Creator Spotlight with Actor and Director Gabriel Tufano Jr.
This week, we’d like to introduce you to award-winning actor and director Gabriel Tufano Jr. He got his start in the entertainment business at a young age getting auditions for Coca-Cola commercials and modeling for Hanes. Gabriel’s been a part of hundreds of productions as an actor and also behind the camera. He’s currently the lead actor in a feature film called The Cries coming out this year in 2025. After you read his spotlight blog, be sure to follow him on Instagram and Facebook.
What was the inspiration behind becoming a creator? What do you enjoy most a bout the creative process?
I was introduced at a young age to the entertainment business. I’ve always had an instinct for being an artist and creative person. Creativity has always been a strong suit of mine, and having watched countless movies, I just felt like acting became my calling in life. Completely fascinated! Though acting can be a very grueling process, I enjoy every second of all the blood, sweat, and tears. What a joy it is to be able to sit down, think, research, study, and soul search to bring a character to life and see that character you have created. Nothing is more enjoyable and rewarding than seeing other people connect with your character.
Can you talk through your creative process? How long does it take? Does everything you produce make money?
I have a handful of different ways of approaching each project. It just depends on the project. In most cases, I want to know as much information about the project as possible, including the overall goal. Then I get into more specifics of the character I will be playing. I want to know everything about them, such as their purpose, what they are like, their motivations, their problems, how they fit into the story, and their specific goals, just to name a few. When I receive all of this information, I can then fully commit and bring my life experiences and my view of the character to the role. The timetable for how long it takes depends on how much time I am given before a shoot begins. Sometimes you’re not given much time, others you have more time. So I do the best I can with the timeframe given. I give it my all, with countless sleepless nights. No, not everything I work on produces money.
What do you think is the biggest misconception about your line of work?
That’s a good question. One of the biggest misconceptions as an actor is the focus of memorization of lines. It is not the number one priority. There’s a handful of other things that should be focused on first before memorizing lines. And that goes into what I said before. Knowing more about the goals, the project and character. You can’t properly breathe life into the lines before you know what the project is and who the character is.
What do you do when you encounter someone stealing something you’ve invested your intellect, time, and money into?
I contact my entertainment lawyer. I always keep track of stuff. There’s a whole business side to being an actor that people overlook, don’t understand, or are unaware. Having a team that protects you and will take legal action in case of theft.
What is the best piece of advice that you would give other creators in your field about copyright and how to protect themselves?
I would seek out attorneys that specialize in protecting actors and, at the very least, have a conversation with them. I would also suggest having consultations with multiple attorneys after doing your own research. I know it takes time and possibly money but it could be a very good investment. For example, gaining control over how one’s performances are used, ensuring fair compensation is paid for those performances (as well as preventing others from unauthorized reproduction or distribution of films, videos, or other media) are essential.
Always read contracts entirely, especially the fine print. There’s many keywords that are in contracts that are often overlooked, so you must understand it all. You can never be too protected so the bigger the arsenal the safer you will be.
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