Meet Andy Magro | Polyglot Actor & Voice-Over Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andy Magro and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andy, why did you pursue a creative career?
This is a very easy question to answer as this comes directly from my heart: Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. I just love everything about this job. It´s not monotonous. You get the chance to learn new languages, new cultures, amazing new people and make lots of friends and colleagues. Every script has a new story, and this is just so awesome. New places, new characters, new roles, new colleagues, new expectations, new challenges. You always must start from scratch, and this makes me burn so much that I just must be on set. It´s my home, my family, my everything. I really admire people who work at the same company and have the same job for 40 years or more until they retire. But this isn´t me. I worked as almost everything at the beginning of my career and between projects, I had to work in supermarkets or fashion stores or production companies to survive. And even if I was so desperate and out of work as an actor, I still haven´t give up on my dream. Jack Dawson aka Leonardo Di Caprio once said: You don´t know what hand you´re gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you… to make each day count. So, I did. And being a polyglot has also given me a big inspiration and motivation to pursue this wonderful career as I loved the idea to use my language skills for various film markets and so I did. I can work within the Italian, Spanish, German and English-speaking film industry, and this is an enormous advantage. I am very grateful for my language skills, and I feel very lucky to have this advantage. This industry has so many different areas where you can work if you´re lucky enough. I work as an actor in feature films, tv series, tv movies, commercials and as a voice-over artist for radio, audio books, narration, commercials, and the beautiful niche of animation. Plus because of my language skills I have the possibility to dub myself in other languages I am a native of and that´s fantastic as this gives another power of realism and authenticity.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

What I do and what sets me apart from others:

Well… I am mainly an actor as I started to act a very long time ago. So, this is my biggest passion. I´m burning for this profession. I started to act in school plays and on stage and then transited to film and tv. A few years ago, I then gained experience also as a photo model and brand ambassador for various big international brands like HRS, Tommy Hilfiger, Superdry and The Body Shop through print and social media campaigns. Since then, I worked on feature films, tv-series, short films, commercials, and music videos. About ten years ago I started to write and sing my own original songs and released five of them so far on all digital stores like iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRadio, etc. And since covid, I was grateful to be versatile and being able to work in many different areas within the entertainment industry. This is why I took classes for becoming a voice-over artist and now I´m gratefully working within this beautiful industry. I am lucky enough to speak six languages as this is one of my biggest talents. I love learning new languages. My most notable performance was as ‘Jean Freud’ in the international feature film “A Dangerous Method” alongside Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender, and Viggo Mortensen. This was my entry door into the international acting world. I think my height sets me apart from others, plus my language skills (English, Italian, German, Spanish, French, Norwegian, Portuguese and Dutch). I am very short for a man, 5 feet 3 inches, so I think my Italian genes are responsible for this, LOL… I am very proud to have won over 26 film awards globally so far as this means that I am doing something right! An award gives you all the energy back that you lost while filming to always give great performances and making your character alive for all the upcoming projects. I love my job and can´t think of doing something else.

My challenges, lessons and what I´ve learned so far:

Oh, definitely not!!! In fact, if there is one thing I´ve learned during all these years is that you are never arrived. You always have something to learn, EVERYDAY!!! There have been lots of struggles and I thought about quitting lots of times to be honest as this industry can be very frustrating, challenging, disappointing and depressive. But not because of the job but because of the no’s you´ll hear most of the time. When I started and always got a NO from talent agents, casting directors, producers, directors, acting coaches after auditions, etc. I asked myself if I am a dog because the most mentioned word a dog hears is NO, LOL. But you know what?! After all these years, I am so grateful about all those no’s as they make you grow, they make you stand up when you fall. I realized that a no is nothing bad… It´s just a no for now. It´s a chance to grow as an artist. Another example I want to share with you is related to working permits. It’s very difficult to get an O-1B visa to be able to work in the United States as an actor. You can´t just go to Los Angeles, Atlanta or New York as a tourist and say: Hi, I am an actor and want to work. This may be possible in Europe, Australia, or the UK but not in the US. You must apply for a visa, and you want to make sure to have all working papers before you make the move to the states as you won´t find a talent agency which is willing or legally able to represent you without legal working papers. Luckily, I got this visa approved which is just overwhelming as this is another proof of my ability, talent, and expertise. Theoretically, I am American but unfortunately, I only have the Italian and German Citizenship. My sister is a US Citizen, my parents lived in New York for 10 years and most of my relatives are still living in New York. I worked very hard and persistent to get where I wanted to get. Now, here I am, in Lalaland, hoping to show my talent also to the awesome US people. If you are facing the right direction, all you must do is keep on walking.

My background story:

OK, let’s start from the beginning… Leonardo Di Caprio, Kate Winslet and James Cameron are in fact the reason why I am where I am. You are asking yourself why?! Well, Titanic was the first movie I have watched at the movies. I was very young when Titanic was released. I was so fascinated that I said to my parents that I wanted to do what they do. Since that magical day, I knew that I was born to be an actor. I never stopped working on my career. I wanted to learn the craft from scratch and therefore visited an acting conservatory in Germany to study the basics of stage acting and then moved to Australia to attend the Australian Film & TV Academy to learn all the film & tv skills. After that, I enrolled on several other acting schools all over Europe (Italy, UK) and finally got coached by many amazing acting coaches and acting studios like the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, the Michelle Danner Acting Studio, the Bernard Hiller Acting Studio, the Acting & Voices Studios, the Actors Connection Studios and currently I am enrolled on an on-going basis at the Charlotte Acting Studio and coached by the magnificent Linda Ann Watt.

During my career so far, I´ve learned so many things and still must learn so many more. I´ve learned Scene Study, Audition Technique, Cold Reading, Self-Tapes, Film & TV Camera Acting Intensives, attended various voice-over classes especially within the Animation and Video Game sector. That is the training section. Now let’s talk about my experience on set. I´ve started to act in numerous student and short films in Germany. A leading role in a music video from Inspectah Deck from the Wu Tang Clan followed which aired on MTV. This was my first appearance on tv. Commercials for Club Mate, Medien Campus Bayern and Volkswagen followed. Had a few Guest Star roles on German tv-series like Leipzig Homicide and Aktenzeichen XY. After that I wanted to work in other languages than German and so I worked on a Spanish short and an Italian short next to the Italian actor Tony Sperandeo. This was an awesome experience. But when I got the chance to audition for David Cronenberg for a supporting role next to Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender and Vincent Cassel, I was so nervous that I couldn´t believe it. I was living in Stuttgart, Germany during that time and the audition took place in Cologne, Germany. The distance is about 350 km or 217 miles. Self-Tapes were completely unknown during that time and so I had to travel at my expense to the audition for 10 minutes of a casting. This was the worst audition I made in my opinion, because I slated in German, but I should slate in English and everyone in the room laughed but you know what, this situation made me unnerved and very natural and comfortable. This was my first audition in English, and I was so nervous because three amazing Casting Directors were there just to see me. I, therefore, can´t thank them enough for the big chance they gave me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
OK, so these are my favorite spots when I am in LA and I woud recommend this itinerary:

Start at the marvellous Venice Beach and enjoy the beautiful weather and spend some time on the beach. Cow’s End Café is a great place to start with a breakfast. After Venice Beach, the next stop should be walking on the amazing Santa Monica Pier. I could spend a whole day just here. I love the Santa Monica vibes. I love Mexican food and a great place to have lunch would be Maria Sol. You could then visit the Getty Center or go window-shopping on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Walk or drive along the beautiful Sunset Boulevard to West Hollywood. You could walk over the Hollywood Walk of Fame and visit the Dolby Theater where the yearly Academy Awards Ceremony takes place. And I´d end the day at the Griffith Observatory where you can experience one of the most spectacular spots in town. The view from here is just mind blowing and especially around sunset. And for Dinner you should visit one of these awesome places: N10 Restaurant near the Beverly Center. Alessandro Del Piero who owns this restaurant is my idol as I am a fan of Juventus Turin since I am kid and I grew up with him watching every game. Or another great Italian restaurant is the Trastevere near the Dolby Theater. the Hard Rock Café if you like burgers and American Diner which is also located near the Dolby Theater and also here you´ll find the Wealthy which offers great Asian fast-food.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh of course! There are so many people who I owe a lot to and I want to thank them again as it is thanks to them that I am where I am now. So, a big thank you and an immense shoutout to you Iris Baumüller from Die Besetzer Casting and Marc Schötteldreier from MS Casting, Deirdre Bowen from Deirdre Bowen Casting, Cornelia Mareth & Maria Rölcke from CMR Casting and to Michela Forbicioni and her great assistant Greta Tantari from Shaila Rubin European Casting Service who were the first Casting Directors who really believed in me and my talent and started my wonderful career internationally. Please fellow colleagues, NEVER forget who started your career and believed in you in the first place. I hope to get the possibility to work again with these brilliant Casting Directors in the future. A big thank you also to the producer Jeremy Thomas and the whole production team at Recorded Picture Company for your trust and for giving me the chance to work next to one of my juvenile idols from Lord of the Rings, Viggo Mortensen, and Magneto from X-Men, Michael Fassbender. Working with them, even for a short period, was like working with superpowers. Thanks to the awesome David Cronenberg for choosing me as the eldest son of Sigmund Freud (played by Viggo Mortensen). A very tiny role but a big honor for me! Thanks also to all the Casting Directors who have cast me and all the producers who hired me so far. A big shoutout also to all my wonderful talent agents who first believed in me in the US and Italy, Jessica Felrice and Jason Sasportas from Stewart Talent Agency in New York, Ryan Brown and Paullette Ballola from ADR Agency in Honolulu, Patrizia de Santis from Agenzia Patrizia de Santis in Rome and my manager Gerard George from CSP Management in Los Angeles as without you guys, no auditions were possible. Thanks for all your hard work and efforts! Thanks also to all the wonderful people I had the honor to meet so far and from which I´ve learned a lot like various talent agents, casting directors, directors, producers, acting coaches, etc. like Tony Sperandeo (Italian actor), Gilla Pallmann from Carpe Stellas Casting, Christoph Klünker (director), Oren Schmuckler (director), Bettina Braun (director), Arne Feldhusen (director), Markenfilm Berlin (production company), Lago Film (production company), Tobias Krautstrunk from DBPS Casting, Linda Ann Watt from Academy of Acting in Atlanta, Stacy Gallo from Stacy Gallo Casting, Lisa Zambetti from Lisa Zambetti Casting, Donna McKenna from Donna McKenna Casting, Puck Schlaghecke & Chantal Kunst from Postoffice Voice Casting, Portia Scott from Coast to Coast Talent Agency, Josh Cohen from Paradigm Talent Agency, Pamela Goldman from Buchwald Talent Agency, Jed Abrahams from KMR Talent Agency, Sue Winik from SW Artists, Anthony Boyer from DDO Artists Agency, Jay Schachter from Stewart Talent Agency and so many more! Without all of you, all this would not be possible. And finally, thanks also to all my fans on social media and offline who are supporting me every day. And of course, thank you Shoutout LA Magazine for this interview. Los Angeles has already given me so much and I just love it. And the last but not least shoutout and thank you to my wonderful friend, colleague and awesome artist, Jaymes Butler, who I can´t thank enough for everything!!! You are such a wonderful person and talent! Thanks for all your help buddy.

Website: http://www.andymagro.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/realandymagro

Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/andymagro

Twitter: https://twitter.com/realandymagro

Facebook: https://facebook.com/andymagroofficial

Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/AndyMagro

Other: https://www.imdb.me/andymagro http://resumes.actorsaccess.com/andymagro https://app.castingnetworks.com/talent/public-profile/75e79fa8-0c22-11ee-9d56-8b33afe198de https://www.spotlight.com/profile/9652-6722-9378 https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/3bsgjnjz5IbDxPeeQEPkpd https://www.twitch.tv/thisisandymagro https://www.reverbnation.com/andymagro

Image Credits
Cam Harle Photography Klaudia Tot Photography