Supporting actor Eric Thal broke into films when Sidney Lumet cast him as a Hasidic scholar who, though betrothed to another, finds himself dangerously attracted to Gentile undercover cop Melanie Griffith in A Stranger Among Us (1992). An amateur up until then, who only had experience in commercials and a few study sessions at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse, Thal originally auditioned for a tiny part in Lumet's film, but he so impressed the director that he was called back to play the lead. The film was not a great success with critics or audiences, but Thal did receive favorable notice for his performance and he went on to establish himself as a supporting actor and occasional second lead.