Richard Brancatisano – Chasing Life

Q) What made you want to be a part of “Chasing Life?”

A) The message of the show is such an important thing when you are deciding what to work on. I think a show like this that really deals with a topic that is not widely talked about on TV that I think it is good that it deals with this head on and expresses a part of our culture that people go through all the time. So many people are effected by cancer today.

Q) What makes ABC Family such a good fit for the show?

A) I think it gives the network a lot of cred. It probably aims at a slightly different demographic than a lot of their material. It deals with it in a very balanced light. It’s not overly dramatic or sad at all. It’s very much about fighting for what you want, getting into the driver’s seat and taking responsibility for how your life is. It’s dealing with whatever challenges you have to face. I think it’s great. It’s good for people to watch on TV. I think it’s a show that I hope effects people positively, as opposed to relying on tricks, violence or nudity to get enough viewers. This show is based more in reality, which is where it gets its drama from. It’s not too far fetched. A lot of the drama and interest comes out of things that are extremely real and that a lot of our viewers will have dealt with in their lives. They’ll be able to relate to it.

Q) How does your character Dominic fit in to the storyline?

A) Dominic and April start having a romantic relationship in the pilot and in the same episode she gets diagnosed with Leukemia. What we see is how April deals with this diagnosis and how it effects all of her relationships with her mom, her sister, her friends and with Dominic. We see her struggle with how to tell him and if to tell him. She is unsure because this is such a new relationship how the news will effect him and the relationship. I think that is a really interesting journey. Obviously, it’s about respect, compassion and working through the situation together with each other’s feelings in mind.

Q) Italia Ricci has generated a lot of attention for the role. Do you think the early buzz can help or hurt the show?

A) I don’t have enough experience in the industry to know the right amount of buzz that a show needs. Hopefully, the show can live up to the buzz and go beyond it and shatter expectations in a great way. That would be the hope. We love the show. We think it’s great and can’t wait for the premiere. I think it’s good to get people out there talking about it. Hopefully, people will respond to it in a really good way.

Q) Was there anything about your role as Dominic that you added that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) I think the character was really well written, but it is also written in a way that where the actors can bring certain aspects of their own personalities and it’s really a combination that makes it a character. There are certain things you have to do to play the character in a way that the story needs to be told. There is also a lot of your own personality and mannerisms and terms of expression. There are also a lot of subtle things that you put in there, whether you like it or not and there are a lot of things that you can’t control that just happen to change the character. I think the writers see that and start to utilize that. Then, they start to write based on who you are as a person, as well. To their credit, they have created a fully dimensional character.

Q) The show has had many great directors come on for episodes. What was it like working with Norman Buckley?

A) Norman was fantastic! I loved working with all of the directors. They gave so many different perspectives on the characters. It was great going from one director to another because you get a totally different perspective on scenes and notes about your character and where they might be headed or them dealing with situations in scripts. Norman was no exception. I thought I was extremely comfortable with him and loved his overall vision of the whole script and how it fit together. It was a real pleasure working with him. He’s very talented. I’d love to rewatch his episode. I’m not even sure I’ve seen the episode he directed.

Q) Can we expect to see you live tweeting during the episodes?

A) Yeah, I’m slowly learning social media. I’m not the most savvy at it. I’m a bit of a novice when it comes to social media. I will definitely get into live tweeting and do my best to that stuff. Social media is amazing and it is really about fans getting in touch with people whose work they admire. I’d like to give back to the fans and it’s so much easier now. It’s so much easier to make meaningful contact with people who like your work now. It’s making that connection a lot more real. I think it’s really important.