Independent Artist Magazine October/November 2013 | Page 21

will hear about very soon. Cody Foltz of “Left Digital Media “, is by
far one of the best editors I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. He
can make any scene amazing with his abilities. I have so much to be
thankful of when it comes to his commitment and ability to showcase
my performances in such a positive light . He’s simple amazing. When
it comes to Goals, as much as I’m very thankful that I can say I will be
working with some amazing artist, some very well known and some
on the rise. Still some of my proudest moments aren’t just when I get
the comparisons to Mark Wahlberg or Al Pacino, or the excitement
of sharing a set with a household name. Its working with rising stars
that have the same passion I have. Being able to work with incredibly
talented actors here in Orlando , and watch their stardom rise in their
own right. Artist such as Jolene Perez, Marnie Van der Burgt, Michael
Opal, and Cecilia Gazzara to name a few that I’ve grown to love and
respect as my film making brothers and sisters. They are such talented
individuals and I am proud to say I’ve had the pleasure and honor to
share a set with them. We all have the Same Goal; to tell great stories
and to just simply wake up saying we are actors. All part of my film
making family and the ones I would be proud to share the set with
anytime.
What are your present and upcoming roles? If you can let the cat out
the bag? Just give us a hint. LOL
As an actor, it’s always a good sign when you “can’t talk” about
certain projects coming up (it’s a good problem to have lol ). What I
can say is that I’m very excited of the future. One of the Individuals
I’m excited to work with is Mr. Ernie Lijoi Sr. Ernie is a retired and
very well respected Police Detective turned accomplished Author. His
incredible true life crime stories as a deep undercover investigator for
the city of Quincy, Massachusetts can be found at Erniesr.com. All of
his books are true stories of how he infiltrated some of the world largest
organized crime families and brought them down. That’s the simplified
version of what he accomplished in his career. Ernie is now adding
Producer to his long list of accomplished credits and titles. Mr. Lijoi
Sr. is now in negotiations to bring his amazing true life from the books
he wrote to the silver screen and television. If you visit “ThePreyers.
com”, it goes into great detail of the film The Preyers that he is now
producing. The site will explain and mention all the incredible people
attached and plans for this huge franchise. I can’t say at this time as to
what degree I’m affiliated with the project, but be sure to support the
project and look for it in the near future, and I promise you, you will
not regret it. Along with some other incredible projects in the works, all
I can say is that I’m extremely thankful that my name popped up to be
considered and associated. I’m sure when the time is right; I’ll be able
to share my journey with all of you in greater detail.

What advice would you give to young kids who want to act?
I would say, never let anyone tell you what your worth. Only you
know what you’re capable of achieving. Be willing to always have
an open mind and never think you know it all. Have fun, stay true to
your morals and self worth. Always have the strongest work ethic then
anyone you know. If you say you’re going to do something, do it. If
you’re known for being someone that actually “Follows through” with
your word, it will carry you far in this business. Always be willing to
applaud louder for others then for yourself. This is a “cheerleading”
business, and when people honestly and genuinely know that you have
no hidden agenda when you support them, your support in return will
grow a lot faster than you think. Most of all, have fun and never lose
your child like mentality.
What is your favorite quote that you live by?
That’s s imple, my parents have always told me two mottos that I live
by, and to this day are my guides along my path. The first is, “Never
Think you’re as good as they say or as bad as they might write about
you”. Just concentrate on the work. If you focus on the amazing
reviews or the bad comments that you received and get caught up on
those ego feeding statements, you can start to get distracted and go off
course. Thinking that you don’t need to work as hard as you have to get
to where you are or start thinking the complete opposite that you will
never be any good , is all a result of believing what people say about
you and not what you believe about yourself. Always have a goal to
be a better actor in every project you do, and don’t get distracted. The
second Motto is biblical and extremely powerful to me. It’s what gave
me the courage in the first place to take my first and very scary step to
pursue Acting. “Walk in faith and not in sight”…..wow, is that the truth.
It’s such a scary industry if you look around and try to rationalize how
you can possibly make it. If you stop and look around, everything tells
you that you shouldn’t make it. Don’t allow what you see, to determine
what your destiny should be. Believe in what makes you unique and
what you bring to the industry and have faith. I call it having “Spiritual
Blinders “on. Don’t worry about what you see; focus on what you’re
capable of.
Any final words?
I guess I just want to say thank you. Thank you to those that have
followed me on my crazy rollercoaster of a career. Thank you to those
that believed in me and to those that didn’t. Both were driving forces
and motivation to keep me moving forward. The journey has only
begun…..Thank you.

What is the biggest downfall of becoming an actor?

-Michael Santi

Downfall is a strong word. I think I would use the term, sacrifice.
There are many sacrifices in anything that you want to advance in.
No matter what the career you pursue, if you want to stand out as a
leader in that profession, you accept a certain level of sacrifice. It goes
back to my earlier statement about not being home with the family
and understanding the politics of show business. Everyone has their
own stories to tell and obstacles to overcome, but it’s because of those
stories and obstacles that we can never give up. Always allow your
passion to be bigger than your problem and you can do amazing things.

Follow him on
twitter https://
twitter.com/
Santourage_Team

Do you have any other hobbies besides acting? (ex: singing, dancing,
cooking, photography, etc.)
When I’m not working, I love to stay active, so anything as far away
from the TV as possible. I love to cook, and always experiment with
new things in the kitchen. Working out has always been a great way
to relieve stress for me and of course just spending time and enjoying
my friends and family. I also like to speak at events and charities when
possible. I’ve been told that I should get into motivational speaking,
so you never know. To excite others and to help them to start believing
in themselves by showing them that they are never alone in this world,
is a great feeling. To help anyone other than yourself, to achieve their
goals in life, is extremely rewarding and a great way to spend and
invest your time.

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