Every clue in this puzzle references someone named Steve (a name derived ultimately from the Greek for "wreath" or "crown"). We have:
| C | H | I | T | A | T | N | T | |
| R | U | N | I | N | R | O | E | |
| O | B | S | E | S | S | I | V | E |
| C | S | T | W | O | M | A | N | |
| T | E | N | ||||||
| A | M | O | U | R | I | S | A | |
| C | I | N | E | M | A | T | I | C |
| E | S | E | A | V | E | R | T | |
| S | S | R | N | A | M | E | S |
| Clue no. | Clue | Steve Referenced | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A | Rivera who was playing Aurora when he started hosting Showtime 81 blocks uptown | HARVEY | CHITA |
| 6A | Song on the Talladega Nights soundtrack along with three of his | EARLE | TNT |
| 9A | Encounter, as between his small-town girl and city boy on a midnight train | PERRY | RUN-IN |
| 10A | Eggs often eaten by someone homophonous with his wife Eydie's surname | LAWRENCE | ROE |
| 11A | Say, writing fifty songs a day for a week — and not to win a bet like he did | ALLEN | OBSESSIVE |
| 13A | Dec. clock setting one zone west of where he manages the Red Wings | YZERMAN | CST |
| 14A | What he was "Lookin' for" in a 2017 music video | EARLE | WOMAN |
| 15A | Number of issues in his Speedball series | DITKO | TEN |
| 16A | " Fou" (episode in which he portrayed Dante) | VAN ZANDT | AMOUR |
| 19A | "Humor social lubricant . . ." (from his How to be Funny) | ALLEN | IS A |
| 22A | Like his turn as Vito in Jersey Boys | SCHIRRIPA | CINEMATIC |
| 24A | Dir. from Old Snydale to where he played rugger '76–'88 | QUINN | ESE |
| 25A | What his "Did I do that?" failed to do to blame | URKEL | AVERT |
| 26A | Geo. term that became obs. just after his album The Hard Way came out | EARLE | SSR |
| 27A | Items in the credits of his Reality Bites, Shattered Glass, etc. | ZAHN | NAMES |
| 1D | Beast he was the hunter of | IRWIN | CROC |
| 2D | Cities like Dallas, where he shot hoops '98–'04 | NASH | HUBS |
| 3D | Kind of org. employing his love interest in Wonder Woman 1984 | TREVOR | INST |
| 4D | Item he wears on Family Feud and sells in his clothing line | HARVEY | TIE |
| 5D | With "The," the show his pre-Carnac questions-before-responses bit spoofed | ALLEN | ANSWER MAN |
| 6D | Feature of the German uniform he wore as a disguise in Wonder Woman | TREVOR | TRIM |
| 7D | Explosion that his Escape From LA character might have supplied a map to? | BUSCEMI | NOVA |
| 8D | What he was for most of Family Matters's run | URKEL | TEEN |
| 12D | Composer David Nessim, to him | LAWRENCE | SON |
| 15D | Day of the wk. after the night when his self-titled 1965 CBS variety show aired | LAWRENCE | TUE |
| 16D | Namesakes of Carrey's character in that sequel he directed | OEDEKERK | ACES |
| 17D | Little Sunshine (2006 movie featuring him) | CARELL | MISS |
| 18D | What neither he nor the Golden State team he coaches is satisfied with? | KERR | ONE R |
| 19D | Him and Sabina Beekman, for example | FORBES | ITEM |
| 20D | Him, to Bindi | IRWIN | SIRE |
| 21D | His character in The Blues Brothers books these | LAWRENCE | ACTS |
| 23D | Gardner seen in his Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid | MARTIN | AVA |
The initial letters of the surnames of the Steves (in clue order) spell out HE PLAYED VASQUEZ IN THAT BULLOCK FILM.
The film in question is All About Steve, in which Sandra Bullock played a crossword constructor who wrote a crossword in which every single clue referenced Steve, a guy she had fallen in love with (Ms. Bullock won a Golden Raspberry for her performance).
The answer is the actor who played the role of Vasquez in All About Steve: JASON JONES.