Elvis Nolasco is a widely acclaimed, award-winning actor and producer best known for his roles in MGM+’s NAACP Image Award-winning crime drama, “The Godfather of Harlem,” and ABC’s Primetime Emmy Award-winning anthology series, “American Crime.”
Nolasco’s acting has been applauded by nationally recognized film institutions, including the Critics’ Choice Association’s Critics Choice Television Awards, the International Press Academy’s Satellite Awards, and esteemed festivals, including the IndieFEST Film Awards.
His latest production work includes the 2022 short fantasy film, “Ro & the Stardust,” which received noteworthy awards during the 2022 DTLA Film Festival and the Philadelphia Film Festival. In 2018, Nolasco successfully made his directorial debut at the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) in Los Angeles for his short film, “Time 2 Surrender,” which he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in. The film was purchased in 2019 by Fox Soul TV.
Nolasco, born and raised in New York City and of Dominican descent, can also be seen starring in bilingual films, including HBO Max’s 2021 crime drama “Sinaliento.”
Nolasco took a few minutes from his busy schedule to chat with JoLa Films Founder and New York Trend’s Film and Theater Contributing Editor, Tonya Thomas.
Tonya: Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me. You have been acting for quite some time now?
Nolasco: Yeah, it’s been a journey and a good number of years. [Those years] include The Black Box Theatre, working as an extra, all the casting calls, and standing in lines that wrap around a New York City block with your picture and resume in your hand. The very first project of notoriety that I worked on was “I Like It Like That,” and that was in 1993. With the casting of great actors, it was a groundbreaking piece. Jon Seda and Rita Moreno were amazing and now Jon Seda is on “La Brea.” The casting director, Meg Simon, did a great job getting us together.
Tonya: You have been in some of my all-time favorite movies. You are so talented. I have seen you play interesting, multilayered characters, which enable you to show great depth and emotion. And, now you are working on the “The Godfather of Harlem,” and you are playing Nat Pettigrew, Bumpy Johnson’s best friend and right-hand man.
Nolasco: Yes, and yes, that’s correct –“The Godfather of Harlem.” Nat Pettigrew was a real-life person, just like Bumpy Johnson, and Nat was close friends with Bumpy Johnson, played by Forest Whittaker. Not only were they close friends, but in the underworld, Nat was one of Bumpy’s right-hand men and [critical to his business] operations until his untimely death in 1968.
We started [taping the first season] in 2018, and this show intertwines the underworld with [what was happening during] the civil rights movement. I think the reason for that was to [avoid] portraying Bumpy Johnson in just one light — to show [the myriad of sides and relationships that he possessed].
Bumpy Johnson was even closely connected to famous politicians and activists like Adam Clayton Powell and Malcolm X. It’s an interesting series and I think one reason it is the very talented writers, directors, and producers.
We [recently] had a screening in Harlem for the people of Harlem and the theater was packed! It was not a press [event]. It was something that Bumpy would have wanted because Bumpy was [community-oriented]. Bumpy supported a lot of people in his community. [He even] put some people through college. There were two things people at the screening [kept saying], “Man that cast! Man, that writing.”
Tonya: It’s an all-star cast with you, Forest Whitaker, Giancarlo Espisito, Vincent D’Onofrio, Paul Sorvino, even Jazmine Sullivan, and more. How has it been working on this show with these great actors?
Nolasco: Yes, it’s just an amazing ensemble cast. If you look at our IMDBs and trajectories, you’ll see that [we] either have a strong theater background [or have been] involved in the industry for a good number of years. [Plus], we have such amazing writers who are able to write for [a lot of different] characters. It takes a great team of writers and producers, etc. [to deliver a great show].
Tonya: How do you or did you prepare for this kind of role? Did you research the role?
Nolasco: That’s a good question. Early on [in my education], especially while studying at Freedom Theater School of Performing Arts in Philadelphia, PA, with the late Johnny Allen and Walter Dallas, I learned I still do habitually, a character bio. I like to start on the character bio once I read the script. I keep a specific notepad for this. Remember when I mentioned the movie, I Like It Like That? I actually still have Tito’s character bio that I wrote back in 1992. I like to start by writing what I see to be the character or how I interpret the character. [Sometimes I give the character a life beyond what I’m reading in the script. I give him a home, I give him a neighborhood, I give him a family, and relationships with different family members. These are things that I create myself; whether it gets used, it’s good preparation for me because I start believing and living it. And then, with Nat Pettigrew, I went online and found one picture of him of him. This show is based on a real story, but the characters are developed. So, we take some creative license. The real Nat Pettigrew would not be [wearing] a press and curl, but it was an idea that I brought to Barbara Roman, in the hair department, and the show producers, and [they thought it was] perfect because the show is based in the ’60s.”
Tonya: How has it been working on this show and playing Nat Pettigrew?
Nolasco: It’s been great! It’s been a journey of patience, perseverance, and passion. [Bumpy is the type of] character that has a place in this world, and I understood that from the very beginning. As we continue to move forward, we see how my character [evolves], and in certain episodes, you’re able to get a sense of his behaviors and personality. I’m surrounded by such an amazing ensemble. Even Whoopi Goldberg joined the cast and it’s the perfect character for her – she is Bumpy’s accountant. I feel that it’s an amazing production to be a part of. I [also got the opportunity] to shadow the show’s director, Joe Chappelle who has directed incredible works. That was a blessing. He is talented, and experienced and works fast and fluidly. I’ve been able to grow and enjoy this journey while playing Nat Pettigrew.
Tonya: Have you had any role models during your career?
Nolasco: Yes, [there are] several folks that I’ve been watching for a while or have been hearing or reading about. But I have a mother who continues to show me strength, tenacity, and courage. I have a mother who came to this country at an early age and raised three boys by herself on a factory salary and she continues to surprise me. She surprised me in a big way two years ago when a film that I produced called, Ro & the Stardust, which is now Oscar-qualified.
We couldn’t find an elderly 80-year-old woman to play the grandmother/scientist who creates a rocketship because her days are numbered due to having a terminal illness–Cancer. Eunice Levis, the writer/director/producer of the film saw a picture of my mother and [asked me], “Do you think your mother would want to do this?” [I told her that] my mother had never acted nor been in front of a camera but proceeded to ask my mother if she wanted to do it. And now, here she is, at the age of 75 in a short film that is Oscar-qualified. So, what better mentor [could I have]? My mother taught me that acting is when you’re not acting. She impressed everybody on the set and everyone who watches the film. “Ro & the Stardust” just got accepted to the Pan-African Film Festival.
Tonya: Can you tell me something about Nat Pettigrew that the viewing audience doesn’t know? Again, we know he was Bumpy’s best friend. Is there something interesting that you learned about this character?
Nolasco: What I’ve learned about Nat Pettigrew is that – being the youngest of that group of three – he is a quiet person who is constantly absorbing information. I am learning that he is positioning himself to grow and to get to the next level of [business]. You see his hairstyle, his way of dressing, and [that he is someone who] is very loyal and who has the willingness to correct and learn from his mistakes.
Tonya: I am going to shift gears a little and ask you a question I’m curious about. I heard you were a dancer. Are you still a dancer?
Nolasco: Ahhh, yes, I am still a dancer and I think I am going to be a dancer forever — as long as my body can move. I began dancing at a very early age. My family is from the Dominican Republic and although we’ve been in New York since the early ’60s, we’ve always kept the tradition of listening to Latin music in my family’s household. I grew up with aunts and uncles who loved to Salsa and do the Hustle throughout the ’70s and ’80s and I was influenced by watching my uncles dance masterfully [and] I wanted to emulate them.
I began to dance early on; my mom [loved to watch her] little boy dance. Whenever she was upset, I would dance for her, to make her happy. I segued into breakdancing, which helped to open a lot of doors for me. One of my very first [performances] was a musical called “Lobos” where I was cast as part of the ensemble and part of the group that were break-dancers. The breakdancing I learned on the streets of New York led to theater work, which eventually led me to a career that I enjoy [to this day]. So, I am grateful [to] the streets and I’m grateful for the hip-hop generation; as I like to say, I’m a B-Boy for life.
Tonya: What would you like to say to young people coming up, that would like to become actors?
Nolasco: That’s a good question. Whether it’s acting or any other profession, I always talk about the Three Ps: Passion, Patience, and Perseverance.
If you look at the journey of a lot of actors, whether you’re talking about Samuel L. Jackson…don’t realize what it took to get there. I would say, if your passion is strong and that light is really lit, then you gotta continue the course and be patient. My high school acting teacher Robert Stonebridge saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself at the time. I remember him asking me after he gave me the play “The Rainmaker,” and asked me to play Bill Starbuck. I remember him asking, “Elvis, do you want to be an actor, or do you want to be famous?” I was very young, but for some reason, I immediately said that I wanted to be an actor. And his immediate response was, “Well then you’re going to be okay.”
I’d like to say, be genuine and find ways and the means to create your own. You are the most unique person and there’s no one like you, and the journey of wanting to be in front of the camera and wanting to be on stage, I think creating your own work and finding the ways and means to tell your own story, [is important]. Pick up a pen and paper and figure out how to write a play, a short, or a screenplay and create your own work. We have all these YouTubers and influencers that are doing [just that] through their platforms. I will always go back to the Three Ps.
Tonya: Thank you so much for answering all my questions, and for your time. Is there anything else you want to share with me about your incredible journey?
Nolasco: I’d just like to add that there’s a lot of momentum around some of my work, including one short called “InVade” that I collaborated on with Eunice Levis. It is getting a lot of interest from different platforms and different people. InVade is a television series where an undocumented scientist and his son try to stop an environmental disaster. We already have “Bible,” but as a stand-alone short film getting a lot of attention. And as I mentioned, “Ro & the Stardust” is also another short that is getting a lot of traction, so as a producer, writer, and director, I want to continue creating content and producing. [I’ve also got] a lot of small things here and there. I have this project with Hulu called “Killing County” that is airing on the 26th of January and is produced by Colin Kaepernick’s media company, RA Vision.
The docuseries deals with injustices and unlawful killings of people. I’m happy to be part of that and I’ll be acting in the production — portraying one of the [characters] in a reenactment of one of the individuals who was wrongfully killed.
In 2023, viewers can see Nolasco playing Nat Pettigrew in Season 3 of “The Godfather of Harlem,” which aired on January 15th , and Jorge Ramirez, a Bakersfield, CA, man who was wrongfully killed during a 2013 officer-involved shooting, in ABC News Studios’ new docuseries, “Killing County,” set to air Feb. 3rd.