THE VERSATILE STORYTELLER WITH PETER FACINELLI

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This month's cover and feature story is with actor, producer, director and writer, Peter Facinelli. We've enjoyed his body of work which spans movies such as the Twilight franchise, Can't Hardly Wait, and The Vanished as well as television series that include Showtime's Nurse Jackie, Fox's Glee and Fastlane. We caught up with Peter to find out about how he got into the entertainment industry, his work in front of and behind the camera as well as how he has optimized his time during the pandemic and what we should keep an eye out for.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you wanted to be in the entertainment industry?

PETER FACINELLI: That must have been when I was around 12, I saw a movie called Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and I just really enjoyed it and I kind of thought that Paul Newman and Robert Redford were having the best time and having so much fun. I thought, “man, I want to be able to do that!” It would be fun to be able to pretend to be a cowboy one day. Then I kind of mentioned it to my parents and they kind of laughed at it because we didn’t know anybody in the business at the time. I put it on the back shelf for a while. I was very shy when I was younger. I didn’t really do a lot of school plays or anything like that. Then, when I was in college, I took an Acting 101 class and I fell in love all over again with it. It helped me overcome my shyness actually. I transferred over to NYU and I studied theater there and started working before I graduated.

AM: We would have never pegged you tobe somebody that was shy.

PF: Oh yeah, I was painfully shy. In high school, I was too shy to get into the lunchline to buy hamburgers. So I would go to the opposite end of the cafeteria where this little old lady sold pretzels so I would get a pretzel and an orange juice and would sit down so that nobody would look at me. I went to a school with 3,500 kids so it was intimidating to be in a lunchline with kids and those that were older than me. For the first few years, I just had pretzels for lunch and in my senior year, I said, “I’m a senior, I’m going to have a burger!”

AM: Well there you go! Treat yourself!

Creatively, how do you decide whether you’re going to take on a project? Do you have a certain kind of criteria that you look for and how does that process look like to you?

PF: You know, I have boxes that I would like for it to check like, have I played this role before? Who else is involved in the project?

I learned a long time ago that I might like a script, but it’s a team effort. So if there isn’t anybody behind it or if their track record is bad, it’s more likely than not that it will be bad because of the people behind it. I kind of look at the track record of the people behind it, who’s involved, who I’ll be working with as well as the character – to see if I have played it before. But sometimes, gut instinct takes over and you feel like you have to play this or that you want to play this. At that point, all the boxes get thrown out.

AM: Once you are attached to that project, how do you immerse yourself in that role and how do you take on these great characters that you do?

PF: I would say that every project is different. Some take more research than others, but I would say that if there is a common theme, it’s using my imagination a lot to deep dive into the world to imagine what that person’s life would be like. I mean, I have done character journals on some characters, just because I feel like if you can get their history and understand where they came from, then you can understand where they are. Sometimes when you’re playing characters, you’re picking them upon the midpoint in that person's life so the more information you have, the more you’re able to feel like you can go deeper with the character and the more things come out you know that makes sense to you of how you would respond or certain character traits or the way that they speak or the way that they move. All of that information informs me on how I want to play certain characters. Some of them require more and some of them require less. You know, if I feel like that I may be connected to this person because I know that part of them, then I need to do research on what I don’t understand or that I’m not as familiar with.

AM: When you’re finished playing a role, is it hard for you to leave that character depending on how long you have played it?

PF: It’s always hard. I always go through this couple of days grieving process and sometimes a week. You come home and you kind of shed that character because that person kind of feels like a part of you and there’s that mourning process in letting that person go. When you’re living in this world of make believe and you’re playing that character and then all of a sudden you’re home and that character is no longer with you, there’s a little bit of a grieving process and that’s ok. I have found that it’s normal to mourn that character for me and to let it go and within a week, you start to get back into that routine of things and then that person’s traits begin to come less and less or that energy is less and less with you.

AM: One of the first movies that I remember seeing you in was Can’t Hardly Wait and I was in college when it came out and I was like who is this guy? He’s great. Since then I’ve enjoyed seeing you in Nurse Jackie and other films and movies. It would be impossible to talk to you and not ask you about Twilight because literally, every person I talked to as we were in prep for the shoot said they were excited so, how did that come about, how did you get to be in this huge franchise and what was that like?

PF: Well to be honest, the first time that they called me, they said, would you be interested in being in a vampire movie and I said no. At the time when I was thinking about it, the vampire cycle had been over so there was like Interview with the Vampire and there were vampire movies that were good, there was a slew that were bad and then there were a bunch of vampire movies that were horror movies with blood and guts. They weren’t at the time popular or deemed quality or good. They said, "this one is based on a book and has a small following.” So I read the book and I enjoyed it immensely. I thought it was more of a love story with a vampire backdrop and I liked the way it kind of romanticized the vampire world and took it away from the whole blood and guts kind of goriness. It had some grit to it and danger and I liked the family aspect and so I read the book in one sitting.

So I said yes and I really enjoyed it and they said that Catherine Hardwicke was directing and I loved her work so again, it’s one of those things where you look to see who’s work is involved and Catherine’s is well done and I thought that she may do something really interesting with it. They said that Catherine wanted to see me in a day or two and so I went in and read with Catherine and then I ended up getting the part.

AM: If they were to come back with another movie, would you still want to do it?

PF: I mean, I don’t know how they would do it because vampires aren’t supposed to age. But, if they could figure out a way to make it work, I would. I loved that character. It’s so fun to play.

AM: Personally, I’m not a person who likes vampire movies personally, but it’s like what you said, there was a huge story and it was so well done that the vampire and the werewolf part fell away and you had this love story which was really nice.

So last summer, we enjoyed watching The Vanished which you’re in, you directed and wrote. How was it for you to play so many parts in the same film and how did this come about?

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PF: Well, I directed Breaking and Exiting and I was looking at what I wanted to direct next because I was interested in directing as well. I like telling stories so whether it’s acting, directing, producing or writing, it’s all different forms of telling stories. I was looking for a follow-up and I had written The Vanished. Originally, I was going to play the lead and I was going to have someone else direct it. Then I thought, that maybe this would be a good one for me to direct, but I didn’t want to take on too much by playing the lead and directing as this would be my second film, so I reached out to Thomas Jane which I thought would be perfect for it and Anne Heche came on board as well as Jason Patric.

So we went out and shot it. For me, I thought that I could play the small role of the deputy because I thought that would be fun. The first movie that I directed, all of the actors looked like they were having so much fun. I felt like I was missing out. So I thought, I’ll put myself in this one in a smaller role. I have to say that I have a whole new respect for actors that can direct themselves as leads! I had a small role in this film and every time I had to show up to play the role, it was like juggling. When you’re on film and you’re acting in the scene yet you’re also directing, you’re worried about the shot, making sure that you’re lit, that the other actors are lit, making sure that the shot is correct that you want, making sure that you’re performance is good, that the other person’s performance is good and all of these things are happening when you’re in the middle of playing your character and doing this scene.

So, I had to show up camera-ready because I didn’t have time to go to hair and makeup so I kind of threw on a hat and powder right before we went! I showed up in costume as the sheriff and wear it all day while I was directing which was uncomfortable, but it was a small enough role that I could do it. But it was kind of a pain on the days that I was doing it. It was a heavier load and I also had to memorize my lines the night before. I mean, I wrote it so you think it would be easier to remember my lines, but I was also preparing my shot list the night before, checking footage from the dailies and I was doing so many things the night before that memorizing my lines was kind of at the bottom of the list for me to do! Then I have to show up to know all of my dialogue, but it was quite a bit of a juggle. But I was happy that I did it.

AM: It was a great film and such a fun one to watch and had some great twists in it. It’s interesting to hear the dynamics of being in the film while also having to be involved in it as a whole.

You have a new project called The Unbreakable Boy. Can you tell us about this and why this is such an important project for you to helm?

PF: Well, The Unbreakable Boy was a book that I found that I just thought was a beautiful story and is based on a true story. It’s about Scott LeRette and his family. Scott has an autistic son and it’s about raising an autistic child and the bond he has with his son and how lucky he feels to have that bond with him. I thought it was a beautiful story and I met with the writer, Scott who it’s based on and I just wanted to help get this story told in whatever way that I could help out. I ended up producing it and I gave it to a company called Kingdom Films and they ended up liking it and they have a deal with Lionsgate so they came on board. I play a smaller role in it again. I didn’t feel quite right for the lead and Kingdom had their own in-house director/writer, Jon Gunn who had a great take on it. For me, it’s always about where do I fit in the best to service the story. In this one, it was being the producer and connecting all of these dots to get made. Zachary Levi (Shazam, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Chuck) is fantastic in the movie as I have been watching the dailies and I’m proud of this one. I hope it strikes a chord with people who watch this movie and I think it’s what we need at this moment in time.

AM: In April on Amazon, The Ravine is coming out. I’ve heard good things about that as well. What should we expect?

PF: That one I just acted in! I have to say it because people think that I directed or wrote it – but I just acted in it. I found this script and it was a very touching story. Hard to read at first, but it’s based on a novel about a guy who ends up killing his whole family and the residue it leaves off on the people that knew him. He wasn’t a bad person and he wasn’t a bad guy, but he ends up snapping one day. Eric Dane (X-Men: The Last Stand, Grey’s Anatomy, Euphoria), plays my best friend and the effect that that has on Eric Dane and his family. Honestly, it was a beautiful movie about forgiveness.

AM: This past year, we’ve all kind of taken a pause on how we have lived our lives with the pandemic. We really like this quote that resonated with you saying, ”If you come out of quarantine unchanged, you didn’t lack time, you lacked discipline.” How have you utilized that quote by optimizing your time as you have been moving and grooving over the past year?

PF: Well, you know, I try to do the best to make the most out of my days. At the end of the day, I always remember to give some kindness towards myself if I don’t get everything done at the end of the day. Now I have more time so there’s no reason to not get things done that I want to do. So if I haven’t worked out or done some things for myself that day, there’s no excuses. With that said, sometimes it’s ok to have days where you do nothing. But just don’t let those days add up to where you’ve done nothing for a lot of them. You have to find balance too.

In the beginning, I was beating myself up that I didn’t get things done during the day and I realized that I had to be kind to myself because I may not get everything done that I want to do in a day, but if I can get a few of those things done, then great! It all adds up.

AM: Is there anything else that you're working on that you would like to share that we should keep an eye out for?

PF: I did a movie called13 Minutes. It’s a film about a tornado that comes through this town in the Midwest and the devastation that it does in 13 minutes. It kind of follows different families and how it all kind of ties together. This one tragedy of this tornado that comes into this town is something that I found interesting because it’s tornado season and people lose their homes, their families, and their family members and it just comes in and goes.No one really talks about the devastation that it leaves behind. Anne Heche is in that one too and that’s really interesting because we didn’t have any scenes together as our storylines were kind of separate.

Then I have a film that I would like to direct that I wrote called El Chico Blanco that I am hoping to direct later on this year.

AM: Is there a project, topic or actors that you have always wanted to work with but you haven’t but it’s on your vision board?

PF: I mean there are always people that inspire me. I could never close the door and say, “I have worked with everybody that I have ever wanted to work with.” I would say that there are more people that I haven’t work with than I have. I have worked with some fantastic people. The list of people that I would like to work with and that I have on my vision board is so many people that inspire me – it would be a very long answer!

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AM: When you look at the body of work that you have created in front of the camera and behind the camera, what do you want your legacy to be?

PF: That’s a good question. I have always taken some pride in the versatility of my career. If you take Mike Dexter and put him right next to Carlisle Cullen and put him next to Dr. Fitch Cooper on Nurse Jackie and put him next to the Donovan Ray in Fastlane they’re all so different – each one of those characters. I take pride in that versatility. I hope that my legacy is that I was able to tell versatile stories and play versatile characters. I always want to surprise people. When people start to expect something of me, it’s more fun for them to come see something that they haven’t expected.

AM: For #TRIBEGOALS, we like asking those that we think inspire others about 3 people that they find inspiring to them whether it’s personally or professionally. These can be people that you know or follow but who are 3 people that have inspired you to be where you are now?

PF: Well I would have to say Paul Newman for sure because he’s the reason why I be-came an actor. I’d love to say Marty Scorsese because I love all of his movies and I think he’s such a genius director. Then, I’d like to say my dad because he inspires me all the time because he’s funny, he charming and he’s full of life. He’s 80 years old and he’s bouncing around like he’s in his 20’s – I hope to have those genes!

IG @PeterFacinelli

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PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS

Athleisure Mag's virtual editorial was shot by Co-Founder + Celebrity Photographer Paul Farkas. Throughout this shoot, Paul used an iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPad Air 2, and Clos.

IG @PVFarkas

STYLE CREDITS

Athleisure Mag's Celeb Fashion Stylist, Co-Founder, Creative + Style Director Kimmie Smith shares what she used to create the cover editorial for Peter Facinelli.

IG @Shes.Kimmie

LOOK I | WFH STYLE

PG 16 + 19 | MUNICIPAL Arrival Track Jacket + Pant |

LOOK II | FITNESS

PG 20 - 25 | TRACKSMITH Stadium Jacket Pioneer Club, Pioneer Singlet + Van Cortland Grand Short | ATHLETIC PROPULSION LABS Techloom Wave |

LOOK III | OUT & ABOUT STYLE

PG 26 - 29 | 34 HERITAGE Travis Jacket + Courage Denim | MAVI Rio Deep Brushed Shirt |

GROOMING CREDITS

Kim Verbeck/The Wall Group provided the grooming for the cover editorial for Peter Facinelli. She used Kevin Murphy products for the shoot.

IG @KimVerbeck

FRONT/BACK COVER CREDITS

| PHOTOGRAPHY Ben Cope | STYLIST Kaylee Jackson | GROOMER Candice Birns |

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Hear actor, producer, director and writer Peter Facinelli on an upcoming episode of our show, #TRIBEGOALS - which is apart of Athleisure Studio, our multimedia companion podcast network! Subscribe to be notified when the episode drops. Listen on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or wherever you enjoy your podcasts

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