ED- We have the pleasure, and honor, of presenting Craig Zucchero to our readers. Craig, you have landed parts in many of the top Television shows of our era. One of today’s well known show is Law and Order. Please tell us a little about it.

 

CZ-. “Law and Order: S.V.U.” is an amazing show! I was very fortunate to play the character ‘Tony”, a nightclub bouncer who gets questioned by Chris Meloni, and Mariska Hargity, the wonderful actors who play the two lead detectives in the show!! The episode was called “Abomination”. It was the first time I auditioned for the show, and I was very proud to land it, and also to have Chris and Mariska compliment me on my acting!! Two of the nicest people I ever worked with, and everyone on the set was so friendly and accommodating!!

ED- Another well know shows that you played in was ‘The Sopranos’ as Uncle Junior’s bodyguard. How did you land that part, and how did you like the cast that you worked with.

CZ-That was a great day!! It was the pilot episode of the show, the first episode ever filmed, and at that point, no one had any idea what so ever, that it would become the monster hit it went on to become. In fact that episode lingered for over a year, waiting to see what network would pick it up, and the networks thought it was too raw for television, so HBO, such an innovation station, ended up taking it on and the rest is history!! It was such a pleasure working with James Gandolfini who played “Tony Soprano”, and     Dominick Chianese,    who portrayed “Uncle Junior”. Please bear with me with some misspellings of the names!!  I played “Uncle Junior’s” bodyguard in that episode. I was also in another episode of “The Sopranos” playing a wiseguy as one of “Silvio’s” Thugs!!! It was the episode called “Christopher”. Amazing actors, and wonderful people, and great experiences!!

ED- You were also in the popular ‘New York Undercover’. Please tell our readers all about it.

CZ- Another fun show, playing a criminal in an episode of that cool show. When I lived in New York I had tons of co-starring parts in television as well as so many supporting and lead parts in wonderful independent films, and also so many Off- Broadways plays, and plan on working just as much, if not more in L.A., my new home town!!!

ED- You are also in five shows that are presently in either pre- or post production. Please tell us in detail all about these.

 

CZ- Well, I moved from New York to L.A. about 3 years ago, and after doing so much work in New York——Television, Film,  and Theater, and after getting wonderful training, I decided to make the trek to L.A. to get to the very highest level. I recently had a very cool 5 line part in the new Clint Eastwood film “J. Edgar”: in a very important scene in the film, acting with Stephen Root, who is a great actor.  That was one of my greatest experiences ever, being directed by the very legendary Clint Eastwood. The nicest man in the business as well as one of my main acting and directing hero’s!! What an honor that was!!! He works fast and efficiently, and knows exactly what he wants from the scene, and trusts the actors instincts. Just an amazing experience!! That film  should come out in 2012!! I have had supporting and co-starring roles in some other L.A. productions, such as “Trophy”, “Big Time Rush”, “Black Gloves”,  “Hollywood Girl”, all in my first two years in my new L.A. hometown, so I think L.A. was a good move for me!!  Every part I play is either a co-star for television, or supporting or lead for film. I do not do extra work at all, although it is very useful for beginners, but I’ve been a working actor for 15 years now, so—no need for that!!!

ED- You are also in ‘The Resolve’. Please tell us all about this show, and all the wonderful people that you star with.

CZ-  “The Resolve” is a wonderful web series that I was fortunate to get cast in by Russ Cootey, an excellent actor/ writer/director who cast  me as ‘Danny Nicolai’. My character is shy, and very innocent, after having been involved in an accident, and it is such a fun part to play and such a departure from parts I usually portray!! Anyone can check this show out on their computers, and I have the feeling eventually it will be picked up by a network. The character is similar to  ‘Lenny’ in “Of Mice and Men”, and I just love playing all different parts of characters in film and television and theater, as being an actor enables you to embrace, research, and use your imagination to enlighten every character that you portray, and I can go kind of method in certain types of roles, and in others, just play moment to moment depending on the part and what I feel, as an actor, will work best for me. My part in “The Resolve”  is recurring, and I have so far been in 4 episodes with more coming!!

ED- Besides acting you are also Director, Writer, Cinematographer, and Producer. How do you find so much time to do all these things?

CZ- I suppose you just make time, as I have written, directed, produced and starred in three short films, in addition to the many, many films I have been in strictly as an actor. I love writing and am working on a new screenplay now which I feel is really gonna rock!!

Craig Zucchero

ED- In New York, you also plan to open your own acting studio for Film and Television. Please let our readers know about your new venture.

CZ- Well, right now, as I am now living in Los Angeles, I plan to make that happen in L.A.  Of course one day I will be bi-coastal, as I seem to keep getting offers to be in New York films, as well as L.A. films, so within the next three years I plan on having places in both New York and L.A. and working as an actor and director, and acting coach in both coasts!! Only time will tell, but I have a very strong belief in myself, and am also a good networker, which is so much to being a successful actor. On Facebook, I have two pages, with one having over 5,000 friends and the other about 700 and also two fan pages with over 1500 members in each fan club, so I am really making an international name for myself and can probably move anywhere and get acting work, so that makes me feel good!! It’s a lot of hard work and I always remain very humble and directors always tell me I am very easy to work with, and that is very important as there are a lot of prima donna’s out there, and that’s not the way I was raised!!!! I will stand up for myself if needed, but am very non-confrontational, and just love to work and get along with everyone!! I need to update my website since I have moved to L.A., but anyone can see it at www.craigzucchero.com to see my main acting reel, short films I have written and directed and starred in, and also an interview with me there, as well as my directors page, and also plenty of photos, and an introductory page. I feel my fans and friends will really enjoy this site!!!  With my agent, and manager and entertainment attorney, I have a great team with me, and I am starting to really work a lot in L.A.!! Anyone can reach me for work at 818-770-0831 or through my representation which can be seen on Imdb Pro. And of  course Facebook. I really enjoyed dong this interview and the Eerie Digest is wonderful!!!! Thank you so much!!!!!!

ED- Craig, you are one amazing person. As a fellow New Yorker, I am most happy to know you. We wish you the best of luck, and ask you to stay in touch with The Eerie Digest so that we can keep our readers in the know about you.

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