We had the pleasure of working with Actor-Director, Al LaFleur, as our reader for award winning screenplay, Petit a Petit by Jesse Thind, at the Studio City Library. His contribution to the project was an amazing performance, and we have the honor to interview this rising star:

What made you decide to become an Actor?

I grew up watching old mafia movies and westerns with my Dad, and I was always able to use film as an escape.  Since childhood, I have been doing theater and writing and acting in my own short films.  I’ve always been a dreamer and I’ve never wanted to do anything more than be an actor...so I have relentlessly pursued this path.

How do you feel about the entertainment industry now, as opposed to before, pertaining to ethnic and sexual diversity?

I feel that the atmosphere has improved to increase inclusion for more sexually and ethnically diverse actors; yet we still have a LONG way to go.  As a Syrian-Italian actor, I hope to be on the forefront of that push.

Are there upcoming projects you're working on? 

I am currently playing the lead role of THORNE in the Hollywood Fringe Festival Show “Yes. No. Maybe.” Tickets and show info can be found here: hollywoodfringe.org/projects/6096

The show runs until June 26.  Also, I have a feature film premiering this summer 2019 (“The Pipes”), which I also had a lead role in.


I have also been performing my original sketch piece “Mobsters of LA”, most recently at Flapper’s in Burbank.  It comically chronicles the journey of two Mobsters relocating from NY to LA, trying to find their niche and assimilate to LA culture.

What advice would you give aspiring Actors that hope to be in your shoes someday?

Create your own work!! The single greatest piece of advice I ever got was this: look around at all your friends who are actors.  In 2 years, half of them will have given up.  In 5 years, 75% will have thrown in the towel.  And in 10 years, you’ll be the only guy left.  Persistence, persistence, persistence!  And an insane amount of hard work.  If there is anything that you think you love more than acting, do that.  If you aren’t doing this for the love of the art, detached from results, you will be miserable.   But if you can’t imagine doing anything else besides this, journey forward relentlessly and resiliently and never look back.  One more thing—I just recently came across that resonates with me:  you must have the toughest skin to not take rejection personally but you must be vulnerable enough to bring the full range of human emotion to life through the characters you portray.


To learn more about Actor-Director, Al LaFleur, you may visit him on Sofy: