Richard Brancatisano Dishes About Life on "Chasing Life!"
"Chasing Life" Star, Richard Brancatisano Fills us in on His Character, Music, And Other Current Projects!
Australian import, Richard Brancatisano can be seen Monday nights at 9:00pm on the ABC Family network. He plays “Dominic” on the popular drama series “Chasing Life.” The ground-breaking show follows cancer patient “April Carver” on an unexpected journey when the beautiful newspaper writer is diagnosed with the potential deadly disease early in her twenties.
“Dominic” started out as a co-worker of April’s but then transitioned into a boyfriend, before becoming one-third of a love triangle involving another cancer patient named Leo. The second season of the series has had its fair share of high and lows.
As we approach the fall season finale of “Chasing Life,” Richard took time to field questions from reporters about how art is imitating real life on “Chasing,” how he feels about his character development and other projects coming up for the talented actor/musician.
Part I
Q. How Did You Singing on the Last Episode Come About?
A. That’s a good question. Well, it came about pretty organically. I think from the start, throughout the first season we all hung out and we get to know each other pretty well, and it had come up in conversation, and we had had a couple of karaoke nights here and there. People knew that that’s what I was doing and I did quite a lot of live gigs and played live music back in Sydney.
So, it was something they were always aware of. I guess by the second season they just thought it would be good idea to implement it and include it as part of Dominic’s character, considering he’s a music journalist and there’s always been a guitar or two hanging around the apartment, so it was always something that could fit quite fluently into the story and to his character.
Italia had often suggested it because we sometimes play around off set, or pick up the guitar on set, and I think Italia was pushing for it for a bit. One day they just came down and said, 'Oh, by the way, you’re singing in three episodes.' And I was thinking, 'Oh, cool' and they told me what song I’d be playing and singing.
It happened to be a song that I really liked and I think it suited my voice and my range, which is always nice to feel comfortable singing and you can understand the sentiment behind it, and tell the story. So, that was really awesome to have that kind of a song.
I also loved the way it was implemented into the actual scene, how Dominic gets up on a whim and just plays, and there’s that moment between him and April. So, I’m really stoked that it became part of the episode.
Q. Do you hope Dominic’s music is a storyline that will continue?
A. Absolutely, yes! I would love for it to continue! I think there’s a lot of room for it to grow. I love music, I always have, it’s my first love, and so any time they want to include music in Dominic’s character and get more of him playing and singing, I’m totally up for it.
Q. What has been your favorite episode to film?
A. I would honestly probably have to say the party bus episode, it was a lot of fun! Whenever we’re all hanging around together it’s always a good time. Sometimes it can be a little segmented with our storylines all revolving around April, which is great, and I love her, but it’s a special day when we all get to hang out together, and the party bus was one of those days. It was a fun script, and a fun storyline with the banter between Leo and Dominic. That was a good time [laughs].
A couple other scenes I really enjoyed were the fight scene with Leo, hanging out at the bar there and then the guitar and the song in the last episode was really nice. The whole camp, the setup where it was and the whole day there was beautiful, and they lit it so well so it had such a good vibe. It was really something.
Q. What was it like filming the fight scene between Dominic and Leo?
A. It’s always fun whenever you get to do any action, and something physical like that, it’s always a good day on the set getting a stunt coordinator involved and us working out how we can make those couple of punches look real and have the impact that they deserve. I’ve done a few shows in the past with some fighting in them, but I haven’t done anything like that for a while, so it was good to get back into it. I really enjoy that kind of stuff.
I actually think on one of my upper cuts where I punch him in the stomach it’s really hard not to flinch. It’s okay the first time you do it, but I had it easy because he was punching me in the face, which meant he couldn’t punch me in the face, because obviously he’s not going to punch me in the face for real [laughs].
So, we fake it. He punched his landing, well not landing but it’s missing me by two inches or so, and then I’m hitting a table and the glass, which is fake glass, so that’s all fine for me. But to him I had to punch him in the gut, and when you do a stomach punch you generally make light contact. You punch and then you flick the stomach, and so there is contact there and he had to pretend like it wasn’t happening every time.
If you know someone’s going to do a full on punch in your gut, it’s really hard not to flinch, even just a little bit. On one of the takes, his left hand moved a little bit in front of his stomach, as it would, and my hand hit that. So, I punched his hand but I punched really hard. Because I wasn’t making a proper fist, since I didn’t want to actually punch him with a fist, I was going to flick his stomach a bit to make a noise just for a little bit of impact, but my finger was out and my finger got caught on his hand. So I ended up punching him and I was like, “Ow.” He was the one who was meant to feel it, and I’m going, “Oh, my pinky hurts.” [Laughs].
Q. How much filming you guys get to do in and around Boston?
A.Every maybe 10—13 episodes we head out to Boston for a week. So, in the first season we were in Boston twice, and this last season, Season 2, we were in Boston once. Each of those times was about a week, we go and we stay around the north end, which is a little away from more towards the city, as we did last time. We just eat a whole bunch of good Italian food, and lots of oysters and seafood, and have a blast shooting there, meeting the locals, and working with the local crew.
Boston’s such a character in the show, and it really contextualizes where it’s set, and the vibe and the energy. To get to shoot there actually on location is a big deal for us, and we feel very blessed.
Q. Can you tell me a little bit about your upcoming project Alex and Eve and what drew you to the project?
A. Alex and Eve is a feature that I shot in Australia last year. It’s going to be released, October 14th and premieres on October 22nd. It was a great project and was so fun. I was in hiatus on Chasing Life and when the script came across and I read it, I found myself laughing out loud as I was reading it.
The themes in the script were universal, but also very relevant right now, being about two people that fall in love but they have different traditions, different family beliefs, in particular their religious beliefs. The story’s really about generations moving past and moving forward, and trying to allow love to win, and allow love to be the deciding factor of whether two people should be together, and not traditions, past beliefs, and these ideas that we have about other people that we just don’t know are true.
It’s a Romeo and Juliet in a way, but in certain ways more relevant to now being between two different families of different religions. It’s done in a very funny way, which is always a great way to bring up sometimes touchy subjects. That’s what comedians do, and that’s why this script was so good. It was a blast to shoot back in Australia as well.
Q. Do you think Dominic’s feelings for April will change the dynamic of their friendship that they’re starting to build up again?
A. Yes, I think it will, because with Leo dying he really had to become a friend again to April. He had to put his feelings on the back burner and put her feelings first, and her loss first. That has really changed how he feels, if he does think there’s a chance with April that’s totally changed the game for him now. He’s playing on a different field with different rules.
As we see him and April really getting along now, I don’t think that’s stopping his feelings for April at all; it’s only making him fall in love more with her. However, he’s in this place where there’s guilt, and it’s not fair game anymore. Before he was punching Leo and fighting over the girl, and it was all fair game. But now he’s gone, and I think this is a new experience for him. It’s probably a new experience for a lot of people.
It’s interesting watching his struggle and in the next two episodes you see how he deals with it, whether he stays and speaks the truth, or he tries to run or leave because he thinks that’s the best thing for April. Maybe not for himself, but he has to take one for the team because he knows it’s too hard for her to move on at the moment, and it’s too soon, and she can’t make a decision. He doesn’t want to force that, or put April in a crappy position because she’s already going through enough.
Q. Do you think there’s been more of a character development within Dom in season 2 compared to season 1?
A. I enjoy both character developments. I think in Season 1 we saw Dominic and April really blossom in the first seven episodes, and get along, and were just starting to get into a really tight romantic relationship, when obviously the whole point of Season 1 was how cancer changed her life and how one minute everything was normal, and the next everything changes because of this diagnosis. We saw a very realistic portrayal of her relationship ending and her relationship veering to the worst side.
With Leo we saw cancer bringing people together, and with Dominic and April we saw cancer pulling people apart. I think the writers did a really good job of showing a realistic way of how this can impact a relationship.
I think Dom grew up a lot in the first season and learned to look at her actions from a different perspective and not take things so personally. The second season is very much about Dom making his own life and deciding whether or not to now come back and chase after the girl that he loves. He’s healed. She’s healed. So what happens now?
Q. Is there any character on the show that you’d like to see Dominic have more scenes with that you haven’t got a chance to work with as much as you’d like?
A. That’s a really good question. Uncle George.
Dominic’s never really hung out with Uncle George. Dave is hilarious and we always brush past each other on set and say hello and stuff, but I’ve never really got to work with him, but I love his work. He’s also an absolute scoundrel on set and making everyone laugh and I really like that about him. I’m very much like that on set; having a good time and enjoying myself. I don’t know how, but, I’d love to see more of Dom and Uncle George.
Q. Will we see more of Dom and Danny hanging out?
A. Oh, I hope so. Abhi and I are really tight outside of work. He was literally just over here just before the call started [laughs]. I told him, "You have to leave now because I’ve got to make a phone call,” and he’s like, “Yes, dude, I’ll just sit here.” But I couldn’t concentrate if he was just sitting here. He was literally just over putting down a self tape. We help each other out. We do auditions all the time and just hang out on a regular basis.
I think the script writers see that and when there’s an energy and a vibe between two people I think they love to write it in and to utilize that. That’s probably what happened with me and Abhi. We got to bro out a lot in this season, which was heaps of fun, working on set with each other when you’re such good mates. It’s always a good time.
Q.With some mixed fan reactions of Dom still in love with April and wanting her back, what’s your opinion?
A. It’s interesting the world of TV, like timelines are skewed a bit and you’ve got to make time go a little bit quicker, so I can understand. In real life, I’ve never been in this situation, but I would imagine it would take a long time to get over the death of your husband. I think a lot of people loved Leo, I loved Leo, and that just makes it even more important that she grieves him properly and doesn’t move on too quick.
I also think Dominic really respects that, and he doesn’t want to be the one making a move. He gets it. You’re going to see in these next two episodes, he doesn’t want April to know he still has these feelings for her because he doesn’t want to put her in that situation where she feels weird. These next two episodes really explore this dynamic between them. I think the writers do a really good job of answering that question in the last two episodes, and bringing it to an end that I think the fans will like.
Be sure to check out Richard and the rest of the great cast in "Chasing Life" on ABC Family Mondays at 9:00PM.
For more on Chasing Life, visit http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/chasing-life
Follow Richard on Twitter: http://Twitter.com/RichardBrancat