Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Vaccaro.
Hi Michael, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in New York City, in the Bronx. I started working as an actor and singer at a very young age. From the very beginning, it was something that I wanted very much, and my mother supported it, getting me acting lessons, and I went to dance class, and took singing lessons, and studied piano and guitar. When I was thirteen, I got hired to be part of a singing group. There were three of us in this group, and we had a recording contract. One of them was Trini Alvarado, who to this day is still one of my best friends. She went on to have a fantastic career in film and theatre. I ended up doing tons of musical theatre in NYC and all over the country, in regional theaters, summer-stock and national tours.
Growing up in New York City in the ’60s and ’70s gave me a distinct advantage, I think. New York forces you to navigate through the world and stay on your toes. It’s the greatest city in the world. I think everyone should live in NYC at least once in their lives. My mother would send me to the theatre all the time, so I saw everything on Broadway. For me, the 1970s was the Golden Age of Broadway. Fosse, Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, Liza Minnelli, Raul Julia, Joe Papp & the height of the treasures coming out of The Public Theater.
I was a wild child, too. Back in the day, it was easy to get into clubs as a teenager, especially since I was an actor surrounded by other actors, so my teenage years in NYC were pretty magical and fun.
When I made the move to Los Angeles, I wanted to work in TV. I was able to do my own show, called “Child of the ’70s,” which you can now find on the Dekkoo network, and I got to work with so many of my childhood idols: Lynne Marie Stewart(“Miss Yvonne” on “Pee Wee’s Playhouse”), Beverly Sanders(“Rhoda”), comedians Judy Tenuta and Bruce Vilanch, Gina Hecht(“More and Mindy”), Ted Lange(“The Love Boat”), Susan Olsen(“Cindy Brady” on “The Brady Bunch”), Randy Jones(the original cowboy in The Village People), Donna Pescow(“Angie” & “Saturday Night Fever”) and Carole Ita White(“Laverne and Shirley”), and so many others.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It’s never easy, I don’t think. I just try to take it not even day by day, but minute by minute. I have a friend who says, “Just take it one eyelash at a time.” I love that. Keep moving forward. Don’t ever give up. I like the idea of hope. It’s a through line in all the projects I create. There’s always something more, something to look forward to. There are many new adventures to have and many great people to meet. That’s why I love “Rogue One” so much, and in particular, the very last line, spoken in the film by Princess Leia when asked, “What is it they’ve sent us? She says, “Hope.” Certainly, it was not easy being an out gay man in the entertainment industry in the ’80s and ’90s when I first came out to Los Angeles, but again, I chose to not give up, to keep moving forward. Pretty much everyone I came up with, people who I would see all the time at auditions, for instance, after not achieving “success” by a certain point in time, have all moved on to other things, but I just didn’t see myself doing that. There is literally nothing else I want to do. And now, at this advanced stage of the game, as it were, it’s all paying off, and honestly, I could not be more proud of myself.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
This has been a really exciting year for me. So much going on. I have two films coming out towards the end of this year. “The Other Side of Infinity,” a big science-fiction spectacle directed by James Lay, and, something I’ve never really done before, a horror movie, “The True Blue Ripper,” directed by Jason Allen. In that one, I play a super evil guy, a racist cop who does really bad things! I just saw it recently at a screening, and it’s creepy, but I love it! Can’t wait for everybody to see it. And I just finished shooting a queer suspense film in New York City, “You Can’t Stay Here,” directed by Todd Verow and starring Guillermo Diaz, who is such a great actor. It was such a terrific experience working with him and getting to know him. So generous and kind, and fun. I’m also a writer, and as soon as we were finished shooting that film, I had an idea for a screenplay with him as the lead. Inspired by a film that we both love, “Rosemary’s Baby,” the story just poured out of me. I finished it in about three weeks. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get it made someday.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
That I’m not at all as cynical and jaded as I appear! LOL
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/MichaelVaccaro
- Twitter: www.Twitter.com/MichaelVaccaro
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/MichaelVaccaro
Image Credits
Dave DeCaro
