Renato Vettore
He played in Stephen Baxter‘s Dollar Baby Rest Stop as Ben.
SKSM: Could you start with telling me a little bit about yourself? Who are you and what do you do?
Renato Vettore: Hello everyone. My name is Renato Vettore. I am an ACTRA union actor as well as a vocalist of many styles of music. Occasionally, when not working in front of the camera, I sometimes work behind the scenes, working in the Sound Department, and recently the Transportation department. I am Canadian/Italian of heritage and speak Italian fluently as well. I love my dark coffee and going to the cinema, theatre, & museums.
SKSM: When did you know you wanted to become an actor?
Renato Vettore: I think I’ve always been a performer, just didn’t know it. My first time performing was on stage in a junior grade school presentation, where I played the role of a doctor. My imagination has been vivid as a child and I think it’s still present to this day. I’ve always been a dreamer of sorts, fantasizing playing different characters, different scenarios. Being an actor gives me the permission to play-out these moments & thoughts.
SKSM: How did you become involved in Rest Stop Dollar Baby film?
Renato Vettore: A dear actor friend Penelope saw the post on Facebook originally. She felt that the role was appropriate for my look and branding.
SKSM: What do you think it is about the story that attracts people so much?
Renato Vettore: Personally, I would say that the story is multifaceted. The characters all have their worlds of realities and fantasies. The John Dykstra character, played by actor Eric Davis, is a character we can all relate to at one of more times in our lives. We work at our jobs, but a lot of us dream of being someone else, doing something dangerous, exciting, maybe even go to dark side. Carrie’s character, played by Kayla Henry, is a fun quirky girl, who believes she can be a writer of these fantasy stories. She adores, Dykstra’s written word, and see’s him as her mentor.
People are attracted to this story, because it paints fantasy with reality, which is what everyone can relate to.
SKSM: Did you have to audition for the part or was it written directly for you?
Renato Vettore: Yes, I did have to audition for the role. I was sent the dialogue, after which I submitted my audition. After a few weeks I received contact from the Rest Stop film production and was informed I had been selected for the role of Ben. The film was shot and in Montreal Quebec, Canada.
SKSM: You worked with Stephen Baxter on this film, how was that?
Renato Vettore: Stephen was a very focused and professional director. He made me feel comfortable during the whole time he directed my scenes. Stephen allowed me to play my Ben character as I envisioned him, but still fine tuning my performance to what you see in the film.
SKSM: Was there any funny or special moment when they made the movie that you would like to tell me about?
Renato Vettore: The only funny moment that I recall, although it wasn’t funny at the time. I had driven from out of town, and was running a bit late for my onset call time. Fortunately, I located a parking garage not far from the shoot location. There was no lower level parking so I had to go to the top of the parking garage, floor #6. With wardrobe bags in hand I proceeded to the Down Elevator, where I noticed a sign saying ‘Out Of Order’. I had to slug my way down the hot stairwell finally reaching the bottom, to realize that I had left my car keys on top of the roof of my car. I had to walk back up the steamy stairwell with wardrobe in hand, grab my keys, go back down the burning hot stairwell, and down the street to the shoot location, where I was met with 2 more flights of stairs which lead to the room where my scenes were filmed.
SKSM: Do you still have any contact with the crew/cast from that time? If so with who?
Renato Vettore: I keep contact with Eric Davis & Stephen Baxter & Chris MacCabe (Boris)
I hope to work with these wonderful creative artists again in the future.
SKSM: What are you working on nowadays?
Renato Vettore: I recently, was acting in a new comedy TV series called “CELLING” which will be pitched to the CBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for production. I also do occasional background work on local MOW (Movies Of The Week). It is currently Pilot season and hopefully my agent is will find me the perfect role to audition for.
SKSM: Are you a fan of Stephen King’s work?
Renato Vettore: I can’t really say that I know a lot of his work, but what I have seen in film certainly makes me a dedicated fan, especially, after working on the Rest Stop story.
SKSM: What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
Renato Vettore: Here’s a good one, when I was a teen, I worked in a carnival. On a serious note, if you look at my IMDB page, you will see that my vocals were used in Abbey Road Studio sound mix for the film Bohemian Rhapsody. Readers, please take the time to visit my page. Just search Renato Vettore. I would appreciate that.
SKSM: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there anything you want to say to the fans that read this interview?
Renato Vettore: I hope you enjoyed my few words, and hope to be interviewed again for even bigger films. Thank you for taking the interest & wanting to know more about me and how my brain works. LOL.
SKSM: Do you like to add anything else?
Renato Vettore: Since I was unable to attend the premiere of the film I would like to formally congratulate all the actors, crew, and all those involved in the Rest Stop film production. A special thank you to Stephen Baxter, and screenplay writer Amy Holloran.
