegna in the role? Did that influence your portrayal? The actors Joe Mantegna in "Glengarry," Robert Duvall in "American Buffalo" - all great when I saw them, but fortunately I never thought I'd do those roles. I just enjoyed them at the time I saw them. Part of what I did when I played those roles was more than likely influenced by what I saw them do, sort of like a model that you paint from memory. When I saw Paul Muni in "Scarface," all I wanted to do is imitate him if I could, that's how inspired I was by him. But if you see the two performances, they are so vastly different you couldn't possibly compare them. Does playing an iconic role like that present its own challenges?I like the idea that you're doing something that's been done before. By having seen a performance of it - it's almost like playing a character who really exists. It gives the actual part itself a kind of credibility and gives you a model. So many actors in companies throughout the world play minor roles like spear carriers in the Shakespeare plays; later on in their life, they play the main part in that very play. How could they have not been affected by that process? The secret is to make it personal to you, to give it your signature by your interpretation, which for the most part hopefully comes through your unconscious. In other words, it all works if you love the part. Liev Schreiber Broadway revival, 2005 Had you always wanted to play this role? I thought it was a very poor casting choice. His name was Roma. He's supposed to be Italian. And here was this giant Ukrainian? Had you seen it performed before? I'd seen Joe [Mantegna] do it. My father took me. I was 16 or 17. It was one of the first shows I ever went to where I thought: This is a legitimate job. I was a huge admirer. When a good artist does something, it stays with you on a subconscious level. How do you find the character? Where do you start? It was the language. David's gonna love this, but it's like Shakespeare. With the great writers, the language defines the character. Mamet, Shakespeare, Pinter - it's impossible to read a Mamet play and not see the character. So who is Ricky Roma to you? On opening night, someone gave me a set of steak knives with a card that read, "Kill them all!" I thought that pretty much summed it up. Bobby Cannavale Broadway revival, 2012 You're acting opposite Pacino, who played the role on-screen. Is that intimidating? I'm not looking at it that way. Everybody else can do that if they want. That guy is a beast onstage. He's not Al Pacino. He's the character he's supposed to be - every time. Had you always wanted to do this role? It seems like a natural fit. It was Al's idea. They sat me next to him at the Tonys. I was nominated for " - - - - - - With the Hat." I introduced myself and said, "Mr. Pacino, it would mean everything in the world to me if you could please come see our play." He said, "I'm gonna see that, I promise you." And he came to the last show! A couple months later I got a phone call from my agent saying, "Al wants to do "Glengarry Glen Ross," and he wants you to think about playing Roma." So, yeah. That's a great way to get asked to do a play, for sure. Have you ever tried to sell someone something they didn't want? I managed a tuxedo shop when I was 18 years old. At the Broward Mall in Florida. I used to dress in a different tuxedo every day. One day, I'd be in a full white tailcoat. My friends would get a kick out of it. But it worked. The manager is wearing the clothes? It must be good. Where does your inspiration for Roma come from? I'm assuming you've seen the film. Every actor, or anybody who wanted to be an actor in 1992, went and saw that movie. I bought the VHS and the DVD. These are desperate guys and desperate times, and the language is so desperate and so competitive. I read the play every day. That's my process. Delving into the words - I get off on that. And that's where I get my inspiration from. There's a line in the play that says, "I gotta eat." For me, that's the whole play. I gotta eat.