Marco Labate is an actor living in Los Angeles. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Marco shared a love for movies at a young age. In an exclusive interview, Flickering Myth sat down with Marco to talk about his move to Los Angeles to hone his movie making passions and his recent film Project 405: Lost at Sea.
Hi Marco Labate, welcome to Flickering Myth! What got you into acting and made you realize that it was your chosen path?
Thank you, guys! I’d say the reason I got into acting is a mix of things I picked up on throughout my life. I always felt a stronger connection to entertainment than anything else. As a kid, as soon as I started watching DVDs, I told my mother I wanted to collect them. It felt like I was storing all these emotions I went through in a protected place, where I could always revisit them. Plus, I was always very interested in human behavior. As a kid, I would catch myself watching people and creating this encyclopaedia in my mind where I would register people’s unique mannerisms, attitudes, etc.
The effects a performance can have on you have always intrigued me. It was something I wanted to explore, which first got me into magic. Later on, when I learned how to use a computer, I started making videos to show my friends for fun, maybe even committing a bit too much to the “quality” of whatever I was editing. By the way, editing was the path I found to not have to go against the social pressure of “you have to get a serious job”. I was able to create and not put myself out there too much.
The realization I wanted to be an actor came when I asked myself: “why am I not putting myself out there?”. And it was like I had just unlocked all these aspirations I had that I didn’t allow myself to see. I instantly remembered all the times I came out of the theater pretending to be the main character, exploring different realities for myself. I was raised by the movies I watched and I’m very grateful for that. This is the path I chose.
What are some of your early acting experiences?
My first time acting was when I was in school, and we had to perform a few scenes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. My school, being highly focused on grades and discipline, nobody was really expected to commit to anything artistic, but that felt like my moment to shine. It was probably one of my most pleasurable experiences in school seeing that black and white corporate environment suddenly have color. Made me realize how much that world just wasn’t for me. Later on, I also made a parody of “Happy” by Pharrell Williams talking about how great the school was to commemorate its anniversary, but I thought it was so bad I never showed up to act it out!
From Brazil to the bright lights of Hollywood. Tell us about the movie Project 405: Lost at Sea
The movie is about Alexia, a painter who is currently dealing with the tragic loss of the love of her life. She is committed to finishing a painting that means a lot to her but finds herself blocked from creativity when things get too hard. The-O, her personal AI assistant, is on a mission to relieve her of suffering no matter what it takes, even if its methods might become a little extreme…I play Gabriel, the boyfriend of Alexia.
Can you relate to your character?
The character is pretty much me. I even got to speak my native language (Portuguese) in the film. Gabriel is a man who really values kind gestures and demonstrating his appreciation for the people he loves. He’s going to be there for you any time of the day.
Was there much preparation for the role?
Preparing for this role was completely based on the power of my imagination. I had to become clueless to the plot of the story and instead just allow myself to inhabit Alexia’s mind. I would often close my eyes and envision all the things we’ve been through together.
I wanted to come into it as a symbol for her, someone who symbolized stillness and peace. So that’s what I made myself feel on camera.
How did you get involved?
This movie actually came from an idea my friend Gica and I had for a script. We wanted to bring the idea of someone getting stuck in a fantasy as a way to cope with loss to the screen. We started writing it and pitched the idea to our great director and writer Josie Hull, who completed the script and brought in her production company Fender Bender Films into the equation. I’m extremely grateful for her as this would never have been possible otherwise.
There are many ups and downs with making a movie. What were some of yours?
On the second day of shooting, during lunch, we all heard someone shouting, “THROW YOUR TRASH ON THE FLOOR”. We were filming in my apartment, so I was pretty shocked by that command, but we eventually got that we were going to use that trash to dress the set for the next scene. It was funny seeing my place getting trashed with food, wrappers, and wires. I’m happy the crew helped clean it all up afterwards!!
What kind of projects do you typically prefer?
The projects that I’m most excited about are the ones that experiment with the most elements of entertainment. When a movie employs a unique visual identity, an experimental soundtrack, an unlikely cast and makes it all come together with something that makes you feel intense emotions, that’s when I can say I love this artform. It feels extremely refreshing. That’s the type of project I aspire to get to.
If you weren’t into acting what else would you be doing?
I can hardly see myself being good at anything else but I’m very passionate about music as well so I would probably pursue a career in music production. I would love to create soundtracks for movies.
We look forward to seeing your new movie and more! What’s the best way to follow you online?
Thank you, guys, for having me! People can check out IMDb and Instagram.
Our thanks to Marco Labate for taking the time for this interview, and to Liz Rodriguez from EMR Media for helping us with the interview.
