Exclusive Interview by Dave Siderski

“I only do things that force me to face my fears, otherwise what’s the point of doing it………………Life is just way too short, so, why not face your fears and live outside of your comfort zone”— Dave Vescio

Dave Vescio revels in playing roles that indie films fans love to hate. He’s horrified moviegoers with dark portrayals of villains such as “The Stranger” in “Hick” and “The Salesman” in “The Odd Way Home”. Dave has found a way to channel his personal experiences as an ex-convict to create dark characters that are believable and compelling to watch on screen. Vescio has acted in numerous award winning films over the past five years. Now, he takes a few minutes to share his thoughts about his acting career and personal journey with our readers here at NewzBreaker.

DS: Dave, first of all, thanks for your time. I’m looking forward to hearing your insights and perspectives on your life and film career and I’m sure our readers here at NewzBreaker feel the same. Let’s start with the present and work our way back. You have a new movie coming out on Friday August 28th called “Going to America”, also starring Eddie Griffin, Josh Meyers, Najarra Townsend, Mindy Robinson, and Penny Marshall. Please tell our readers more about this.

Thanks for having me! Yeah, GOING TO AMERICA is a hilarious dark comedy about two lunatics (Eddie Griffin & Josh Meyers) who decide to break out of a mental asylum to get a magical kiss from a princess. And Eddie’s character thinks he’s a freakin prince and he decides to choose my prostitute as the princess. So, let’s just say that I’m not too happy about any of this at all. And at the same time, Mindy’s character is trying to find these two idiots and bring them back to the asylum. It’s a very funny movie! Eddie & Josh are just pros at doing comedy; they definitely know what they’re doing.

The movie also won 15 awards in the film festival circuit this past year and as you said, on August 28th, AMC Theaters is releasing it simultaneously in sixteen cities.

DS: The story line sounds hysterical with terrific comedic talent to support the plot. Let’s shift gears a bit and go back to the beginning. What was your early life like? Did you ever have thoughts of becoming an actor as a child?

No, I never wanted to be a professional actor until I was 32 years old. When I was a kid I wanted to be G.I. Joe. I grew up in a military family and my father was a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force who did three tours in Vietnam. So, ever since I was the age of four, I knew that I wanted the same exact life for myself, but, the infantry versus flying planes. So, I spent my childhood & my teenage years preparing myself for that kind of life: shooting, hunting, camping, hiking, wilderness survival, first aid/CPR, orienteering, Boy Scouts, and The Order of the Arrow. So, at the age of 18 I joined the U.S. Army and became a combat infantry soldier in the 25th Infantry Division specializing in jungle warfare.

DS: My Dad was a Vietnam Veteran as well, serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. What specifically made you choose the U.S Army as opposed to other branches of the military?

As for the Army versus the Marines, I was never really into the Marine Corps at all. I get seasick, so, the idea of being stuck on a ship or in a submarine never appealed to me. Plus, my dad was Air Force and at one time the U.S. Air Force was actually part of the U.S. Army. So, it seemed to be a perfect fit for me. And it was for a while.

DS: You became mixed up in a drug cartel and were incarcerated at Fort Leavenworth for two and one-half years. I believe you were only 23 at the time. What did you learn from this experience?

Yes, while I was in the Army I also became a middle man in a LSD drug cartel. I was definitely trying to take over the LSD Empire on the Hawaiian Islands that’s for sure. And then I was on the run for a year and a half from the FBI, ATF, Hawaii Police Department, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), as well as bounty hunters (because I had a $20,000 bounty on my head). But, the CID finally caught me two weeks before my 23rd birthday. And I got sentenced to ten years at Fort Leavenworth Maximum Prison. But, I only had to do two and a half years in prison and two and a half years on federal parole.

What did I learn from this experience? Shoot, a lot. I learned that I loved being my own boss and having large masses of customers who depended on my product (meaning, my ambitions of taking over the LSD drug market in Hawaii. I also learned that by doing LSD myself, because I was a drug addict during that time period as well, I started to understand why artists create art in the first place. Before I ever did LSD (LSD is a hallucinogenic drug, meaning, it opens your mind to new ways of seeing & feeling life), I just never understood why people created art in the first place, and I never knew what professional art meant to the audience as well. So, that LSD experience definitely changed me and gave me the drive to figure out this new wonder of mine and to eventually become an artist as well.

And in prison I learned how to cure my own problems (from my drug addiction to managing my anger, to handling stress, to etc. etc.), but, I also learned how other prisoners can cure their own personal problems as well. Fort Leavenworth is a hard labor maximum military / federal prison; so, we all had to work no matter what. So, for the first year and a half, I had the privilege to work in the prison’s social work department, so, I got to speak with the prison’s psychiatrists, psychologists, & social workers every single day. I learned tons from that experience. I would also talk to the inmates about their crimes as well, and why they chose to do them in the first place. It was a fascinating experience that I will never, ever forget, but, at the same time, never, ever repeat again. So, nowadays, I just use ALL the above experiences and apply it to my business of being a controversial artist. My goal is to get underneath the audiences’ skin and affect the hell out of them with the realities of what a real life villain is actually like.

DS: What are the realities of the world of drugs that the American public at large does not properly understand?

Hmm, that’s a good question. Well, I think their idea of prison is totally misrepresented. The only movie that I have ever seen that totally reminded me of prison was THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION written by Stephen King. All the other movies are just a joke. But, that’s Hollywood for you.

As for your question, I think people use drugs for all different kinds of reasons, but, my biggest concern is why do we legalize drugs that are known for killing people every single day (like alcohol, nicotine, & prescription drugs), but, we make drugs that are not known for killing people *illegal*. That makes no sense to me at all; I will never understand that at all. But, that’s the world for you. They love judging others for doing things that they do themselves; but, they do them legally versus others may do it illegally and they think that’s a huge difference, but, you know what, the action is the same exact action, they’re taking drugs as well. As for the criminal aspect of it all, there are plenty of movies and documentaries that depict that world pretty accurately. I know that 50 Cent wrote a movie about his own experience of being a crack dealer, and so did many others. So, I think the American public understands most realities of the illegal drug world.

DS: Fair point about the destructiveness of so-called “legal drugs”. You worked for a time as a photojournalist for CBS? Please tell our readers a little bit about that experience. How did you come to work for CBS and do you retain an interest in photography today?

Yeah, after I got out of prison I had to do two and a half more years on federal parole and part of my parole deal was that I would go to school full-time & work full-time. So, I went to Virginia Tech University to learn how to be a TV photojournalist, and at the end of my junior year CBS News pulled me out of school to go work for them full-time. And I really loved working for CBS News; I specialized in spot news which is natural disasters & man-made disasters; and that was a lot of fun to do. I got to see the worst of the worst news stories every single day, and it definitely affected me, but, it was well worth it. I definitely enjoyed it.

But, at the same time, as I kept on learning how to do it better and better by learning from the best of the best (meaning, Emmy award winning TV photojournalists), I just realized that I just didn’t love it like these Emmy Award winners did. They loved doing it seven days a week, versus I wanted my weekends off. So, I left the news business altogether to figure out what I truly loved to do every single day, because I really wanted what my Emmy award winning mentors all had, a true purpose in life that changes the world for the better. And it took me about three more years of searching until I finally found it, which is acting in independent films.

And no, I’m not interested in doing photography ever again. Once I leave a job behind, I never, ever want to do it again. That’s why I left it in the first place. No, I’d rather spend a life learning new skill sets and seeing if I can become a master at these skill sets instead. My goal is to be the best in the world. So, I’m always trying to figure out what that exactly is. I’m getting close, but, I still feel I have a long ways to go still. But, I’m definitely getting closer and closer to it. I’m slowly seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

DS: Then your passion became acting and you’ve been doing it now for the past 13 years. What do you love about it?

Has it been 13 years since I went to acting school in NYC!? Wow, it has. Ha, ha. Shoot, this is the longest I have ever done anything in my life. Ha, ha. Life does fly by when you’re having fun!

So, what do I love about it? Shoot, everything! Well, let’s take that back a bit. I love EVERYTHING about being an indie film actor who specializes being villains & antagonists. That’s what I love most in life! All the other mediums of acting I honestly can’t stand, and I honestly don’t like to do them at all, not even for the money. It just doesn’t allow me the opportunity to do what an indie film allows me to do; indie films let us talk about controversial & provocative issues that the Studios and the TV channels are just too afraid to talk about in depth because the mass majority doesn’t want to know about these issues at all, or just doesn’t want to see what these worlds are really like deep down inside.

But, I also love being an indie film artist because I have the actual time to really spread my art to the world by promoting my indie films of the past & the present to the world with my social media skills, as well as doing media interviews like this. And I just love doing this for all my filmmakers! Everyone works so hard to make these movies the best that they can be, and I just love showing that hard work with the world to see. Versus if I was a Studio actor, or a TV actor, or even a theatre actor, it’s always about promoting your most current project and that’s it. And I’m just not a fan of that at all.

DS: You tend to take on roles of “the villain” or other controversial characters in your films. Is this a niche that you actively sought out or did it just evolve that way?

It actually started out that way in acting school, and it continued to be that way in the audition world as well. But, it totally makes sense. I just love playing these kinds of roles, and everyone knows it. And it’s a world that I truly know better than most, because, well, it’s my actual past. These are the truths of the world that I know better than most, and I totally believe that professional art is just truth anyways. I also realized that when these films eventually came out on the big screen or the small screen I really did impact the audience like never before. They were truly scared of me or they hated me or they despised me when they saw me in person. Which means that I did my job as an actor; I truly showed them what real life villains are really like, and got them to dislike me the actor in the process; which means that I can actually make a difference in this world now for the positive (versus the negative like I did in my past), meaning, if these audience members happen to see these kinds of criminals in their own personal lives, maybe, maybe they’ll stay away from them for good, or at the minimum report them to the police. So, for me and the world it’s win-win all around.

DS: Of your numerous roles, which three did you enjoy playing the most and why?

The stranger character in HICK starring Oscar winner Eddie Redmanye, Chloe Grace Moretz, Blake Lively, Alec Baldwin, & Juliette Lewis; and the salesman character in THE ODD WAY HOME starring Rumer Willis & Chris Marquette. Honestly, I only have two favorites so far… Now, don’t get me wrong I love my performances in THE MILLIONAIRE TOUR as well as in BEREAVE. But, those are smaller roles that people tend to forget about after the movie ends (because I’m mostly an antagonist type in those roles).

Versus my villain roles in HICK and THE ODD WAY HOME are just never forgotten by the audience. They always remember those roles. As for why I enjoyed playing them, well HICK is based on a real life story about a young teenage girl who runs away from home and what actually happens to young teenage girls if they choose to do this. And THE ODD WAY HOME is about the struggles & the emotional pains that disabled adults & children have to go through with the judgments that the world places upon them. It’s also about domestic abuse as well. These two movies are just really controversial in every way possible, but, if you’re brave enough to watch them, they will change you for the better. They will affect you and make you see the world differently. So, those are my two favorite villain roles as well as my two favorite movie storylines that I’ve done so far. But, I’ve enjoyed working on all of my past indie films. I wouldn’t be the actor or the storyteller that I am today, if it wasn’t for all of my past filmmakers. I’m very grateful to all of them.

DS: Yes, very intense roles and I can see why you chose them as your favorites. Who are the three actors/actresses you’ve enjoyed working with the most and why?

Hmm, good question. I would have to say Eddie Redmayne, Kate Beckinsale, & Lance Henriksen. I definitely enjoyed those moments on set, and for all different kinds of reasons. Eddie is very sharing with his information; he’s always trying to make you a better actor in the process. And Kate & Lance, ha, ha, they just love playing mind games on set, which is great as well, because they’re trying to get in your head and mess with it. Honestly, I just love working with actors who do either or, because it makes me a better actor no matter what. And like I said before: I want to be the best of the best, and only the best, can truly teach you how to be the best. I totally believe that. Only they truly know what it takes to get there. Everyone else is guessing or assuming, which isn’t factual at all, not even by a long shot.

DS: You appeared as Senator, and Future President of the United States, John Tyler in the 2007 television film Andrew Jackson. Given this was an historical piece, were there any special challenges for you associated with that role?

Honestly, that was a re-enactment documentary style TV film. So, that wasn’t really acting if you asked me. Now, don’t get me wrong, it seemed to be at the time that I did the role, which was at the beginning of my professional acting career, but, it’s not the kind of acting that I’ve done for the past five years, not even close. I honestly think that anyone can be a re-enactment actor.

DS: What is your criteria for deciding which roles you’ll accept versus those you decline?

First off, it has to be an indie film that deals either with a controversial issue that means something to me, or it has to be controversial in the way it’s being shot or edited. I just love working with filmmakers who want to work or think outside of the box, and who honestly want to create a new style of storytelling that really impacts the audience like never before. Those are the movies that tend to make you think, ponder, or question everything you know about for at least weeks if not years or decades after the movie comes out. So, I love working with filmmakers who want to dive into these brand new worlds. My second criteria, is that it has to be either a villain or an antagonist role. And my final criteria, is that I prefer to work with filmmakers who want to take the movie to the film festival circuit as well. I just love the whole award process of it all, and I love working with award winning/nominee filmmakers& actors.

DS: You are among a select group of actors who perform his own stunts. What is the most difficult stunt you’ve ever performed?

That’s true, there’s not many of us. Ha, ha, I think we’re all insane if you think about it. (Big laugh)

Shoot, I think the most difficult stunt that I always do that I know that the mass majority of actors and stunt men just won’t ever do is being choked for real. I always tell the actors who have to choke me to just f***ing do it for real, choke me to death and I’ll let them know with a tap on their arm or their leg if I’m going to pass out. But, I never tap them, not once. But, otherwise when it comes to all my other stunts, I’m mostly padded up or the room is padded up or both, so, when I do take real hits & kicks from the stunt men or the actors, I do feel it, but, not really. But, don’t get me wrong, I have been on film sets where they didn’t have pads at all, and let’s just say I always tend to get hurt for real in those screen moments, because, well, I’m always taking the blows for real, and allowing my body weight to fall to the ground over and over and over again as well. But, that’s fine, I’m ex-infantry so I’m used to fighting, getting hit, and falling down onto the hard ground over and over again as well. Oh, and falling down stairs is not fun for me either. I’ll do it, but, not fun at all because I just don’t like the idea of falling down or sliding down stairs head first. Shoot, I don’t even like to dive into a pool head first. I don’t know for some reason going head first just freaks me out, it always has. But, I would love to be caught on fire though. That would be fun. Maybe one day!

DS: What other future projects are you working on that our readers should be aware of?

I actually have to be on set next week for a crime thriller movie called WOLF MOTHER starring Golden Globe nominee Tom Sizemore & Najarra Townsend. It’s about a famous child star actress that gets kidnapped and sold to a sex trafficking ring and the reality of that sex trafficking world. So, it’s very dark and controversial; so, my kind of movie for sure! This one will definitely get underneath your skin for sure.

DS: Sounds very interesting.  Final question…..  What are your other passions outside of acting?

I only have three other passions outside of acting. And they all are fears of mine, just like acting. I only do things that force me to face my fears, otherwise what’s the point of doing it. Life is just way too short, so, why not face your fears and live outside of your comfort zone. So, I just love bodyboarding big steep shore break waves because I fear sharks (and most shark attacks take place in five feet or less water), I climb mountains without gear because I fear heights, and I track wild game without a weapon because I definitely fear being around these predators without a weapon. I just love facing and conquering my fears, it’s what makes me feel alive in this world, and I do love the feeling of being on that fine line of life & death as well. And I always have!

But, otherwise, I’m always working on my acting craft or getting the world to see my past indie films every single day. That’s what I love most in life!

DS: Dave, Thanks again for your time. I’ve enjoyed our conversation and learning more about you and your career.

Thank you as well Dave! It was a lot of fun; so, thanks again!

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