Rising Stars: Meet Zack Bazile of NYC/LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zack Bazile

Hi Zack, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story is a full-circle kind of story. I was born in New York and lived in the Bronx till I was six. At the time, my older sister was a children’s model for Ford and Wilhelmina modeling agency. I naturally followed her footsteps into the industry and arts, as did my younger brother. We did a lot of catalog, commercials, and some runway work. My mother encouraged us to pursue dance as well, I took up hip hop, breakdancing, jazz, tap, ballet, African and modern dance. This routine was the majority of my life till grade school. When my parents moved us to New Jersey, the industry work and dancing started to die down because of my interest in sports.

With the new environment, I was involved in basketball, baseball, and club soccer. I did club soccer for 6 years, eventually switching over and trying out football, rugby, and diving, and then eventually I found a calling to track and field. As an alumnus of St. Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, NJ, I had the privilege to be coached by Coach Nick De’Vito. Long jump landed up being my strongest event which led to The Ohio State University offering me a partial scholarship, which I took. At Ohio State, I was named B1GTen Indoor Freshman of the Year after winning a conference title, I was a 4x B1GTen champ, 6x All-American, school record holder in the long jump and 4×100, and a NCAA National Champion in the Long jump.

Following graduating, I had a short professional career in track and field. My highest achievement was a silver medal at USA’s outdoors and another second place finish at the Athletics World Cup in London where I represented team USA to a first place team finish. I was training in Florida for a bit post graduating before moving and competing overseas to China and Europe. After a season abroad, I moved back to the States and trained in Atlanta with another coach/group before the start of COVID-19. I was dealing with a lot of injuries and surgeries, and I was not in a good place mentally. As the shutdown started to begin, I packed up, hung up the spikes, and returned to Jersey.

It took me a while to come to terms with my athletic career being over, especially when things didn’t go as planed, but returning to the arts and pursuing a career as an actor helped with it. In 2021, I enrolled in an acting conservatory in Brooklyn, the Terry Knickerbocker Studio. I graduated the conservatory and have been pursuing this career since. My first role out of the program was a leading role in a musical called “Hosanna in the Highest”, at the Bible Way House of Blessings in Brooklyn directed by Jaiqwan Serge. My second was a supporting role in a short film called, “The Top of the Stairs” written and directed by Mitchell Consky. Just recently, I made my off-Broadway debut in a one-man play called, “The One” written and directed by David Serero, where I portrayed Muhammad Ali.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s been far from a smooth road, from being an athlete to now working my way to a career as an actor, there has been many ups and downs along the way. Being an athlete was a big part of my life. It was part of my identity and it gave me purpose. All the training, competitions, seasons, coaches, teammates and goals I had yet to achieve, it was hard to move on from, especially when things didn’t go the way as planned.

I had a lot of injuries and surgeries during my athletic career. It was always a physical and psychological struggle going through the rehab and coming back stronger from it. Transitioning from collegiate athletics to professional athletics was a rocky road as well. The environment, resources, a new coach, finances, everything changed. Adjusting to all these new factors was challenging and I went through more downs than I had ups. I ended up getting another surgery, and my body wasn’t healing the way it was supposed to which led to more issues. Eventually, the decline led to depression. I was in a dark space for about two years but getting into acting helped me pull out of it.

When it comes to the acting, there are many struggles in pursuing this as a career. The amount of dedication, self work, and consistency it takes to become a great actor is no joke, but I’m working my way there. Thinking back to the conservatory training, there were many days I questioned myself, the training, and the work. I came from a physical performance background where I didn’t have to talk much, express or be in tune with my emotions or feelings, let alone, someone else’s. So you can say there were a lot of obstacles and challenges during my training at the school and still today. Booking work when starting out let alone, landing representation has also been a struggle, I have yet to land representation but it will come when it comes. This craft and industry can get mentally, emotionally, and physically draining, but it is what I want to do, and I’m devoting myself to it.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an actor. I just made my off-Broadway debut this past December portraying Muhammad Ali in a one-man play called “The One”. Written and directed by David Serero, the play explores Muhammad’s legacy from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali. The audience is taken on a journey to understand how the global icon first got into boxing, the trials/tribulations he faced, his faith and converting to Islam, his notorious fights, humanitarian efforts, and much more. The play premiered at the AMT Theater in NYC , and we also adapted the play on film as well.

I am entering my third year pursuing a career as an actor. That performance was the third role I have landed so far. Portraying the role of Muhammad Ali is nothing shy of a proud accomplishment as an actor. For all that he stood for and contributed to the world, he is an inspiring figure that will forever be remembered and acknowledged. Looking at some of the biggest names in this industry, many actors/actresses have played boxers or fighters at one point in their careers. Having the opportunity to portray such a legend was an experience I will always be grateful for and I learned a lot about him, this craft, theater, and myself during the process.

Particularly in this role, what set me apart from others was my background, my physicality, the research and prep I did going into my audition, and my look. I felt confident, prepared, and excited going into the audition so that was a big plus. In 2022, I actually got into boxing and I competed in the 2022 NJ Diamond Gloves tournament which I won in my division, so with all of these factors going into the audition, definitely helped in landing the role and setting me apart from others.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
There is a lot of credit to be mentioned. For one, my family has always been a support system and has encouraged me throughout my aspirations and endeavors. If it wasn’t for my mother and sister who initially introduced me to this field when I was younger, I probably would not have had a calling to return to it.

I have been fortunate and blessed to have come across many great coaches, trainers, and teammates who have molded and pushed me to be better. Specifically, Coach Nick De’Vito, Coach Brian Brillon, Coach Anthony Glass, Coach Dwight Phillips, Sean Jones, Coach Karen Dennis, Coach Joel Brown,
and Coach Rosalind Joseph. Both Coach Joel and specifically Coach Joseph played a pivotal role in my success at Ohio State during the short year we worked together but the relationships we built credits the success we had. I learned valuable lessons from the both of them that I carry with me in my developing career as an actor.

When I got into boxing back in 2022, Pablo Gary was the coach who taught me how to box, I thank him and Different Breed Sports Academy for introducing me to the sport, and it played a role in getting cast to portray Muhammad Ali.

Pivoting to the acting training, the conservatory training I received at the Terry Knickerbocker studio introduced me to how much dedication, requirement, and skill it takes to be taken seriously as an actor. I studied under Terry Knickerbocker, Matthew Dudley, Kana Sato, and Mackian Bauman while there. The training was my first all-in commitment to the craft and it laid a foundation in my approach to the work.

John Asselta, Rick Adams and Saint Joseph Regional High School played a big support throughout my off-Broadway debut process and also my prep going into my audition for the role. I was not a part of the theater program when I was in high school, but the school and its theater program were very proud and supportive of my debut and the process.

A coach/mentor that I would also like to acknowledge is Denise Woods. Denise is a voice and dialect coach in the industry (who has worked with the likes of Will Smith, Mahershala Ali, Halle Berry, Idris Alba, and more), I was fortunate enough to work with her throughout the prep and rehearsal phase of the play. Not only did she help me with my dialect and cultural specificity work, but she also become a mentor of mine and a big support throughout the production.

A big credit goes to David Serero for writing, directing, and producing the play, as well as casting me to do the role of Muhammad Ali. It took a lot of time, energy, and commitment from the rehearsals, the performances, and the filming. It’s still remarkable to think of how it all came together in such a short time span. Cooper Musser is another actor I worked along with in the play/film and it was a pleasure in working along side him and the crew we had. The staff AMT Theater, Church Street Boxing, and Fighters Heaven, were very supportive in the production, and they played a big part in the success of the play and filming.
I am grateful for the opportunity and learning experience from crossing paths with those I have came across of from doing the role and I know without them, it wouldn’t have been possible.

Most importantly, the biggest credit goes to Muhammad Ali. Without him and what he contributed not only to boxing but also to the world, this role would not have come into fruition. I would like to thank him for using his voice, beliefs, talent, and platform to advocate for more than just being an athlete, but also for fighting for peace and inspiring the world through his humanitarian efforts. I learned a lot from him during my research and preparations, and his legacy continues to leave an impression in this world. He is a figure that will forever be remembered and honored, and he deserves the most credit respectively.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zackbazile/

Image Credits
Julia Sariy