DANIEL MONACO Rising Star Daniel Monaco Talks with Delia Lindsey for XS10 Magazine.
break into the industry, so I checked out an actor’s workshop and got signed by someone there.
I’m chatting today with actor Daniel Monaco about how he got his start, wondering how he’s made it through the almost year (yes, YEAR!) of the COVID-19 pandemic and his thoughts on what’s to come for the entertainment industry.
Tell me about your first acting role. My first experience acting in front of the camera, the character I played was supposed to drown. We shot at a lake and the water was freezing! Let’s just say, my first acting experience was exhilarating in more ways than one. I’ve been “hooked”... yeah, I really said that … ever since. But seriously, from that first experience, I knew acting is what I am meant to do.
Welcome, Daniel Monaco! I have to say, I’m very impressed with your IMDb credits. You’ve acted in some of the top TV shows of the past few years: Netflix’s Grace and Frankie and Dear White People, ABC’s Schooled and Fresh Off the Boat, and more recently, YouTube Channel’s Astrid Clover and HBO’s Sorry, Ari. How long have you been acting? Hi, thanks for having me. Yeah, I think maybe I haven’t been acting as long as some people that come to LA to try and make it in film. However, I’ve booked my share of roles and gained some excellent experience. I was interested in acting when I was in high school back in my hometown of Chicago, but it didn’t work out well for me. I tried out for a few parts, but I never got any of them. Well, I’ll bet someone back at your old high school is rethinking those choices! So, if you had no luck with acting in high school, how and when did you get your start? I moved to LA eight years ago. I had no idea how to
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Was acting your first love? Actually, my first love was music. I wanted to be a Pop solo-artist. I still work with my music, but that’s an even harder industry to break into for a young artist that doesn’t know anyone in LA. My main focus right now is acting. I look forward to finding out what lies ahead for me. Speaking of the future, how has your career been since COVID-19 started. Has the pandemic changed the way you work or where you work? Yes, absolutely! Like so many, COVID-19 has directly affected my friends and family. Several of my loved ones have had the virus. I’ve moved back to Chicago temporarily, just to be around them. Now, more than ever, I think it is important to reconnect with the people that matter most to us.
