Ed Burns manages to stay grounded in his native Tribeca despite success over last decade

No one callsEdward Burnsby his full name.

It's Ed or Eddie or Burns or Burnsy.

TheNew Yorkfilmmaker, whose latest low-budget flick,"Newlyweds,"will close out theTribeca Film Festivalon April 30, is anything but formal.

Meandering through the streets of his Tribeca neighborhood in jeans and shell-toeAdidas, Burns puts on no airs.

"Growing up inLong Island, I never thought my life would turn out like this,"says the 43-year-old movie man."How do I stay grounded? I think a big part of it is New York. My friends and family are here, which keeps me relatively sane. Plus, New Yorkers don't really give a s— about celebrities. I can walk around without being hassled."

Sure enough, as he waits for a coffee at Pecan Cafe on the corner of Varick and Franklin Sts., no one bothers the filmmaker, despite fis status as Tribeca's second most-renowned movie star afterRobert De Niro.

Since bursting onto the scene in 1995 with his debut film,"The Brothers McMullen,"which won the Grand Jury prize at theSundance Film Festival, Burns has gone on to direct 10 more movies and star in dozens of others, most famously"Saving Private Ryan"in 1998.

But his success in mainstream movies has not changed Burns' passion for independent filmmaking, or his hometown.

"I would probably have a very different acting career if I had chosen to stay inL.A.after 'Saving Private Ryan,'"he says."By living in New York, I never felt the pressure to make a big rom-com and a pile of dough. Instead, I'm able to write about what I know."

And Burns knows New York. A die-hardMetsfan, he was born inWoodsideand graduated fromHunter College. His  father was anNYPDsergeant.

It was his childhood film idols, however, who really influenced his decision to set up shop in New York.

"The guys that I always looked up to were New York- based writers, directors and sometimes actors,"he says."There wasSpike Lee,Woody AllenandMartin Scorsese. And to my knowledge, none of them ever spent any real time in Hollywood. It was that career path that I wanted to follow."

Starring Burns,Caitlin Fitzgerald, Max Baker,Marsha Dietlein Bennettand Kerry Bishé,"Newlyweds"chronicles the trials and tribulations of a recently married couple. In typical Burns style, the film was shot in 12 days on a $9,000 budget (His breakdown: $5,000 for actors, $2,000 for insurance and $2,000 for"food and drink").

"I knew I couldn't pay the actors financially, but I could write for them a part where they could shine,"says Burns."We shot every scene but one in Tribeca because this is where I have lived for the last 10 years. So I called in the favor bank. I know most of the restaurant owners and they allowed me to film in their businesses."

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