Star Trek's Antonio Elias
By: Matt Anayas |
Wednesday May 06, 2009 |
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He might not be a household name yet, but Antonio Elias is working hard. Being cast as Officer Pitts in the latest Star Trek movie is a step in the right direction, just Don't Ask Him to spill any details. |
| Antonio Elias is one of the most up and coming Latino actors in entertainment today. After working on various network television episodes including, ABC's In Justice, Vanished on FOX, The Game on the CW Network, Moonlight for CBS, and Private Practice on ABC, Elias will be making his feature film debut with the supporting role of "Officer Pitts" in Paramount Picture's Star Trek. Raised in Boca Raton, Florida and a natural actor Elias describes his childhood memories of acting: “I loved movies and I would memorize every line and try to act them out with my family and friends. Sometimes, I would even act them out by myself! It really didn’t matter, as long as I was acting.” Antonio’s parents didn’t push him into acting, he did that himself, but they did guide him along. By the age of eight, his mother enrolled him in a theatre camp and by the age of ten Antonio earned his SAG card. He moved to Los Angeles soon after he turned 21 and landed multiple network TV gigs. Now, 26 years old, Elias landed his first major supporting role in Star Trek. In 2010, Antonio will be starring in his first leading role in the feature film “Spoken Word.” To get the role of Officer Pitts, Elias ironically caught a break. As Antonio tried out for various network TV roles, he impressed April Webster, a casting director on the ABC pilot A House Divided. Impressed her so much he did, she likened him for the Officer Pitts role. Antonio says, "playing Officer Pitts was definitely a cool thing, he is responsible for a lot - keeping the captain informed on everything that is going on, no matter how good or how bad. If the captain has a question, my character had better have an answer!" May 8th is the biggest day of Antonio’s career as it is the release date for Star Trek. "Films like Star Trek are the kind of projects that inspired me to be an actor in the first place. Everything about filming that project was amazing, the sets were unbelievable, and everyone was so passionate about it. The experience was great and working with J.J. Abrams is incredible,” says Elias. You say, you loved movies as a child and would memorize every line and act them out, what were your favorite movies as a child? As a child some of my favorites were the original Indiana Jones Trilogy, Ghostbuser 1&2, the original Star Wars Trilogy, Jaws, E.T.. I was also raised watching a lot of old Hollywood classics. My mother loves dancing, so I used to watch a lot of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies with her because she owned almost all of them, Cary Grant films, Jimmy Stewart. I've seen a good amount of the real classics. Who were your acting influences? That's a good question. I guess I have a few. I'd say my number one would be Harrison Ford. He was always my favorite actor growing up. I have an appreciation for a lot of actors. Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Gregory Peck, Jimmy Stewart. The list goes on and on. Any co-stars or directors that have influenced you? I have learned a lot from everyone I've worked with really. And not just by asking for advice. I try and observe as much as possible, and spend as much time as I can on set just watching the actors, directors, etc. When I worked with Dylan McDermott on the pilot A House Divided for ABC he told me to "just enjoy the journey. Everyone remembers the beginning and the end but just try and really enjoy the journey." So I do. I take each day as it comes and give thanks for everything be it good or bad because its all part of the journey. Your parents guided you along your acting career as a child by enrolling you in theatre camp and getting you into acting at an early age, how big was their influence on your career? They really gave me the strength and inspiration to keep going for it. When I started acting they saw how much I loved it so they supported me in every way. My mother was not a "stage mom" by any means. She just saw that acting was what I wanted so she pushed me to succeed no matter what. My entire family supported me that way and they still do to this day. There was never any question like "Are you sure this is what you want?" It was always "Great! Now have fun and never give up." You are an avid supporter of breast cancer awareness, what drove you to become such a supporter of breast cancer awareness and various breast cancer charities? Breast cancer is prevalent in my family. My grandmother died of it, my cousin died a few years ago after a long battle with it, and my mother is a two-time breast cancer survivor. I don't mean that it went into remission the first time and then came back I mean she got breast cancer two separate times so it definitely runs in the family. It hits close to home. You’ve worked on a bunch of projects, what has been your favorite so far? It's a close race to be honest but I would have to say Star Trek. It was just so cool! The size of it, the detail that went into everything on the sets, the energy that everyone involved had about the film. It's a huge movie. What director has been the most fun to work with? They have all been great but I had more laughs on set working with J.J. Abrams. The guy is funny. You can see how much fun he's having and it's infectious. He really set the tone for everyone else on set. He works with a lot of the same crew all the time so they all have this great relationship with each other and it's great watching how they all interact. Plus, he's just a genuinely nice guy, I would love to work with him again.  JJ Abrams or Victor Nunez? Who helped you grow more as an actor?They both helped me grow in different ways. Victor Nunez helped me explore and discover the different aspects of my character in Spoken Word and helped me flesh out my character's relationships with his family. J.J. Abrams helped me find a lot of the real human moments underneath all the "sci-fi techo" dialogue. It's easy to look at a script for a sci-fi film and say "wow, that's a lot of complex techno talk" but there are real human feelings and emotions going on underneath that we can all relate to I think, and that needs to come across. I knew that going in to filming, but he really helped me discover more. Which one of your earlier roles in, ABC's In Justice, Vanished on FOX, The Game on the CW Network, Moonlight for CBS, and Private Practice on ABC was the most important for your career growth? With each project I grow a little more. ABC's In Justice was my first role out in Los Angeles, and it was my first role in front of a camera other than commercials, so I learned a lot about being on set and how everything works. Then next project I filmed was the pilot for ABC A House Divided. I definitely learned a lot on that. That was a big pilot and I had a series regular role, so there was a lot of pressure for me to do things well and learn how situations like that work. Star Trek was my first feature film so I learned a lot about filming a movie and what goes into it, working on that project... especially since it is a movie of that size. I got a crash course really. But with every role comes more experience and more growth as an actor so I really believe each one is another step in my career growth. If there was a role, which role prepared you for the Officer Pitts role? My roles on ABC's A House Divided and CBS's Ghost Whisperer were both military characters, so it helped me get in the mindset of that type of character and how that person would carry themselves. You say, “Films like Star Trek are the kind of projects that inspired me to be an actor,” why was Star Trek such a great experience? And was it the best acting experience for you? It was incredible. Aside from it being my first film, it was just a huge project. Everything about it was cool. The amount of detail on the sets alone is unbelievable. Big epic films like that are the type that people love going to the movies to see and what inspired me to act in the first place, so to be able to be a part of one was an unforgettable experience. Everyone involved was excited about it. It's huge. You say you want to work on screenplays and producing, what made you want to work behind the scenes? The thought of being able to create your projects is great. I have a real appreciation for how much goes into a project from beginning to end and I would love to explore that one day. I'm definitely not ready for that yet, but it's something I really want to do. I have a few ideas of my own that I would love to make a reality and it's exciting to know thats possible. Hard work but possible. You are one of the most up and coming Latino actors in the industry today, talk about what your heritage means to you? Do you feel you have been typecast in the past? It's very flattering that anyone would refer to me as that. I'm very proud of my heritage. I'm proud of being a Cuban-American. I think one of the ideas I have for a screenplay would make Cubans everywhere very happy. Its something I've been wanting to do. There are so many talented artists from all different cultures that are getting recognized these days and I think that's really important. I don't think I've been typecast at all. I've always gone out for all different kinds of roles which is great. Why the Thomas Jefferson quotes on your Facebook? No specific reason really. I love history so every now and then I like posting quotes from historical figures. Haven't done it in a while though. How familiar with Star Trek were you before you landed the role? I had never seen much of the original series but I had seen all the films growing up as well as some episodes of The Next Generation so I knew the characters and some of the relationships. When I booked the role I went back and brushed up a bit though and watched all the original films. What made you interested in playing Officer Pitts? Being a part of such an amazing project like this was enough really. It was a lot of fun to film. When you see my character there are some really cool things going on in the film. I can't reveal anything quite yet, but to be a part of that was really exciting. How excited were you to land your first feature film role? You have no idea. I'm still excited. What makes this Star Trek different than the past films? I'm sworn to secrecy, so I can't say much. I think the fans will be pleasantly surprised. What made you right for the role of Officer Pitts? Honestly I just tried to give the best audition I could and left the rest to the powers that be and I'm forever grateful for the opportunity and to those who felt I was right for it. Casting director April Webster picked you for a role on an ABC pilot and then picked you for Officer Pitts. You must have really impressed her, what is your relationship with April Webster like? Is she supportive? I love April and I'm extremely grateful to her for the opportunities she has given me. She's great. I've auditioned for a few different projects for her and I feel really comfortable. On the other hand, I also put a little more pressure on myself when I go into her office because I want to nail it. If I don't, I give myself a little bit more of a hard time. She is very supportive. She always has such positive feedback and its a huge compliment just to be able to keep getting auditions with her. I really have a lot of respect and appreciation for her and always will. Was Officer Pitts your favorite role? If so why? If not which role was your favorite to play? It's definitely up there. The whole experience of filming it and being a part of that project was incredible. It was just so much fun. That's all I can say really. Describe the Star Trek experience. One word. Awesome! Was it your best experience filming a movie? Hands down. Although, Spoken Word was great too. I got to film on location in Santa Fe, New Mexico for a month which was really exciting. I also got to work with such talented actors like Ruben Blades, Monique Curnen, Miguel Sandoval, and Kuno Becker. They were both great experiences, but I like to think my best is still to come. Star Trek was probably the biggest film/tv show/anything you have ever worked on, did it feel like it? Did you get the feature film star treatment? Yeah, big time. In a good way though. Everything about it felt huge and there is a lot riding on the success of this film I think. A lot of fans are looking forward to it but if the people involved like J.J. Abrams or the writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman felt the pressure they didn't show it. Everyone looked like they were having the time of their lives. Describe the feeling when they said you got the role. Words can't describe it. I got the call on the same night that my episode of Ghost Whisperer was going to air and my mother was in town visiting that weekend too. The timing was perfect. I'm still feeling the affects of it. I really wish I could put it into words but I can't. It was just incredible in every way. Do you feel this is the role that will help your career the most? I think every role has helped me along the way really, but I hope this will open some new doors and help me get some more wonderful opportunities. I'm just truly grateful to have been a part of this film and wouldn't trade it for the world.
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