Meet Carlo Carere | Screenwriter, Actor, Novelist, Producer

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

Hi Carlo, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
All my life, I’ve worked long, hard hours.

Before becoming a screenwriter, novelist, and actor, I was a Captain in the Carabinieri, which is roughly the Italian equivalent of the FBI. That is a job that demands long hours and deliberate attention to the cases you’re working on.

Before that, I was in military and officers’ school. The rigor and discipline level must be high, or you get kicked out, basically.

All of this prepared me very well in many ways for the life of an artist. I am grateful to have the internal ability to wake up early, sit down and go to work on my projects, collaborate with a team, and spend hours soldiering on…

But then I got married and started watching my family get older. And I began to see that for my own mental health, and the health of my relationships, there was value in working a little less.

I decided to apply that same discipline to a work-life balance. It helped me create a new schedule for myself, including more time for meditation, time with my loved ones, and rest. And it’s actually given me more “life” to work with when it comes to my writing and acting!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m an Italian-born, Los Angeles-based actor, screenwriter and novelist.

I started life in a totally different field: law enforcement!

And then I switched to acting and writing.

A funny thing happened at that time. I left the Carabinieri (the Italian FBI, more or less) as a Captain. Well, then I auditioned for a series in Italy called “Don Matteo,” and they told me I looked too young to play a Captain! So I did book a series regular role on that show, but with a slightly lesser position than I had actually had in my previous life.

I’ve been lucky to get to work with some of my heroes: Terence Hill, Francis Ford Coppola. I most recently appeared on The Bold & The Beautiful… but one thing I’m proud of is a series I co-created and starred in alongside my wife, Erin. It’s a romantic-comedy/ spy action comedy, and it’s been traveling the film festival circuit since last July when it premiered at the LA Shorts International Film Festival, an Academy Awards/ Canadian Film Awards/ BAFTA qualifier. It’s zany and silly, and we’ve been blessed to win a number of awards, including “Best TV Pilot,” “Best Short,” “Best Actor” and “Best Actress” along the way. We have two festivals left!

My wife and I are also a screenwriting duo, and we’ve recently had different scripts be optioned and/or produced. Now we are about to produce our first feature together, and we’re so excited about it: it’s a limited location disaster thriller with great cast attached. Wish us luck!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are so many great spots in Los Angeles, but one of my favorites is a place called Plancha Tacos. They smoke their own meats right there in house, and the flavor is out of this world.

I grew up in Italy, and the “American Breakfast” of eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and pancakes was not something I ate as a kid. So once in a while, I love to go to Norm’s Diner for breakfast. I take my wife, very early on a Sunday, when it’s not yet busy and we can luxuriate in a nice long meal.

Then we take a long, looooong stroll, for all the obvious reasons.

I also love to support local theater. Not just because I sometimes perform on the stage myself, but because there are so many gems in Los Angeles. The Fringe Festival is something I like to check out every year.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to Shoutout to my representatives!

First there is my Talent Manager, Jonny Espinoza, and his business partner, Thomas Ybarra. They’re at Top Priority Talent and they are incredibly supportive. I’m truly grateful to be working with them!

Next, I am so thankful also to my agent, Susan Sherman of Ambassador Talent. I’ve been working with her for years and she’s always pushing me!

I feel lucky that my reps are not only great at the business side of entertainment, but are also good people I consider friends.

Website: https://carereentertainment.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlo.carere/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlo-carere-27454329/

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3670856/

Image Credits
1. Personal Photo by John Brantley Cole 2. Photo of me in the 1930s suit, from the set of “Distant Vision” directed by Francis Ford Coppola, standing next to my fellow actor, acting teacher and friend, James DiStefano 3. The photo of me in the audience at the reading of one of my books, “Incubo Radioattivo,” which one the Livatino Award, given to works of art that work toward battling organized crime. 4. Here I am, back in my Carabinieri days, with three fellow officers 5. A photo of me with my wife, Erin Carere, when we won the Catalina Film Festival Screenwriting Award for best screenplay 6. A photo of me and my wife Erin at the Italian Comedy Festival.