De Lillo, the chair of the board of New Filmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA). Among NFMLA programs is a popular monthly festival of short films. Danny is frequently the host at these events. If you attend, and you really should, buttonhole Danny De Lillo, make contact and be open to what he says. Check out the next monthly film fest on the New Filmmakers Los Angeles website, but be forewarned, the audiences are overflowing so plan to participate well in advance.Short films are Danny’s true passion. He got his start as an actor in Los Angeles after travelling from England to attend a NFMLA screening of a short film in which he had an acting role. What was supposed to be a short stay in LA became permanent residence and a continuing gig as a volunteer. But it was not just his formal training as a classical actor in the UK that impressed the audience. In promoting the production, he inspired others with his dedication to furthering the craft of acting. His strong belief that films can change lives was confirmed with his service on the Youth and Education Committee of BAFTA in a project aimed at developing skills in filmmaking by young people in South Central LA.
Settling in Los Angeles and launching his acting career in America, Danny faced the challenges of the business with an open mind. It wasn’t until he realized that he was not just an actor and an artist but also a business, that his career blossomed. “It is really important,” he says emphatically, “for actors to understand that they are a brand. In this profession you must understand what your brand is.” “This,” he says, “is more than how versatile as an actor you are. It’s what you are as a human being, what you can give to the craft and how you can work with others in the community.”
It’s Danny’s belief that to succeed, an actor must be well grounded. This is reflected in an actor’s brand as a business. By well grounded he means connected with a community or a mutually supportive group of friends to which you contribute by giving of yourself. He is a firm believer that giving back through volunteer work offers immeasurable benefits whether it be in the film industry where there are many opportunities such as those offered by NFMLA, or other community initiatives. De Lillo feels that an actor’s brand as a business is best developed through service to communities that in turn offer support. Community service helps one become a better person and thus a better actor.
NFMLA’s monthly film fests are events that Danny is convinced provide an essential service to the film industry in general and to actors in particular. The sponsors of NFMLA’s program include many industry heavy hitters. They are sponsors because they recognize what NFMLA is contributing to the development of film arts. The executives and reps of these sponsors are often in the audience. “You never know who’s going to be at a screening.” “On many occasions,” Danny reports, “I have been approached by people who want to know who produced a particular film or who the actor was in the short.” He says that the whole experience of having your work presented to an eager audience is remarkable. It is at these film fests that actors get experience in dealing with the promotion of a film, its producers, director and their own role in the production. “It’s a matter of just doing it,” Danny believes, “It is kind of a rehearsal from which you can learn. It allows you to get better at presenting yourself as an actor.”
Short films, Danny accurately states, “are wonderful vehicles for everyone involved.” Their popularity among audiences is increasing at an unprecedented pace. They are now streamed on Netflix and other exhibitors are scrambling to add them to their offerings and this is a global phenomenon.The trend is evident in the programs of NFMLA’s screenings which include productions from all over the world by all kinds of filmmakers. With filmmaking becoming more and more accessible to anyone with a desire to tell a story in film, the future of the short is very bright indeed.
“Life can change in an instant,” Danny believes. As an example, he provides an anecdote of what happened after a screening at NFMLA. A homeless, first-time filmmaker, received accolades for his skill in telling his moving story and received some $60,000 to make his next picture.
For actors and potential producers of short films, Danny’s advice is “Just do it.” “You don’t learn until you try.” “When actors, writers and directors can capture an audience for 5 or 10 minutes, that’s something very special.” From his experience and serving as a volunteer with NFMLA, Danny knows that acting in a short film can be incredibly rewarding. Among the many benefits of working in this genre of film, he notes that it yields excellent material for a reel. Additionally, working on a short acquaints an actor with the often nerve-racking environment of the film set. When a short film is exhibited, it is a learning experience in crafting answers to questions from the audience, the media and influential people in the industry. This is the part of the business where an actor really gets to show their unique character and express who they are as grounded people and as artists that others would like to work and collaborate with.
In concluding my spirited interview with Danny De Lillo, he wanted to emphasize how things can, and do happen suddenly in the acting profession. Taken on recently by Coast to Coast Talent Group, he reports that after just a few months they have helped him book his first national commercial. Ever the optimist, he says, “this will open the door for future work and be invaluable in my work as a volunteer.”
A someone who values strongly the concept of volunteering, De Lillo’s latest success proves his theory that being grounded is an essential asset for an actor.
Alan McNairn, a writer on film and art, is a frequent contributor to Casting Quarterly
