17 February,2009 06:27 AM IST | | Bhairavi Jhaveri
At 23, model-actor Lavrenti Lopes couldn't be happier jammed with 16 other people in a subway car. The Mumbai-bred boy tells Bhairavi Jhaveri how he bagged the role for international project, SubHysteria
Born and raised in Mumbai, Lavrenti decided to enrol himself at the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute, and moved to New York at 21. He has been living in NYC for two years and is often recognised as the "Yes-No" guy from the TATA Trueroots commercial. During Obama's race for presidency, he was selected to be in a pseudo boyband called Boybama. The music video was aired and written about extensively.
Lavrenti has appeared in TV commercials including Microsoft, Axe Deodorants, Flair Pens and Zip Car, and recently, became part of an international project, SubHysteria.
When did you realise you could act?
I think I was 8 or 9 when I did my first play. It was at a community level, but that's when I knew that this is what I loved doing. Professionally though, I started acting and modelling at 20. I have no fancy story about being spotted or discovered; I just knew this is what I wanted to do, decided to train for it, and went for auditions.
Tell us about that first audition.
It was in New York for a print ad for Axe Deodorants. I walked in to the room, they took a polaroid of me, and that was it. I didn't expect anything to emerge. The next day they called to tell me I booked the job. I was shocked, rather than thrilled. I kept wondering if they had mixed up my picture with someone else's.
How did you bag SubHysteria?
I read a casting notice for SubHysteria in a trade newspaper at a time when there were hardly any auditions for Indian actors in New York. I looked at the film synopsis, and realised that although there was no Indian character in the film, one of them could well be one. Maybe if they liked my audition, they'd consider me for future projects. So I walked in to the audition for a role that I didn't suit. The producers and director ended up liking it, and decided to adapt the character and make him Indian.
Who is making the film?
The film is produced by Egg 7 films and EO Agency, and is directed by Leonard Zelig.
What is SubHysteria about?
It's about 16 people stuck in a subway car in New York, without communication, food, a way to escape, and a fatal sensation that no one will survive. It's a raw display of human behaviour, because they are confronted with the possibility of death. The director had a theatrical approach to the project, thanks to his stage background. We went through intensive rehearsals before we actually got on set.
It's based on improvisation. Even during rehearsals, all we knew was the character we were playing, and were kept far away from knowing any other character. It was like getting onto a train, like you really would on a given day, and sitting around strangers.
What made you fit the role?
The audition was nothing like the usual. For starters, it was a cattle call. They wanted to see as many people as they could to make sure the best got selected. I auditioned with 15 other actors at one time, while other groups of 16 waited outside. We were given the scenario of the movie "16 passengers stuck in a subway car for 36 hours", and were asked to play it out. There was chaos in that room since everyone wanted to be in the spotlight. I was least concerned about impressing the director. I just lived the moment.
Mumbai VS New York. Comment.
Mumbai is home, so, there's no comparison. But then again, New York's a lot like Mumbai, which is why I chose to live there. It's fast, crowded (in a good way), the people are friendly and it's full of colour and race, like Mumbai. Unfortunately, the traffic's also just as bad
Log onto www.lavrentilopes.com for a sneak preview of SubHysteria
