Thomas Roy said his acting career has gotten better with age.

The Lancaster County native, who now lives in Lebanon, used to pound the pavement in New York, going from one casting call to the next.

There were rewarding moments to be had as a young and struggling actor, but Roy said doubt always had a way of creeping in.

"After an audition, I'd keep telling myself, 'Stop thinking about it, Tom.' I had a wife and son to support, so I always had to worry about the last job being my last job ever," he said. "All actors worry about that — even Dame Judi Dench and Diane Keaton have admitted that."

But now, at age 63, Roy said he can still nurture his acting career without the same pressures he experienced years ago.

Last week, he wrapped the John Hindman film "Dream of the Romans," which was shot in Philadelphia and stars Jeff Daniels ("Dumb and Dumber"), Laura Graham ("Gilmore Girls") and Lou Taylor Pucci, the lead in Mike Mills' debut film, "Thumbsucker."

When he's not making movies, he's a consultant for the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire at Mount Hope Estate and Winery, where he has produced plays as well as starred in them, occasionally leading workshops for performers.

He also has a promising career in voice-over acting and live radio, which has kept him busy over the years.

"I have a safety net now," Roy said. "And what's great is that just before getting the callback for 'Romans,' I was going to go into semiretirement — but then I was asked to audition. I'm still marketable as an actor.

"I'm joyous about the whole thing," Roy said. "There's no age limit on acting, which Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn and others have proved. And that's good, because I'd like to play a D.A. on 'Law and Order' next."

Avid moviegoers know Roy from 1995's "12 Monkeys," the famously trippy science fiction film directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Bruce Willis, Madeline Stowe and Brad Pitt.

Roy played the street preacher who seems to recognize time traveler James Cole (Willis), helping to blur the film's already fine line between sanity and madness.

The scene is brief, but memorable to those who delighted in the film's wonderfully weird aesthetics. In fact, Roy's "Dream of the Romans" co-star, 23-year-old Pucci, remembered the scene fondly.

"Lou, who is a great kid, didn't tell me until we were done filming," Roy said. "We were all about to leave, and he runs up to me and says, 'Wait! I have to tell you, when I found out the preacher from "12 Monkeys" was playing my dad, I flipped out!' "

In "Dream of the Romans," Roy portrays an alcoholic father who welcomes the return of his son (Pucci), who has been away at a rehab center.

"It's a lovely movie, with a lot of humanity in it," Roy said. "But it's a comedy. This young man comes home from rehab and finds his dad passed out on the sofa, surrounded by an empty scotch bottle and beer cans, and he just thinks, 'Now what?'

"My character is a drunk, but likable. The tone is light and altruistic. I just loved the script."

Recently, Roy starred in "Home" with Marcia Gay Harden and portrayed Amish grandfather Isaac Fisher in "Jacob's Choice," put on by F/X Theatre.

He said his audition for "Dream of the Romans" was relatively easy, compared with some of his past experiences.

"I was called in with eight other actors, and the next day I was called back," Roy said. "Since they told me I was the only one called back for a second reading, I took it for a good sign."

His "12 Monkeys" audition for Monty Python alumnus Gilliam was slightly more difficult, thanks to recent surgery for a detached retina.

"So, I had the eye surgery to get it fixed, and I was whacked out on all these painkillers when I went to audition for Terry," Roy said. "I was supposed to be reading for the part of one of the scientists. I started talking in an English accent for fun. Then later, he told me to 'say something in Philly,' which was easy since I was born in the Philly suburbs.

"So I started to say words like, 'talk,' 'water,' and 'walk,' with the right emphasis," he said. "Then he's taking me outside, asking me to hold these preacher signs and read lines. Finally, he told me, 'I look forward to working with you.'

"When I got to the set for filming, he asked me how my eye was. I couldn't believe he remembered."

When Roy is directing young actors or teaching workshops, he gives advice based on his years in the business.

"Don't do it for glory, I tell them. Do it because acting fills your heart," he said. "And directors don't just ask, 'Is this person talented?' They ask, 'Do I want to work with this person again?'

"Also, if you want to be an actor, don't whine."

E-mail: cdifonzo@lnpnews.com