You may recognize [Peter Facinelli](https://instagram.com/peterfacinelli?igshid=50ftxqvjqnbk) for his role as Donovan "Van" Ray on the Fox series _Fastlane,_ or maybe as Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the _Twilight_ novel series, or maybe as Mike Dexter in 1998’s classic movie _Can’t Hardly Wait_. But beyond acting, Peter is so much more. Hailing from Queens, New York, the actor, producer, writer, and director by trade prides himself in telling stories. Not to mention, he’s also one who prides himself in being a family man which speaks volumes to his accolades to date.
With more than 25 years of experience in the film industry under his belt, the 47-year-old has since taken all the skillsets he’s acquired through acting and implemented them into being creative behind the camera. Most recently, he announced his newest project titled _The Unbreakable Boy_, based on a book that he optioned and brought to the screen via Kingdom Story Company and Lionsgate. Telling the story of a father’s love for his son who’s born with autism and a rare bone disease, Peter was profoundly moved by the script given his own sentiments as a father. Now he’s serving as producer to the film alongside Zach Levi and Patricia Heaton.
As one who always seems to have a project in the works, Peter has a new movie _THE RAVINE_ (opposite Eric Dane and Terri Polo) which premieres today, April 2nd, on Amazon Prime, followed by iTunes and GooglePlay. The film is based on a true story of a man who loses his grip with reality and commits a tragic crime.
_Flaunt_ caught up with Peter, at his home in Los Angeles. Read below as we discuss his roots in Queens, the turning point for his acting career, stepping into the director role, _THE RAVINE,_ his weight loss journey, spiritual wellness, his other projects, and pulling inspo from Paul Newman.
**You’re from Queens, New York, how does that play into your life and career?**
I grew up with Italian parents, so I was first generation American. I had a lot of tradition in my household; my mom’s a very good cook. My dad worked a lot, and had two jobs. He was a waiter so he was always in the restaurant business working. I saw him on Sundays because during the day when I woke up in the mornings, he was sleeping. He’d come home at 2 AM from work and when I came home, he was at work. My mom took care of the house, and took care of us. I lived with my grandmother and three sisters as well, so I was around a lot of feminine energy, which was interesting. I always tell my daughters: whoever you date, make sure they have sisters. They’ll be a lot more respectful towards women. \[laughs\]
**At what point did you realize you could act for a living?**
You know, I never thought I couldn’t do it for a living. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. I didn’t know how competitive or how hard it was.. I studied it in school and my only goal at the time was to get a paycheck for acting. I always thought if I could get a paycheck for acting, doing what I love… even if it takes me until I’m 70 years old, that’s my goal. Quite quickly after college, I got that first paycheck. I got job after job… I blink my eyes and it’s been 25 years. I never really thought about not being able to do it for a living, and I never really graduated from college either, because I kept booking acting jobs. I thought, “I’ll go back to school at some point.” Then I kept working so I never did. I think part of the success was because I didn’t have a backup plan, it was sink or swim.
**Highlights from shooting Twilight and _Can't Hardly Wait_? Both were monumental for your career.**
Twilight was very fast, it was 5 years of back to back filmmaking. I was shooting at the same time as _Nurse Jackie_, so I was really blessed to have two jobs I loved at the same time. It becomes one big blur though, because when you’re in the process of doing it, it’s hard to absorb it all. Not until much later did I look back and think, “oh, that was a pretty fantastic period of my life.” A career that’s about 25 years, you have ups and downs. I take it all with a grain of salt. I try to look for projects that I’m passionate about, then you hope that an audience shows up for them.
**You just directed your second feature called _THE VANISHED_, that you wrote as well. How’s that feel?**
It’s exciting because it did well: people found it on Netflix, found it on streaming. It was top 10 on streaming and top 10 on Netflix. It’s so rewarding to write something that people really respond to and like and watch.
**How has your work as an actor helped you step into the director role?**
I’ve always loved directing. I never got a chance to do it until recently—the last couple years. I’ve always worked closely with directors and other actors, I loved working with all other departments too. As an actor, you get to work with the wardrobe department, the camera department, you’re all collaborating together. Directing felt like a natural step for me because I’ve already had this collaboration with all these departments. Now as a director, I’m able to lead those departments then create the final say on things, which is nice.
**How was it bringing your new project, _The Unbreakable Boy_, to life?**
I read this story called _The Unbreakable Boy,_ such a beautiful story. Beautiful family story, beautiful father/son story. Beautiful story about an autistic son who teaches more to his dad than his dad could ever hope to teach his son about love and life. One of those feel-good stories that I really thought the world needed. I met the writer of the book, I optioned the book and was able to set that up with Lionsgate and produce it. We wrapped it, and I saw a cut of it and it’s really beautiful. I’m looking forward to having that film get out there in the public. The world needs good, inspiring stories right now.
**What does it mean to also co-star in the film?**
Zach Levi is the lead in it. I did a part in it for fun. I thought to be a part of something that I found and was able to shepherd was a treat for me. Working with Zach was great, and Drew Powell, the director. I love being on sets, so the fact I was able to be in the movie was the cream on top.
**What do you feel when you act?**
Every project’s a little different. I feel whatever the character’s feeling at the time. \[laughs\] As an actor, you use your body and your voice as an instrument to tell that story. As a writer, you create the world of that story. As a director, you get to really shape that story. As a producer, you get to find the story then put it all together. It’s hard because when people ask, “what do you do” I wish there was a better way to say what I do rather than writer, producer, director, actor because that’s a mouth full. I’m a storyteller, I like to tell stories.
**How do you plan to inspire others?**
This project in particular, _The Unbreakable Boy_ is very inspirational. People will leave feeling good and uplifted. In today’s world, we need more films like that. When I look at stories, I’m across the board very eclectic, kind of like my acting career. If you take the character from _Can’t Hardly Wait,_ Mike Dexter, you put that next to the character from _Twilight_, you put that next to the character from _Nurse Jackie_ and the myriad of other characters I’ve played, they’re all very different from each other. There’s a versatility I try to really explore.
Through all these characters, I explore different facets of myself. Through these different stories, I also get to explore different ideas, emotions, and relationships. I get to be able to explore that, then give it over to an audience. Not every story’s going to be uplifting as _The Unbreakable Boy. THE VANISHED_ is more of a psychological thriller. What I hope to do is take audiences on an emotional ride. They can escape their life for a little while and go on an emotional ride of whatever that story is or whatever those characters are going through. And entertain.
**“If you come out of quarantine unchanged: you didn’t lack time, you lacked discipline.” Talk about your health and wellness journey, and shedding 30 pounds. How do you feel?**
I feel great. It sneaks up on you, I didn’t realize I was overweight. I didn’t consider myself overweight. I felt heavier, I felt more tired. I wasn’t really conscious of what I was eating. Conscious eating is a big thing. I’d get hungry, eat some M&Ms or eat a burger. Those are all great in moderation; I’m not putting M&Ms down. I still treat myself to a bag of M&Ms once in a while for lunch. This time in quarantine really afforded me the time to make a change... since I couldn’t go out, I went in. I was able to explore more of myself and what works for me, what could make me healthier. I’m still 30 pounds lighter and I feel great. I feel healthier, stronger. I feel ready to get back to work and take on the world.
**Talk about spearheading a campaign for prostate cancer awareness, that’s amazing.**
I’m a big believer in giving back. It’s important, I try to find things that resonate with me. My dad had prostate cancer, my uncle had prostate cancer. I know it’s a topic that men don’t really talk about. It’s a little embarrassing to hang out with your friend and ask him if he had his prostate checked lately. \[laughs\] This campaign came along, I thought “here’s a campaign that I could use my voice to get more attention towards.” It’s so important for men to get their prostate checked and to stay ahead of it. It’s a cancer that’s definitely treatable. My dad’s still alive because he got in early, my uncle’s still alive because he got in early.
This campaign allowed me to spread the word, to bring awareness to it, to have men go and get their prostate checked early. How would we do that? What’s a good campaign for that? We teamed up with Nic Tailor, who’s an underwear company, and Prostate Cancer Foundation. It was a vulnerable topic. I’ll put myself in a vulnerable place, which is taking a picture in my underwear and I’ll ask men to also be vulnerable with me. A lot of people joined in on the campaign which was really wonderful to see. I wasn’t sure if people we’re going to. I got lots of support though, and it was really wonderful.
**Talk about being a big fan of Paul Newman, and crediting him as the actor as the inspiration for wanting to act.**
When I was 12 or 13, I saw a movie called _Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,_ Paul Newman and Robert Redford looked like they were having so much fun. I thought “I really want to do that. I want to have fun and have a job where I get to play.” Shortly after, I told my parents I wanted to be an actor and they laughed at me. That didn’t feel very good. They’re from Italy, we’re in New York. I knew nobody in the business so telling them I wanted to be an actor was like telling them I wanted to be an astronaut on Mars.
For years, I put it in my back pocket. I was very shy too as a kid. In college, I went to NYU and studied theater. I told my parents I was going to go into law, but I needed theatrical classes in order to be a good lawyer because you have to stand up in front of an audience when you’re a lawyer. They bought it, they believed me. The rest is history. Paul Newman, his career, the way he gave back to people, to causes, the way he treated his wife, it was really beautiful and inspiring all around. If I have any heroes of inspiration, Paul Newman always comes up.
**You’re actually certified in hypnotherapy as well, correct?**
I’ve always been fascinated with how the mind works and the subconscious. I’ve done hypnotherapy before when I was younger to help me get over shyness. It’d help me when I was acting. I wanted to learn it so I could do it on myself, and help my friends and family. I took a course in it, I got registered. I’m now a registered hypnotherapist. I could charge money if I wanted to, but I won’t. \[laughs\] I’ve helped family members and friends that ask, I also make tapes for myself sometimes. It helps me go to sleep at night.
**You have another movie coming out called _13 Minutes,_ what can we expect?**
_13 Minutes_ all takes place in Oklahoma. It’s about this tornado that rips through town and in 13 minutes, causes so much devastation and destruction. How people’s lives change in literally 13 minutes. You’re following a series of different families. Throughout the movie, I play a weatherman talking about this tornado coming. He realizes that the tornado’s going to hit his own home, so his wife and kids are in trouble. That should come out later this year. An interesting movie because other than _Twister_ which is the more Hollywood version of it, I haven’t really seen a gritty movie that shows the damage and how devastating an impact that leaves on people’s lives. As I was shooting down there, so many people told me they lost their homes multiple times, not once. It’s definitely a subject matter that could use more attention.
**What have you learned from behind the camera, as opposed to being in front of it?**
You know, they’re different jobs. When you’re directing, you’re the safety net for the actors. You’re also watching this frame, you’re watching everything that’s in it and making sure you’re getting all the footage you need to put this bigger picture together. When you’re an actor, you’re so narrow focused on that one character you’re playing. As a director, I’m in charge of all the characters, all the costumes, the visuals, the sound, the music. As an actor, it’s nerve-racking in the sense that you feel this weight is on your shoulders because you put all this pressure on this one character. What I learned mostly is there’s a bigger picture there, you don’t have to be so stressed and feel like the weight of the shoulders is on that one character. A good director has your back and you’re just a cog in the bigger wheel.
**Anything else you want to let the people know?**
I just signed up to do this ABC pilot with Eve called _Queens_, I’m going off to shoot that tomorrow…
Photography: [Ben Cope](http://www.bencope.net/)
Styling: [Kaylee Jackson](https://www.kayleejacksonstyle.com/)
Grooming: [Candice Birns](https://www.candicebirns.com/mens-grooming)
