Rising Star Actor Pasquale Esposito of Flowers in the Sky On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry
Learn how to manage your own career. The goal is to have an amazing team working for you, like your agent, manager, and publicist, but always stay up to speed on roles, projects, etc. Read the trades. Watch social media. Keep yourself abreast of what is happening in your industry.
As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Pasquale Esposito.
Pasquale Esposito is an international actor with an impressive body of work. He stars as ‘Eduardo Arenella’ in HBO’s “Gomorrah,” as well as a role on “Industry” playing fashion designer and millionaire ‘Enzo Rocco,’ also for HBO. Esposito appears in the role of ‘Vincenzo Danioni’ in the new British period drama “Hotel Portofino” for PBS Masterpiece, starring Natascha McElhone. Lastly, Esposito plays the role of ‘Pucci’ in the much-anticipated SHOWTIME series “Ripley,” directed by Steven Zaillian and starring Andrew Scott.
Esposito’s additional credits include the multi-award-winning film Hidden Children, a true story about 40 Jewish children blocked by the Germans on their way to Palestine during the occupation of Yugoslavia in 1941. Esposito also appears in the Italian TV show “La Squadra,” the Serbian TV show “South Wind,” and the Touchstone film, When in Rome, starring Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel.
As a filmmaker, Esposito directed a documentary titled In the Right Light, based on the award-winning documentary play Seven, about seven female protagonists and their journey to freedom. Esposito also wore writing, directing and acting hats in the play, A Looking Glass, at the Lotus Theater in Munich.
Esposito’s acting is guided by his Zen Buddhism. He is the founder and president of Flowers in the Sky, an organization that supports research and cultivates the education of the Zen tradition and the arts; physically, socially and spiritually.
Currently, he lives between London and Hamburg with his wife and their twins.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I was born in Naples, Italy and later moved to Rome. As a kid, I played in the streets in both cities. We played soccer, Hide and Seek and we invented a lot of games. Everything was in the street and that came with its risks because you never knew what each day would bring. Sometimes it was dangerous because there were fights with others and in a split second you would have to decide to either run or stay and face the situation. This gave me great strength and trust in myself. When I look back, I see the streets as my stage, a backdrop and every day I became a new character depending on the situation. Perhaps I was already an actor and didn’t know it.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
Since I was a boy, I was very shy. Still, I always wanted to walk a path that allows others to see things differently and have a fresh perspective on life. I think if I wasn’t an actor today, I would’ve been either a priest or a scientist.
I do remember when I was around 14 or 15 years old, I applied to be an extra at the National Public Broadcasting company of Italy, called R.A.I. I went to the office and while they liked me, they explained that I was too young and needed some kind of documents and permission from my parents. I was devastated because I knew that my parents wouldn’t think this was a good idea. One of the producers saw that I was horribly disappointed and told me to come back the next day with a good headshot. He said that he would tell the casting director that I was his nephew. I had now entered into the world of fiction and that was magical for me.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
This story happened while we were shooting season three of “Gomorrah.” We had two different directors and each one directed six of the 12 episodes. One of them was really happy about my passion and ability to improvise on set and the other one was a bit scared about the fact that I could do something that was not rehearsed in the scene.
My character owned a small casino and he had an appointment in the back of the casino in his office with a woman who brings him the name of the guy he is looking for. This scene was to be shot with me behind my desk and she would be sitting at the other side of the desk. I knew that this director didn’t like when I would improvise, but the scene was too static for me to be just sitting in a chair. It didn’t feel natural to the scene. My character would’ve been more enthusiastic and responsive. So right after the word ‘action,’ I couldn’t stop myself and when the actress arrives to tell me the name of the guy I am looking for, I stood up, popped open a bottle of champagne, filled two glasses and celebrated. Then I heard the word ‘cut.’ I was expecting the director to be frustrated and upset. Instead, he came to me and said ‘that was great.’
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Well, it was on a movie set. We rehearsed a scene where I was supposed to ride a horse, which was pretty easy since I am an avid horseback rider. We rehearsed and rehearsed and then the director said that he wanted to shoot another scene first. So, I waited in the trailer, and then by the end of the day, when it was clear that they were done shooting for the day, I went back to my hotel and fell asleep. Next thing I know, the crew came to the hotel late at night to pick me up. I wasn’t prepared and I was still asleep. I was playing a policeman and I forgot to bring my hat. Then, when it was time to film the horseback riding scene, they brought a different horse. This horse was a bit of a rebel, certainly wilder than the horse we had rehearsed with. Luckily, I know how to work with horses, and after a few takes, the horse was fine and so was I.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
At the moment I’m working on the second season of “Hotel Portofino,” a British TV series for PBS Masterpiece. The show premieres/streams on June 19, 2022. The story is set in the beautiful resort town of Portofino, in the 1920s, and the liberating influence of Italy’s enchanting culture, climate and cuisine has on elite British travelers. I play ‘Vincenzo Danioni,’ a scheming local politician who threatens hotel owner, ‘Bella Ainsworth’ (Natascha McElhone) with extortion.
You can also see me as ‘Pucci’ in the much-anticipated SHOWTIME series “Ripley,”” directed by the Award-winning Steven Zaillian and starring BAFTA Award-winning Andrew Scott.
You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
Well, that is a great question. First of all, it is very important to ask yourself if you want to be an actor or do you want to be famous. Each path requires completely different directions. Then, whatever is your passion, you must understand that one of the most important aspects of your career is failure. This is something that we need to relate to and as you can imagine everybody relates to failure in a different way. The point is that the way that you relate to failure guides your success. I’d say: Be clear in your heart of what you want to spend your life for. What do you feel is your true mission in this world in the time we’re living? If you want to pursue an acting career, be interested in human beings and expression, get deep into what the story is telling, what is happening. This approach works for acting and in everyday life situations. We need to listen more and get to the truth about life and being alive.
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
Well, the way I see the importance of diversity in the entertainment industry is simply to realize that the natural world is based on diversity. Like Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet. He let Hamlet speak as the director to the actors who will perform the story of his uncle murdering his father. He expounds the “purpose of playing,” which, from the invention of theater, has been to “hold the mirror up to nature.” The nature implies diversity.
Now having said that, my first point is that we should have stories like we do in real life, that reflects the actual situation in the world. Take my example of being an Italian living between Hamburg (Germany) and London (UK). My wife is half Persian and half German and my kids speak three languages. This is what is happening more and more, so we should have stories and scripts that express the reality of human beings. That is diversity.
It is crucial for the future. To tell a story is really powerful and we should be responsible about the story we tell. Besides the fact that I do believe that acting has changed in the last few years. Today you can find many great actors in many different cultures. One of the many pleasures of working on “Industry” for HBO is that the cast is completely based on diversity. I think diversity is the feeling of the future.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
*I’d say that it is imperative to ask yourself how much you really want to walk this path as an actor. If it is not the first thing in your life, don’t lose time and go somewhere else. You really need to want it so badly that there is nothing else that can substitute it in your life.
*You must ground yourself in the craft of storytelling and cultivate an extraordinary and revolutionary sense of truth. Be interested in the nature of behavior. Why do we answer the way we answer? How do we experience reality? What is expression? Watch out and be honest with your feelings and reactions and observe those around you.
*I wish somebody would have told me do not take anything personally or feel offended while walking through this acting journey. Casting directors are looking for somebody who clearly matches the description and character in the story. Therefore, sometimes it isn’t about me, being a good or bad actor but rather about being tall or short or being chubby or being thin i.e. fitting the ‘description.’ Of course, I also believe that if you’re an amazing actor, creators will find a place for you (and hire a remarkable makeup artist!)
*Be flexible with the people you work with. Everyone works differently, especially between the United States and Europe. Cultures and language and art may vary from country to country, but one thing is constant and that is everyone giving their best work to a project.
*Learn how to manage your own career. The goal is to have an amazing team working for you, like your agent, manager, and publicist, but always stay up to speed on roles, projects, etc. Read the trades. Watch social media. Keep yourself abreast of what is happening in your industry.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
You have to ground yourself in the love for telling stories and be aware of which kind of stories. Whether it’s the small stage or a short indie film or feature-length, the main point is to tell an interesting narrative. Be aware about the distinction of doing something in order to get something back and instead, do something because you can’t not do it. Act with no expectation of any kind and be full of passion. Cultivate the awareness about you being metaphorically speaking, as a window and not as a target. Offer yourself as a window through which others can see through. That’s an education that comes from all the arts in Zen.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I would inspire a movement of people all over the world to open up their borders so there would be no more borders to defend or to expand. When I say borders, I take that term from Zen philosophy and spirituality. A border is like a threshold and implies the nature of the relationship. It can be a border between countries. It can be a border between people. Break through the border, this fence between you and those around you. It can be money or food or clothing. Just look around you. If there are others who are in need, just share, just recognize that we belong to a community, a human community. Take care of what is around you. Everything is interdependent and interrelated and nothing is separated as it may seem.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
The first person who comes to my mind is my wife. Having a family is the greatest shift in life. She supports my intense daily acting schedule and has always believed without any doubt that it was matter of time and I would get the right project. Her faith and constant support have allowed me to be a better person and therefore a better actor.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite life lesson quote is from Nisargadatta Maharaj — “The sweetness of the sugar is not in the sugar.” We think that what we experience is happening to us as coming from outside. In fact, we experience what we perceive. What we perceive doesn’t have anything to do with what happens, but more with the memory of who we think we are and our story. Perception is more like a projection. It’s like: whenever I hear what someone is saying, it is not what has been said, but what has been heard and usually these are two different things. This ideal applies to daily life as well as to acting. The final responsibility is in the structure of the listening.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
There are many different people with whom I’d love to even have just a caffe. I’d have to say that Jane Campion would be my choice. She is such an amazing, interesting human being and artist. I’d love to exchange thoughts and discuss perspectives in storytelling.
How can our readers follow you online?
https://www.instagram.com/pasqualeesposito_actor/?hl=en
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1029313/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
