Where the Road Runs Out Movie Still
Born in Cape Town, this New York actor, American Movie award winner & SAG nominee is one of South Africa’s most successful exports. Has been a steady product of independent, foreign features and critically acclaimed Arthouse films that have been distributed worldwide and highly lauded at Berlin, AFI, Palm Springs, Raindance, Montreal, Hong Kong, Goa, Buenos Aires, Melbourne, Moscow, Istanbul, Seattle, San Diego, Durban, Pan African, the Black Reel Awards and the American Movie Awards; where Stelio won best actor in 2015. Also known for a staple of well received recurring & guest star roles since 2005, & fifteen years of New York stage credits that include favorable reviews from the NY Times. Received strong critical reviews for his portrayal of real life mafia boss Joe ‘The Boss’ Masseria in AMC’s The Making Of The Mob: New York with Previously TV’s Sarah Bunting stating ‘Stelio is reminiscent of James Gandolfini, I liked a certain gravitas-emblance to the Fini that I saw in Stelio‘. His portrayal was also praised by The Examiner’s Diane Zoller Ciatto. Was also recognized by South African & British film critics for his portrayal of a ruthless policeman in the South African film A Million Colours, & for his role as a Jewish prisoner in Once We Were Slaves; winning Best Actor at the above mentioned prestigious American Movie Awards, the SOFIE Awards and a Gold Remi at Worldfest Houston.
Has worked with some of the most respected names in film, television and on stage. Being directed in projects by BAFTA, Cannes & Venice winner Peter Greenaway (Eisenstein In Guanajuato), Mark Duplass & Jay Duplass (Togetherness for HBO), Ivan Reitman in Twentieth Century Fox’s My Super Ex Girlfriend, Academy award winner Juan José Campanella (Law & Order SVU), Academy award nominee Joan Stein (Solidarity), Allen Coulter (Sopranos), Academy award winner Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind), Raindance Winner Rudolf Buitendach (Where The Road Runs Out), Broadway director & Tony & Drama Desk award winner Gregory Mosher (110 Stories), Drama Desk nominee Trip Cullman (Arabian Night) and the following projects produced by J.J. Abrams (Undercovers & Person Of Interest), Gavin Hood (Breakout Kings), Gavin Polone (My Super Ex Girlfriend), David Lancaster (Sony’s Starship Troopers 3: Marauder), David Chase (Sopranos), Dick Wolf (Law & Order: Criminal Intent), Andrew Carlberg (110 Stories), and Tony award winner Jennifer Maloney (110 Stories).
Also portraying roles directly opposite several Academy award winners & nominees including Matt Dillon in Jo, the Medicine Runner, Samuel L. Jackson in 110 Stories, Susan Sarandon in 110 Stories, Mira Sorvino in 110 Stories, Robert Forster in 110 Stories, Uma Thurman in My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Salma Hayek in Ugly Betty, Melissa Leo in 110 Stories, John Hawkes in 110 Stories, Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind, Kathleen Turner in 110 Stories, Ruby Dee in 110 Stories, Angela Lansbury in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Sally Kirkland in Awakened, & Marianne Jean-Baptiste in NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
Is also the long-time producer of 110 Stories by Sarah Tuft. Producing and performing productions for charity at The Geffen Playhouse, The Public Theatre, NYU Skirball, Ebony Rep and the William Alderson Studio Theater.
Having spent the majority of his adult life in New York (Manhattan & Queens), he is a student of acclaimed acting teachers Robert X Modica, William Alderson & Deborah Kampmeier. Recently named alongside Nelson Mandela & Charlize Theron on the South African Consulate of NY’s ‘Notable South Africans’ list and he has also featured on the cover of The Sunday Times, Tonight, The Weekend Argus and many other print and online publications. South African entertainment journalist Nikki Greenwall acknowledged him as one of the country’s top exports, Screen Africa magazine labeled him ‘the chameleon’, and he was listed in the Daily Mail & Guardian as a South African who is rising to the top of his field.
Was inducted into the Alpha Psi Omega honors society for his achievement in American collegiate theater at the University of West Alabama and in 2014 served on the actor’s panel of the San Diego Film Festival with Josh Duhamel, Tom Berenger and Dennis Haysbert, hosted by Variety and film critics Jeffrey Lyons and Ben Lyons. Is a board member of the River Street Theater Company, alongside Matthew Carnahan, Robert Carnegie, Jeff Goldblum, David Mamet, Jon Voight and his acting teacher William Alderson who serves as president. (Source: IMDB)
We had the pleasure to interview him, to discuss his latest projects.
Hi, Stelio! Congratulations on your continued success! We are excited to learn about your latest production, ‘Colors of Heaven.’ You play a ruthless policeman named Major Shawn Dixon. The film is based on a true story. Knowing this, we imagine playing Major Shawn Dixon was a challenge. Tell us about the experience.
Heading up the secret police for the Apartheid government, Major Shawn Dixon was a man with a sense of his own unimaginable power. The power to either let people live or kill them. Then go home to his wife at the end of the day or relax on his farm. And after in depth conversations with the director Peter, there was a strong sense of trust that allowed me to take chances with that power, and with the other actors playing my arch-rivals. I enjoyed playing Dixon. The most difficult part was being comfortable among the real former army group that was cast in the film. They were talking about how this reminded them of the good old days and it made me sick to my stomach. I’d go back to my hotel room and tear it up in the gym, sweating out the disgust. The film is now showing on Netflix. Here is our trailer:
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXQDIOncvKY”]
2017 is one amazing year for your career! We love it! Let’s talk ‘Odious.’ You play Eddie. The film takes on Los Angeles seedy underbelly of child sex trafficking. We know this film has an intense subject. How did you approach your role?
I, unfortunately, cannot discuss Odious as it is still in post-production. BUT I’d love to talk about the series MEDIA. Coming this summer. Produced by Cathy Hughes and Susan A. Banks, here is a synopsis of Media: Directed by Craig Ross, Jr., Media is described as a riveting story of a wealthy family battling the competitive challenges of keeping their status and position in the communications industry. Passion, intrigue and murder become a lethal recipe for powerful matriarch Jackie Jones and her children. Portrayed by Penny Johnson Jerald, Jackie is the founder of Jones Universal Media Properties, known as JUMP, the world’s premier urban media conglomerate. A family tragedy forces her son, prominent lead city attorney and prosecutor Michael Jones, played by Brian White, to abandon his political aspirations and take over the company, just as a ruthless rival challenges JUMP’s longtime domination of a lucrative industry. Michael is confronted by sins of the past, and the dangers of the present when Jabbar Randolph (played by Gary Dourdan), CEO of JUMP’s biggest competitor, is released from prison. Grabbing back the reigns from his brother, Will, played by Stephen Bishop, Jabbar embarks on a mission of revenge, betrayal and corporate intrigue.
I’m portraying Howard Boston; an imprisoned underworld power broker that has a long history with Michael Jones (Brian White) and uses that history and his contacts as leverage to work a deal playing the system that might have screwed him in the first place. Howard is highly intelligent, international and not your ‘run of the mill’ villain. I recently attended the NAACP Image Awards, with the rest of the cast, where our show was announced. It was an honor.
Here is the trailer for the premiere of Media, which was Feb 25, 2017:
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv7QPRuUuvw”]
Here is a clip of one of Stelio’s scenes from Media:
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4pzjOX2G30″]
On a lighter note, you’re starring in No Postage Necessary. You play Agent Ames. Tell us about the film.
Again as with Odious; this film has not been released so I cannot go into too many details. I’ll happily discuss Where the Road Runs Out recently released on Netflix or Media, a new series that starts this summer. Here is the Where the Road Runs Out trailer:
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRy6-sO_-4s”]
Where the Road Runs Out very recently won a Black Reel Award for Outstanding World Cinema. It is now showing on Netflix. We were the first film to ever shoot in Equatorial Guinea and also filmed in Durban, South Africa and in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. I play the role of Martin.
Here is a synopsis: Where the Road Runs Out follows a Rotterdam-based respected scientist and lecturer named George (played by Isaach De Bankolé) who has grown weary of the world of academia. The sudden death of an old friend, who has been running a field research station in Equatorial Guinea gives him the incentive he needs to turn his back on academia and return to his African roots. Arriving in Equatorial Guinea, he finds the field station in a state of disrepair. Through a local boy named Jimi, his jaded eyes are opened to the possibilities of life there. Jimi also introduces him to Corina (Juliet Landau) who runs the local orphanage, as a tentative but heartfelt romance begins. With the unexpected arrival of George’s old friend Martin (Stelio Savante), George discovers there are many obstacles on the road to redemption . . . and many more where the road runs out.
We’re just so excited! Where The Road Runs Out sounds like a great story! We will check it out on Netflix. With so many productions releasing in 2017/2018, is there a role you would love to play that you haven’t, yet?
I haven’t thought about it yet, I don’t really think in those terms.
You’re best known for your critically lauded portrayal of gangster Joe ‘The Boss’ Masseria in AMC’s TV mini-series The Making of the Mob: New York, your ensemble lead character ‘Bull Brittles’ in Sony’s Starship Troopers, your recurring role as ‘Steve’ in ABC’s Ugly Betty, your role as French art thief ‘Stefan’ in Disney’s Suite Life On Deck (the Life of Zach & Cody). You also played different ethnicities, such as being casted as a South African, American, Russian, Italian American, Bosnian/Serbian, Greek, German, French, Rhodesian, and Ecuadorian, to name a few. With such diverse roles, where do you draw your experiences from?
I’ve lived on several different continents, in many countries, in several different states. That allows one to assimilate into a wide variety of cultures, and understand how people live life differently, how they perceive life, how they celebrate it, what they live for, what their struggles and their passions are. My father immigrated to South Africa and I immigrated to the States and I’ve traveled extensively because of my roles, and I speak several languages, so honestly….sometimes I feel like I’m cheating because I copy several people I’ve met on my journey. I copy their behavior, their mannerisms, I understand their thought process after studying it and use all of these wonderful nuances in my own work, and I use it more specifically for some roles than others.
You have an upcoming role, where you will be next seen opposite Matt Dillon and Jim Caviezel in Jo, the Medicine Runner (a period drama directed and written by David L. Cunningham). Could you share any details?
Jo, The Medicine Runner is set in the Kona coffee belt of Hawai‘i 1920’s plantation era. It’s an epic, adventure filled story that also has romance, friendship and a strong sense of hope. I’m playing the role of Mayor, a Portuguese plantation foreman and have several scenes opposite Matt Dillon and Jim Caviezel, who I’m working with for the second time (Person of Interest). Directed by the brilliant David L. Cunningham, who I loved collaborating with. What a stand-up guy! The film will be released later this year.
Do you have a special project you’re working on that you can share?
I recently finished producing and performing 110 Stories by Sarah Tuft (The 9.11 Play), to commemorate the 15th anniversary. My iconic acting teacher, William Alderson, directed the play, and I performed it with several friends in the cast. Mira Sorvino, Diane Venora, Nicki Micheaux, Mark Pellegrino, Christopher Backus, Robert Forster, Sal Masakela, and others. We raised money for the nonprofit River Street Theater Company, as I’m on the board with some great folks, like David Mamet, Jeff Goldblum, Jon Voight, etc., and William Alderson is the president. I’m leaving for Colombia soon, to shoot one week on an exciting new series for History Channel, and the new series Media is coming this summer. Our premiere, a few weeks ago, was very warmly received and we trended #1 on Twitter.
Have you considered directing a film?
Nooooo, ha. Peace of mind is hard enough to come by as an actor. I have so much I still need to accomplish as an actor that directing is not in the equation. But I do write quite a lot and have several projects in development at this point. I enjoy collaborating with friends, and Brian White and I are producing three films together, also currently in development.
When you look back on your career, use one word to describe it best.
That’s for someone else to decide, I’m not good at writing my own obituary here.
Connect with Stelio:
Website: http://www.stelio-savante.com/
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0767445/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/steliosavante
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steliosavante/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steliosavante/
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