Interview by Carol Wright | Photographer: Conor Romero
Andy Dispensa is living many actors’ dreams after snagging a role in the hit series 1923. Dispensa talked to NYOTA about preparing to play his character Luca, auditioning for a Taylor Sheridan show, and directing projects one day.
Your father introduced you to classic films, which sparked your interest in acting. When you were young, what about those movies excited you?
My dad showed me all of the classics. The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Wayne’s World, The Wizard of Oz, When Harry Met Sally, the list goes on. Looking back on those Friday nights going to the video store to pick out a film, it was just such a great adventure. Always a window into something I’d never seen before. You’re taken on an emotional journey with interesting characters when you’re watching a great film or TV show. From a storytelling perspective, the combination of acting, writing, directing, cinematography at the highest level, just makes your brain expand. It’s like eating a five course omakase chef’s tasting. It’s all been curated for you, shared with you to experience. And now knowing what I know, how much collaboration goes into making something great, the amount of energy to make a film or show, it’s a window into something remarkable. They call it movie magic for a reason, because it really is, like magic.
In college, you took the leap, changed majors, and explored your interest in acting. How did your program at Elon prepare you for the stage performances in your early career?
Well, Elon was my first peek into acting. The acting for non majors class I took was a lot of acting games, learning to listen to your partner and throw energy back and forth. We did some Shakespeare scene work and monologues too. It was what really lit my fire. At Elon, I was a filmmaking major which also honed my storytelling skills. We took screenwriting classes and cinematography courses. It definitely helped me figure out what I liked and what I didn’t. I ended up acting in many of my fellow film majors’ films because they knew I had a proclivity towards it. I think I probably acted more my senior year than worked on my own films, which says something. But I didn’t do theater until I went to drama school after Elon. That was where I engaged in intense training. Three years of scene work, voice and speech, and movement training. That molded me into a serious performer.
What drew you to 1923 and made you want to audition?
I received the audition from my manager initially, pretty serendipitously. It was two weeks after we started working together and he brought this to me, which I mean, to audition for a Taylor Sheridan show is as good as it gets. He’s a prolific writer and producer and I have been a huge fan of his ever since I first saw Sicario. His writing is genius. I think he has 12 shows either on TV or in production right now. For me, it’s all about the writing. I get excited by great writing. It’s just so much more fun to work on. It flows easier out of your mouth. It pulls something out of you. And the writing for 1923 is as good as it gets.
You initially auditioned for a different character for the show. When casting pivoted and offered you the role of Luca, did it seem like an exciting challenge to take on?
Oh yeah for sure. The role I auditioned for first was Sal, Luca’s cousin and mafia boss running Galveston in episode two. Luca was definitely more of a match, just from a perspective of age and stature. In terms of challenge, yes, I knew this role would be the most difficult one I’d have the chance to work on in my career so far. The circumstances for the character are extremely intense, and the stakes are life or death. I knew I would have my work cut out for me. I only had two weeks to prepare from when they offered me the role to the first day of filming, so I really tried to just lock in and focus on doing as much preparation as possible.
With the role of Luca comes the fun of perfecting an Italian accent and getting into the headspace of someone living in the 1920s. What was your prep for this character?
The Italian accent is one of the hardest accents to do accurately in my opinion, even for someone who speaks Italian fluently like myself. Irish, RP, Southern, I can all do off the cuff. Italian is butchered in Hollywood fairly regularly, you see caricatures that border on cartoonish. I had coaching from Annasole Podesta, a wonderful teacher and actor from Milan. She really helped me work on every line, every syllable to ensure accuracy. I worked very hard on the accent, including walking around the city talking to strangers with it. I did a lot of reading on the time period, including picking up a book called Mussolini’s Italy: Life Under The Fascist Dictatorship 1915-1945, which besides the script was my main roadmap to the character and world. Reading and watching YouTube videos always help me get into character too. I just try to submerge myself in research leading up to any shoot.
1923 has an incredible cast, including up-and-coming and veteran actors. Did you learn a lot from your co-stars while on set?
Absolutely. Brandon Sklenar, my co-star, was really great to work with. Brandon has this wonderful stoicism and warmth as an actor. He steps into a scene and he’s doing all this subtle work underneath, it made it very easy for me to focus on him and react. Every scene you work on, every project sharpens your skills and toolbox as an actor. While I didn’t get to work with the legends like Harrison Ford and Timothy Dalton, I did get to chat with them at the after party on premiere night. They’re so generous and gracious, easy to talk to. That’s the type of person I aspire to be in the industry. I think you can learn how to best be from people you admire, how they treat you, how they interact. I also learned so much about the process on this one too from a production standpoint. They were shooting with some of the best cameras in the world and at some time six cameras during one take. As a filmmaker myself I feel very inspired to take on my next project.
Writing and filmmaking are also aspects of the business that interest you. Do you hope to release original projects one day?
I do. My ultimate goal is to direct and star in my own written feature films. It’s an absolute beast to do, but I’ve done it at a smaller scale with short films and full-length plays. I have two or three screenplays I’ve written that I’m very passionate about and that I feel are good enough to be produced. I just have to find the right person interested in producing them. I really worry that the movie going experience is on the brink of being endangered. We lose more movie theaters every year from streaming and post-pandemic economics. There’s no substitute experience for seeing something like Interstellar or Oppenheimer in the theater, with a bunch of strangers. I really hope to be a pioneer for movies and visual storytelling. I think studios are taking less and less risk these days however the formula hasn’t changed. Make something awesome, people will want to see it. Screw all the algorithm and marketing demographic data. I want to see a good, well told story from the depths of some interesting artists’ minds! I’m producing my second full-length play in LA hopefully this year, then a short film I’ve written. After that I’m going to try to tackle my first feature, so wish me luck!
What advice do you have for aspiring actors?
If you feel the calling to act, train, train, train. Do it as much as you can. Get in front of any audience you can. Theatre is the best way to get better as a performer. Go out and shoot films on the weekends with your friends. Learn the process of auditioning, it is a separate skill and the most crucial for the advancement of your career. Work on yourself as an actor, but also a person. Whatever you need to do to be your peak self, you will need it. Hit the gym, meditate, read. The more you accept your flaws and that you’re not perfect, the better you will be as an actor. Get off social media unless you’re sharing something you really want to share with the world. No serious actor is on TikTok 24/7, sorry. Other advice I’ve been told that was super valuable, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself. If you want to have a career bad enough, it will happen for you, but this thing is not for the faint of heart. Keep your love for the craft, don’t forget it. And enjoy the journey! You might have to move back home with your parents, you might not get that big part you wanted, you might be told by producers your script doesn’t make sense, but it’s all part of your story and when you do finally get to experience a big win, all the no’s and mistakes will have led you there.