Mean Girls at The Working Actor

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The Working Actor Sits Down With: Daniel Franzese

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Daniel plays with Todd during a break from our interview.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle ice cream??

DANIEL TALKS ABOUT THE WORST THING EVER ASKED OF HIM AT A DAY JOB:

Watch the video to find out what happened.

Age: 32

Daniel is originally from Brooklyn, NY via Ft. Lauderdale, FL. He has lived in LA for 6 years.

YOU KNOW HIM FROM: Mean Girls, Party Monster, Bully, War of the Worlds, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “The Comeback.”

UPCOMING: “Party Down” on June 18^th, I Spit On Your Grave.

WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU DIDN’T NEED A DAY JOB ANYMORE: “I was bouncing, so it was probably right before or just after Mean Girls. I remember the feeling, it was like ‘this is it. I did it. I’m a working actor, I don’t need a day job anymore.’ Instead of just getting a $200 check and buying something, I was able to pay for my rent, utilities, and health insurance. I was making it just by the skin of my teeth, but I was making it. That was enough for me.”

HE MIGHT HAVE SERVED YOU AT: an Italian food store as a bag boy, Whole Foods, Morgan Stanley as a mover, a club in NYC as a bouncer, Blockbuster Video, and at a pet store,“I quit after one day when they asked me to touch dog shit.”

WHY LA OVER NYC: “I don’t think it was ever a decision of LA over NY. It’s like comparing apples and avocados. I like to eat them both, I just happen to eat avocados more. I love NY; it’s awesome, but LA has so much more film going on. The energy of the art form is just so strong and prominent over the city. It feels good to me.”

HOW DID YOU MAKE THE DECISION TO MOVE TO LA: “I waited until I booked a studio film. I was making a lot of indies and I knew how the measure of respect worked in Hollywood. Resumes or schooling weren’t going to help, it was gonna be ‘what have you done for me lately.’ I understood the energy of the business. I just wanted to wait until I had a serious momentum and then come to LA so more doors would be open when I arrived.”

INTERESTING STORY FROM A DAY JOB: “I was working as a mover for Morgan Stanley at the Rockefeller Center offices. One day I was asked to go down to the World Trade Center to help move 90 computers into a basement. It was the week before 9/11/01. The following week I had to come in and pack up the offices of the people who spontaneously left. All the calendars still said September 11th. There were cups of coffee with half eaten moldy donuts next to them. We were responsible for packing up the offices and taking everything out. We were wearing masks, and I was watching everything at ground zero from executive offices. These were the buildings that surrounded the twin towers. It was surreal, I saw these Brinks trucks load out all this gold.”

HOW DID YOU LAND YOUR ROLE IN MEAN GIRLS: “ I was brought in for a call back. I sat in the lobby and just pretended to BE Damien. When I arrived, Tina Fey and Mark Waters (the director) were debating what shirt Amanda Seyfried should wear for her audition. She had a tan shirt and a maroon shirt. I chimed in, ‘ummmmmmm, I’d go with the merlot.’ Tina and Mark just laughed and said ‘ok, let’s go with the merlot.’ When I walked into the audition Tina and Mark said ‘Oh, it’s you! We like you! We thought you just worked here. Come in.’ I thought my audition went well, but I didn’t hear anything. A month later my manager got a call saying they were flying me to the table read, but I didn’t have the part yet. A lot of people thought I looked too old. I was 26 when I played 16. Chevy Chase was on my plane to LA. I was about to go to dinner with Lorne Michaels. It felt very serendipitous. I got to the table read and was super nervous. I knew the part wasn’t mine yet and there were all these executives there. I just needed to be the character, I had no other choice. I’ve been to table readings where actors aren’t trying to give a performance. I had to perform as if the cameras were on. I went crazy, I just went all the way into it. I made Lorne Michaels spit water out when he was laughing. I could have just died right then, but I still didn’t have the part. They made me wait 4 more days and then I finally got the call telling me the part was mine. I had to fly to Toronto right away, I showed up with nothing more than all the shorts I brought to LA.”

ADVICE FOR ACTORS: “I’ve always felt like fame, success, and money are like playing with a balloon. You hit the balloon up, and sometimes if you get a good job you hit it really high up. When the balloon comes down again you have to keep tapping it up. As soon as you put your hands down and rest, it hits the floor. It’s like you constantly have to keep the momentum bouncing up and thinking of things that can keep it up in the air. Some people do it with scandalous things. There are tons of people who release a sex tape or do something crazy at a club. Those things push the balloon up, but those are lead balloons and they fall much faster. When you do something positive, that balloon stays up for longer. Working as an art curator, for me, is exactly that example. I’m providing a venue for people to come and have a party. I’m inspiring the creation of art, making people smile and indirectly beautifying peoples’ homes. But at the same time, it’s google hits for me. It’s reminding people about movies I did. That’s the best kind of way to lift the balloon. It’s like putting helium in it. When you earn certain things, it hovers more than it sinks.”

Danny didn’t go on a commercial audition for 8 years after this incident.

Watch the video to find out what happened.

Check out some art form Daniel’s wall

Wall detail

Harold Hunter skateboard from depARTed. A show Danny curated dedicated to Brad Renfro after he passed. The show was based on notable people who died before there time. © 2008 Chase Tafoya. A gift from the artist. Danny met Harold when Steven Klein shot them for the cover of FACE magazine.

“Always was a pleasure to see him party hopping around NYC he was a nice guy. Sad he passed. Say no to drugs.”