Bully - Gravitas Ventures
PETER EVANGELISTA
Actor on Fire! When did you first get involved in acting? Well, I have two “firsts” -- The first “First” was when I was in 5th grade... the girl I had a crush on asked me to be in the play... when I stepped on stage for the first (and only performance) I had a funny moment and the whole audience laughed... I knew then that that was what I wanted to do forever. Be on stage. Fast forward to my senior year in High School and that’s where my second “First” came into play. My English teacher, Mr. Needham, was (and still is) a Cinephilie. He made me an offer that I couldn’t refuse... It was to watch movies for the whole year with discussion to follow if we ourselves made a film... and it would count for our whole grade. After having us do some improv in front of the class... I was hooked. One of my best friends sat next to me and said “I want to do this for real, I want to be a film director and editor, wanna be in the same group?” .... And that was it. What or Who inspired you to pursue a career as an actor? Definitely Mr. Needham... Had that not happened... I may never have gotten back into it. And I grew up watching Golden Era cinema.... I spent my summers as a kid with Pacino, Stallone, and that caliber... in my VCR... and I would spend hours recreating what I saw. Especially Pacino... I looked at him and saw a guy from the neighborhood doing what I wanted to do. So I mimicked everything he did.
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What have been your biggest achievements in Films, TV, and/or Theater? Please explain? To me, they’re all big achievements. That may sound corny or cliche... but it’s the truth. Getting my first Professional (Equity) stage gig was a huge achievement for me. In New York you bang around for years in the Off-Off Broadway scene getting that stage craft experience, till you get your first professional gig. The roles I’ve been privileged to explore and play are big achievements in themselves for me. The films, the auditions, the situations... The fact that its been 10 years and I’m still here is an achievement. I’m sure you have met a lot of celebrities along the way. Would you share 1 or 2 of your favorite stories with us? Damn... I’m embarrassed by some. You know... you see them on screen and feel you know them... and when there is no screen... all that “know them” goes away. First big one was, Pacino... I was coming out of class one night and I used to make my “Theater Rounds” where I walked the streets from 54th all the way to 42nd street checking in on the theaters and imagining my name up on the marquee... When I see this large stage door open... and at the bottom you could see two black shoes. There was another man standing in the middle of the sidewalk. I couldn’t make out what was being said till I got closer and the stage door started to close. I followed those shoes all the way up to this persons face to see who the man
