[NYOTA Magazine ]
star power
starring
Lexi DiBenedetto Volume 9
HELLO THERE, READER! I am so excited to be releasing our first Star Power issue of 2019. I can't wait to see how Star Power evolves as the year goes on. For our ninth Star Power issue, Lexi DiBenedett is gracing the cover. You can watch Lexi in Nickelodeon's hit show "Knight Squad" although you may already recognize her from the short film "Love is All You Need". I also got the chance to have a quick chat with up and coming actor Zach Avery. I hope you enjoy all this issue has to offer and that each of you are taking advantage of any and all opportunities being presented to you in the new year.
YOURS TRULY, Carol Wright EDITOR IN CHIEF, NYOTA MAGAZINE @_CAROL_WRIGHT
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from the editor
contents 1. Editor's Letter
3. Get To Know Lexi
4. Lexi's Playlist
5. #StarPower: Lexi DiBenedetto
8. Lexi's Top Picks
9. #QuickChat
#StarPower
Get to know Lexi I have two rescue dogs.
I love classic cars.
I’m always cold and have to sleep in socks!
I love being outdoors!
I grew up on an island.
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#NyotaMusic
Lexi's Playlist Matisyahu //Sunshine Shawn Mendes//Lost in Japan Miley Cyrus & Mark Ronson//Nothing Breaks Like a Heart Men At Work//Down Under Red Hot Chili Peppers//Dani California Jimmy Buffett//Cheeseburger in Paradise Sublime//Santeria Zac Brown Band//Homegrown P!nk//Sober Tom Petty//I Won't Back Down
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#StarPower
#StarPower
Lexi DiBenedetto Interview by Carol Wright | Photos by Amanda Ramon
When did you become interested in acting?
Although your character Prudence is ¼ giant. Can you relate to her in any way?
I’ve always loved acting. I starred in a commercial when I was very young and was involved in musical theater. When I was 5-years-old I already knew that it was what I wanted to do.
Absolutely! I relate to how loyal and protective Prudy is over her friends. She’s also always in the mood for food, which I definitely relate to!
“Love is All You Need” shifted your career in a large way. How did it feel to be a part of that project? I feel very lucky to have been a part of such a powerful film that shared such an important message.
Do you hope to get involved in more projects in the future that tell stories with a message? That is definitely something I’m interested in! It’s actually my favorite thing about acting. Telling stories, especially with powerful messages, is what made me really fall in love with acting.
What drew you to the show “Knight Squad”? What was the audition process like? Multi Camera comedies are so much fun! You get to come to work and play around with your character! Plus, I really love the stunt aspect on our show. Fighting with a big hammer was a blast. The audition process included two rounds of chemistry reads where we met the other actors and then a final test. The final test was with the top 2-5 actors for each role. Two months of hard work and patience later-- I was finally cast!
Do you hope to step into the film world in some form? Whether that is through acting, directing or writing? It would be a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to do film. Acting will always have a special place in my heart but I also would really love to write and create a show. Maybe even directing in the future. I’d be excited to get involved with it all.
Who is an actor or actress that inspires you? Whether it’s through their career choices or their acting prowess? I have too many to name! I love how versatile Sandra Bullock and Reese Witherspoon are. They excel in everything they do. I also love how strong Gal Gadot is! I’m pretty obsessed with Milo Ventimiglia, he is so truthful and real in all of his roles. I’ve also looked up to Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron since I was very young.
What advice do you have for aspiring actors? Always work hard and be prepared. It’s also important to remember that everyone’s journey is different. Focus on yourself and not what others are doing.
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#StarPower
"Always work hard and be prepared. It’s also important to remember that everyone’s journey is different. Focus on yourself and not what others are doing."
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#StarPower
Lexi's Top Picks Movie(s)
Book Anything with adventure!
Shawshank Redemption and Legally Blonde.
TV Show(s) Fashion Trend Boots & Belts! I love that they can make any t-shirt an entire outfit!
Downton Abbey and The Office.
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#QuickChat
Quick Chat with Zach Avery Interview by Carol Wright & Photo by Bobby Quillard
Was there a certain movie or TV show that sparked your interest in acting? Definitely. When I was a kid, I always gravitated towards films that, now looking back, may have been a bit more mature than my 10 years old self but for whatever reason... I absolutely loved Forrest Gump, Good Will Hunting and Jerry Maguire. I would watch them over and over; to the point where I basically had every line in the movie memorized and I would recite them to my mom or basically anyone who would listen long enough. I didn’t realize it at the time but these characters enamored me and all I wanted to do was become them...as I got older, I realized that these “characters” were actors and that this was a job that I could potentially do... I was hooked. As for TV shows, I am a huge Entourage fan so maybe I’m chasing the dream of “Vincent Chase” as well.
Why did acting originally seem like a career choice you wanted to keep hidden? I grew up in parts of the country where acting is certainly not a “career path” that anyone viewed in a realistic way. We were all allowed to have dreams but anytime the notion of acting was presented, most people interpreted this as you wanted to be a star or in the public eye rather than an artist that takes the work seriously and any potentially ancillary effects of the work come in a distant second. That being said, it was very important to the people that were important to me that I go to college and get a degree in something outside of the arts and once I have that degree, I can decide if acting is for me at that point. So I went to college, got my degree in Psychology... started a doctorate program in Psychology and about 3 months into the doctorate program, it was extremely clear that my passion laid in acting and from that moment on... the “secret” has been out and acting has been my #1.
Tell us about your character in “Last Moment of Clarity”. What drew you to that film? My character in the film is a guy named Sam. He lives in NYC with his fiancé/love of his life, Georgia, until he witnesses her murder and has to flee to Paris to save his own life as well as cope with his new reality. In Paris, while watching a film, a girl comes on screen that reminds him so much of Georgia that he convinces himself she is alive and heads back to the US in search of answers. Very much a call back to the Hitchockian thrillers such as Vertigo and Rear Window. I was drawn to the project after reading the script and meeting with the directors (Colin and James Krisel) due to the layers that I would be able to portray through Sam’s story. It’s not every day that you get an opportunity to dive deep into a character that goes on a roller coaster journey through so many emotions while simultaneously asking the question regarding if love exists in a time and a place or if there really is an everlasting, once in a lifetime kind of love. It was a dream come true opportunity for me and I cannot wait for everyone to see the film!
What has been your favorite project to work on so far? My favorite project to date has to be Last Moment of Clarity. Due to the fact that I was the protagonist and the first actor cast in the film, I had the time to work with the directors, rehearse and play with the character so that I could mold and develop him in a way that most actors do not get to do because of time constraints. This made the actual shooting of the film extremely enjoyable and free because I knew the character from the inside out so I was able to uninhibitedly play in the space. Coupling this with an incredible directing duo in James and Colin and the absolutely phenomenal group of actors around me was such a treat. 10
#QuickChat
"Take your career into your own hands at the beginning. There are so many ways for young, aspiring actors to create their own content right now that there is no reason why anyone should be waiting around for someone else to make their dream come true. Get yourself on tape, create short films with your friends... anything and everything you can do to get that creativity out of you and let the world see what you got. Perseverance is key so if this is the only thing that you can possibly see yourself doing.... Go for it and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise." - Zach Avery
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NEW YORK, NY (January 23, 2019) – Sony Music announces the FEBRUARY 8th release of MUSIC INSPIRED BY THE FILM ROMA, an album of music inspired by Alfonso Cuarón’s award-winning film. The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture. Available to preorder now, the album features songs from BECK, BILLIE EILISH, EL-P, IBEYI, JESSIE REYEZ, LAURA MARLING, PATTI SMITH, UNKLE and more, recorded exclusively for this project. Included with today’s preorder and available now to stream is BECK’s first musical offering of 2019, entitled “Tarantula”. Beck’s radical reimagining of “Tarantula," a 1982 B-Side by 4AD artists Colourbox, replaces the minimalist groove of the original with an epic arrangement by Beck in collaboration with his father, David Campbell. Produced by Beck and mixed by Tom Elmhirst, the track features a riveting Beck vocal performance at its centerpiece with the backing of a 24-piece ensemble. After completing work on ROMA, director Alfonso Cuarón was struck with the notion of having his favorite musical artists create songs inspired by the film. Interested in hearing what the film might inspire in artists across the globe, Cuarón and his music supervisor Lynn Fainchtein began exploring possibilities with the help of their friend Randall Poster. They approached artists of all genres and backgrounds, inviting them to contribute either an original piece of music or a cover of one of the songs heard in the film. Preorder here: https://sonyclassical.lnk.to/MusicInspiredByROMAPR
TNT and Cadence13, a leading podcast media company, is revealing the NEW audio trailer for the groundbreaking eight-part podcast documentary series, Root of Evil: The True Story of the Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia, a companion to TNT’s six-episode suspense drama I Am the Night. The podcast series will premiere Wednesday, February 13 and joins Turner Podcast Network’s portfolio of podcasts available on Apple Podcasts and wherever podcasts are available. I Am the Night, from director Patty Jenkins and writer Sam Sheridan, starring Chris Pine, is slated to premiere on Monday, January 28, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) on TNT. Root of Evil, hosted by Fauna Hodel’s daughters Yvette Gentile and Rasha Pecoraro and executive produced by Emmy® award-winner Zak Levitt, EVP of Documentary Content at Cadence13, is the Hodel family’s story in their own words, a behind-the-scenes revelation of their family’s crimes, secrets and multigenerational struggles carrying the Hodel name. Family members will open up and share their own psychological traumas and perspectives on their ties to Hollywood’s notorious Black Dahlia murder. Through powerful, never-before-heard archival audio, along with expansive interviews with each family member, including visits to the most important locations in this story, Root of Evil will prove how immersive the storytelling experience can be in this genre. Listen to the NEW trailer and subscribe to the podcast here: https://podcasts.turner.com/embed/single/skin/rk9x12/coming-soon.html https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1450277129
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NYOTA Magazine STAR POWER TEAM EDITOR IN CHIEF GRAPHIC DESIGNER
CAROL WRIGHT
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CAROL WRIGHT
PRINT COVER ACTRESS
Lexi DiBenedetto
CONTRIBUTORS PHOTOGRAPHER PHOTOGRAPHER
Amanda Ramon Bobby Quillard
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