Actor Franco Lo Presti chatted about his new Hallmark film “14 Love Letters,” which premieres on Sunday, July 31, on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.
He stars alongside Vanessa Sears and Madeleine Claude. “14 Love Letters” is a Brain Power Studio production. Beth Stevenson, Nancy Yeaman, and Stan Hum are executive producers. The movie is produced by Myles Milne. Amy Force directed the movie from a script by Jennifer Snow.
“That was fun,” he said. “I’ve worked with Brain Power Studio a handful of times, and every time I work with them is always a blessing. They are a well-oiled machine and a fantastic group. I’ve worked with Amy Force twice, and I will be working with her again in the future. The locations are beautiful, and I thought the story was sweet.”
Synopsis of the movie ’14 Love Letters’
Kallie’s (Vanessa Sears) hobby farm is perfect for raising goats. Her herd of intelligent, curious animals is about to make her lifelong dream of having a goat milk skin care line come true.
Focused on her goals, Kallie doesn’t have time for love. Next door, Jackson Flynt (played by Franco Lo Presti) farms a massive acreage that belonged to her family; however, he’s trying to convince Kallie to sell her land to him, too. “I really like what my character, Jackson, has to say,” he said. “I love what he stands for, he is a man of strong values. I found parallels between myself and my soccer career, and Jackson.”
When historic love letters mysteriously appear in Kallie’s mailbox, she’s
intrigued to find out who her secret admirer might be. Meanwhile, Jackson slowly develops feelings for her. When Kallie finds out who has been sending her the love letters, she is hurt.
The moment she re-reads the beautiful expressions of love written by poets, politicians, and men away at war, she realizes she was looking for a man who wanted her, instead of searching for the man she wanted – a man who is real and honest, and just as connected to the land as she is.
“I hope this film inspires people to tell each other that they love each other,” he said. “If you love people just tell them. Don’t be afraid to tell people you love them.”
“My mission in life, as an actor, is to contribute to society and to impact people in a beautiful way, that’s why I am in it,” he said. “Honestly, it was fun to be a cowboy and a farmer too in this movie.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Lo Presti said, “Transformation.”
Transition from soccer player to actor
He opened up about his transition from soccer player to actor. “My first love in life was soccer and I pursued that all my life,” he said. “In 2016, I was in the best shape of my life, I was confident and I was hungry. Everything was right, I went on a trial and I underperformed, and I lost my confidence.”
After battling physical injuries, he realized that his body was telling him that he couldn’t do soccer anymore. “While it was devastating to leave soccer, my mother was always a big advocate of the arts,” he said. “I played guitar since I was eight years old and I was a massive Elvis and Jim Carrey fan.”
“Every time I went to acting class in the theater program when I was in college in Rhode Island, I always felt like I was having fun and I really relished it,” he said. “My instructors were the ones that planted this seed in my head. My mom inspired me to commit to acting. I went into an acting class, I tried it, and I really liked it. I studied diligently for 10 months and my coach told me I was ready to get an agent.”
“Acting makes me feel like I am playing soccer again,” he admitted. “I find so many parallels between soccer and acting. Adrenaline and performance were my drugs. Now, as an actor, I am still performing.”
“For me, doing theater was the most exhilarating experience I’ve ever had. Living a character for 90 minutes was the closest experience to actually playing a game. I am learning a lot in film and TV, it’s definitely a craft doing scenes and working long hours. I have been blessed to work on projects and grow. My body is constantly idle,” he elaborated.
‘Bad Blood’
Lo Presti had great words about being a part of the series “Bad Blood,” where he played Luca. “Honestly, it was the best experience I’ve had as an actor thus far,” he said. “It was the fourth project I did, and I filmed eight episodes. It was so amazing to be on a series with Kim Coates, he was very caring, trusting, and supportive. His trust in the whole cast allowed all of us to really feel confident and give the best of ourselves.”
“Louis Ferreira, who played my father in ‘Bad Blood’ has become my mentor in life and he is like a second father to me,” he said. “I made so many wonderful, life-lasting connections on that show. We became a famly.”
Dream acting partners
He listed Oscar winner Robert De Niro as his dream acting partner, and he would love to work with Canadian actress Emily Alatalo again (they previously starred in “Christmas Catch” together). “I would love to do a nice film with Emily again. I am putting that out in the universe,” he said.
‘The Story of Love’
He also enjoyed being a part “The Story of Love,” where he starred opposite Brittany Bristow. “That was an amazing project. I had so much fun on that,” he said. “Brittany is fantastic and a true professional, it is fun to do scenes with her. She is very sweet.”
Lo Presti added that Emmy nominee Neil Crone was “amazing” to work with as well.
Success
On his definition of the word success, Lo Presti said, “Success is when I know I am prepared. Being present in any experience I am in with having any expectation or result. That applies to my work, my relationships, and how I conduct myself on a daily basis.”
“I was always a firm believer of hard work breeding success,” he added. “I’ve learned that hard word breeds success when you show up for the opportunity. You need to trust yourself and own yourself.”
From a personal standpoint, success for Lo Presti means “completely taking care of his wellbeing mentally and physically.” “If I love myself, then I can love others unconditionally,” he said.
To learn more about Franco Lo Presti, check out his IMDb page.
