Matt Valvardi is an actor best known for his role in the new Amazon Prime action-thriller movie, ‘Legacy’ alongside Luke Goss (Hell Boy II) and Louis Mandylor (Rambo: Last Blood), and dozens of other shows and films.
HI MATT, WELCOME TO ABOUT INSIDER! THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO CHAT WITH US! CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF, WHO IS MATT VALVARDI IN YOUR OWN WORDS?
Hi! And thank you so much! I am an actor, born in Philadelphia but now living in Santa Monica in California. After working for years in the investment management industry, I realized that I just didn’t have the passion to fuel a lifelong career there. I moved to Los Angeles and dabbled in almost every aspect of movie production. I attempted acting last because it scared me the most. My first acting class was one of the most fulfilling days of my life.
WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE?
I spent a majority of my life working in an industry that didn’t light me up emotionally. I dreaded getting out of bed in the morning. In only a few years I went from a finance cubicle to starring in a movie that is now streaming on Amazon Prime. I spent the recent quarantine time teaching myself the major technical aspects of filmmaking, culminating in the shooting of a feature film with my fiancé, Lizzie. I was awarded a Best Actor award in the Accolade Global Film Competition for it. I also used my filmmaking and editing skills to acquire a large following on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram for my acting-related content. Ultimately, I know what it’s like to not have acting in my life and I don’t want to ever experience that again.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE PROJECTS YOU TYPICALLY MAKE?
I prefer to work on projects with a passionate team attached who allow their actors to “play”. I love to dig into characters with deep, complicated relationships with both themselves & the people around them.
DO YOU HAVE A CREATIVE PROCESS WHEN PREPARING FOR A ROLE?
I’ve studied many varied – and sometimes conflicting acting techniques. When it comes down to it, the audience is either going to believe you or they aren’t. I find that creating a sense of empathy for my character and seeing the world honestly through their eyes suits me best. Although I’m always updating and improving my processes, I do like to create a robust backstory for my character, so I know where they’ve been and where they aspire to go. A good script with a beautifully complex character can make the preparation process absolutely incredible.
WHO WERE YOUR ACTING INFLUENCES GROWING UP?
I didn’t really know any actors growing up. To the outside world, I was a basketball-obsessed athlete looking to possibly follow in my banker father’s footsteps. Secretly, I was writing screenplays, shooting short films with my sister, painting, sculpting, and reading comic books. My favorite movie growing up was Jaws and all aspects of the movie captivated me. I mean, Robert Shaw’s “U.S.S. Indianapolis” monologue STILL gives me chills!
YOU WERE RECENTLY IN THE DRAMA-THRILLER MOVIE, ‘LEGACY’. WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Yes so, I am in the movie ‘Legacy’, which is now streaming on Amazon Prime. We wrapped shooting just a little bit before the quarantine lockdown. It’s a thriller with some incredible seasoned actors. Overall, it’s a really fun movie to watch.
TELL US BOUT YOUR CHARACTER?
I played Deputy Bill who proves to be an instrumental character as he helps a British agent (Luke Goss) navigate through the wilderness to stop an assassin from killing his target, a young boy. Deputy Bill doesn’t like his job much and is constantly berated by his father. As the film rolls on, Bill gets chances to prove himself and grow as a character. I loved his character arc.
SPILL THE TEA, WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO WORK WITH LUKE GOSS AND LOUIS MANDYLOR?
We definitely had some characters on set, which made for a fun atmosphere. My co-star Luke Goss shared that he had been cast twice in lead roles by visionary director Guillermo del Toro without auditioning. Luke starred in both Hellboy 2 and Blade 2. Although I love the advice of “chat with the director to forgo the audition process”, it hasn’t worked for me yet!
Check it on Amazon Prime right now! It’s called ‘Legacy’ starring Luke Goss, Louis Mandylor, and me.
WHAT’S UP NEXT FOR YOU?
My fiancé Lizzie and I still need to pick a wedding date! We met on a short movie set so we’re always brainstorming new movie ideas to shoot together. I also have auditioned for some exciting studio movie roles in the past few months, so I feel that I’m due to book something amazing soon!
HOW CAN PEOPLE FOLLOW YOUR JOURNEY?
Yes! Yes, people can follow me on all the below!
IMDb: imdb.me/mattvalvardi
Instagram: @mattvalvardi
YouTube: youtube.com/c/MattValvardi
TikTok: @mattvalvardi
Facebook: facebook.com/matt.valvardi/
Website: www.mattvalvardi.com
