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Interview with Marco De Ornella

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Q and A with Marco De Ornella who was nominated for Best Actor Award for the fashion film “The Midnight Trip”, the film was also nominated for the best Director Award at London Fashion Film Festival 2019.

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself?

A. I was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. I grew up playing soccer till my semi-pro days, but after a fallout with the sport I found myself in the theater. Was through acting that I started my love story with performing and storytelling arts.

Since I was eighteen, I have been studying and learning various techniques to expand my being and my creative artistic abilities.

I am a man who is passionate about life, who loves to travel and explore, connect and co-create with other artists and who thoroughly enjoys the daily pursuit of self-mastery. I have a personal ethos in life that is - “Live Fully”, “Love Deeply”, “Impact Wildly”. 

I believe in being a versatile artist, ready to be of service to the story at hand and passionate about doing it with excellence. I guess it’s safe to say that that drive comes from my sports and mixed martial arts background.

I am the founder of “Lobo Entertainment”, a film and creative production company & the “Mana Warrior Method” a wellness and fitness brand, both based in Miami, Florida. As an entrepreneur and high-performance coach my work is to push the boundaries of self-limiting thoughts and habits, and guide people towards their innate physical, mental and spiritual abilities to awaken their true self. Through the lenses of “Lobo Entertainment” we make purpose driven content with the mission to uplift the human spirit through meaningful storytelling, and through the “Mana Warrior” I teach my philosophy on self-enlightenment through mindful practices, movement and mixed martial arts that aims to harmonize the body, mind and soul.

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Q. How and when did you become interested in acting?

A. Acting came into my life like a lightning bolt when I was eighteen years old in Brazil and enlightened me forever. Back than I was a semi-pro soccer player and martial artist, but I had no clue of what I wanted my life to be. So after immersing myself for 9 months, learning about my innate talents and what made me happy and connected in life, I finally found the artist in me. All started through my best friend’s grandfather, Ezequias Marques, who was a renowned actor in his time. It was during a conversation with him about his life as an artist that sparked my soul on fire. That spark led me to a journey of self-discovery, and after a lot of work I woke up to my purpose in life, and since than I have been learning how to become the best version of myself both in front and behind the cameras, learning how to contribute to the world of performing and storytelling arts.

Q. Why acting in a fashion film?

A. As an actor I love acting on fashion films because of the freedom that comes with it. It is the perfect “alchemy” between acting and modeling. The realm within fashion films is so diverse that actors and models become one, and we have the opportunity to really expand our creative instrument while telling a story through fashion.

 

Q. Why did they choose you for this role?

A. It was a mutual decision between me and the directors. When I wrote this story, I thought of myself for the character, but the final decision came collectively after we agreed that I did fit the vision of the film. I am thankful that it did.

Q. How is this character like you? Different?

A. The man in “The Midnight Trip” is a representation of the men in search for his path, his purpose in life. It is a symbol of the epic journey of the masculine connecting to its origin, in this case represented by the character of the father.

With every story that I write there is a piece of me in it because I believe that art happens when we reveal our soul through our work. I can relate to my character on his journey diving into self to find his true nature. I think we all can in different ways since this is the story of a man who is looking for his purpose, and ultimately, we all have to go through this journey of self-discovery in our lifetime.

 

Q. What’s challenging about bringing this script to life?

A. As an independent producer and filmmaker, finding the financial resource to sustain a production of any level is one of the greatest challenges when bringing an idea to life. From budgeting to casting a project I do it without any limiting beliefs, and it is a very intuitive process. This was an international production, a reflection of Lobo’s globally diverse team of creators, which adds to the challenge. From flying the directors from London, or the make-up artist from Berlin, to casting a legitimate wolf and a native American man to be the main characters of the film, all those challenges are actually very exciting to me. I stay grounded in the knowing that with great challenges also come great rewards.

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Q. What will the audience be thinking about in the car as they drive home after this show?

A. I hope it will inspire people to think about their journey in life and how authentically are they living. This film is a call to us all to embrace and honor our origins, our elders and our history, to remember that our story is our greatest gift to the world.

Q. Do you have friends acting in movies as well and do you sense competition amongst you. What do you think of their movies/ acting?

A. I believe that the only real competition is with myself. I come from an athletic and martial artist background that got me the mindset of teamwork and positive competition. Filmmaking is the result of the collaboration of creators who team up to bring a story to life that is bigger them the team.

Q. Do you like to act in another fashion film? What sort of films do you like to act in?

A. I started my storytelling career on stage as an actor in Brazil, so to work as an actor on a film is always such an exciting experience. It brings me back home instantly. There is a type of freedom that it comes with acting on fashion films. Yes, I would love to act on a Boss or Austin Martin fashion film based on James Bond. Wouldn’t that be exciting.

B. As an actor I look for films that I feel genuinely connected to. Scripts that expand my mind and makes me feel present. I love all genre, from comedy to drama, or documentary to sci-fi, I enjoy films and productions that gives me that familiar chill that I know that it will be a good opportunity to grow and learn more about the human spirit. As a mixed martial artist, I also feel home with action/adventure films, so to be on a feature action film with Marvel or DC... now that is a thrill.

Q. What advice do you have for aspiring young actors?

A. For acting and really in all aspects of life, my advice is to show up for yourself and your dreams every day and always do your best in absolute everything you do. Create a sustainable practice that keeps your body, mind and soul connected and ready to create. Live life fully and frontally, and no matter what you do or what happens to you, never quit on yourself. Stay fully present and available to live the life as an artist. So, live the now with passion, novelty and curiosity for the very essence of the actor’s art lives within the life experience itself.