The  Con  Artist 

Many professors in the Television, Film, & Media department as well as the Theater Arts department at Cal State LA have connections with many successful alumni in the entertainment industry, ranging from film producers to actors. One of these professors happens to be Stephen Rothman who teaches a Theater Arts acting for film class where he occasionally invites former students of his to speak to his current class of their experiences and to give Rothman’s current students advice when entering the entertainment industry.

On Wednesday, May 11th Rothman introduced Tony Cavalero, a former student of Rothman’s from 2006 to 2007 and Cal State LA alumni, who currently stars in the television adaptation of the famous film School of Rock on Nickelodeon as Dewey Finn, a substitute teacher that educates students how to appreciate and perform Rock ‘N’ Roll. Prior to reaching stardom, Cavalero had appeared in two productions that Rothman directed as well as other work with Cal State LA’s faculty in class and on our very own stages on campus.

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Cavalero begins to digress to Rothman’s class that he started out at Virginia Military Institute where he received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in History prior to attending Cal State LA and being accepted into The Groundlings, a prestigious theatre and school where he learned improv. He adds that it was not that easy getting his name out in the industry as it is in modern with so many social media outlets.

“Do your own thing” says Cavalero, “Write a show, perform, get it going yourself” when telling students that if they or a friend they know are not getting any luck with auditions. He explains that this is a good start for aspiring actors and people trying to get their foot in the door of the entertainment industry because there are so many websites and apps, such as YouTube, Instagram, and Vine, that expose their talent virally to audiences all over the world. You never know who is watching your videos online with many agents scouting out talent for shows. Cavalero started working for commercials that went viral on YouTube where his talent was exposed and admired through positive comments on the video. His success with those viral videos had motivated him to create his own YouTube channel and gained many followers for his collaborative work on the videos while he was working at The Groundlings.

“It was so intense” says Cavalero, “But I loved it. I thrived at it. I just loved creating material, thinking of crazy ideas.”

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He explains his experience when working on The Sunday Company at The Groundlings where the members create a new sketch and perform an improv show every week. It was three months in at the Groundlings during a sketch where a major casting director for a show noticed him.

“I just want to let you know that the casting director for Saturday Night Live was at the show on Sunday” says one of theater managers at The Groundlings to Cavalero, “And she asked for your information after the show”. It was at that moment when his acting career really kicked off when he auditioned for Saturday Night Live and was asked to audition for 22 pilot episodes.  He also appeared in various popular television shows, such as Hart of Dixie, 2 Broke Girls, The DUFF, and New Girl to name a few. But it took him a while to star in these well-known Television shows.

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“The thing about this industry is it’s gonna beat the crap out of you” says Cavalero, “But it’s whoever can stay for the long run”

The journey has been a humbling and learning experience for Tony Cavalero because he began his career from the bottom and has built it up from being an extra to being the lead role on a TV show. He wishes that someone showed him the ropes of the industry prior to moving to California; someone to push him to do stuff that he likes and help him improve on some of his weaknesses. He has learned the ropes of how the entertainment industry works and has come to share these experiences with acting students to explain some of the things that they should expect when looking for work. He adds some affirmations for the students when they are looking for work and observing others.

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“Compare and Despair” says Cavalero, “Don’t compare your career track to anybody else’s because it doesn’t make any sense”

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This article can be found on Cal State LA's University Times