Why Actor Stelio Savante Chooses Characters that Show ‘Arc of Redemption’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Actor Stelio Savante recently opened up about why he frequently plays villains and bad guys onscreen.
Savante has appeared in projects like THE SOPRANOS, LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT and PERSON OF INTEREST and typically plays the villain in the episodes.
“I struggled with it,” the actor admitted. Savante said he then started asking himself how these roles glorified God—a question he then posed to pastor Mike Finizio of Harvest Christian Fellowship in New York City.
“He said, ‘First of all, it’s between you and the Lord,’” Savante recalled. “‘But secondly, the Bible [is] if not the most R-rated books [at least] one of. … It actually behooves us to show characters where there’s consequences for their sin [and] sin is not glorified.’”
In other words, to tell a story of redemption, it must have “bad characters.”
“The roles I gravitate to most naturally are blue-collar roles,” Savante continued. “I do often play villains, and they are juicier, they’re more fun to play because they’re so far away from things I do in real life. But for me, it is about the arc of redemption.”
Savante has also played some good guys over the years, most notably Moses in THE CHOSEN.
Speaking about his Christian faith, the actor admitted it can be both easy and hard to balance religion with the entertainment industry.
“It’s easy because once you know the Christ, whether you’re a father, a brother, a sister, an actor, a plumber, it doesn’t matter–you understand [that] there’s some purpose for your life,” Savate shared. “[It’s] hardest because the second you say that [and] people know that, you’re living in a goldfish bowl–they don’t understand necessarily that you’re just a forgiven sinner with flaws.”
He continued, “As you grow in your faith and as you spend time daily with God, you understand: Lord, I’m not really here for my own glorification in the art, I’m not here for awards, I’m not here to become wealthy. I’m here because You allow me to be an instrument for You to reach corners of the world that the traditional church cannot.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Savante’s faith and how he always relies on scripture:
The headlines these days can be confusing and upsetting, but actor Stelio Savante recently revealed what helps him make sense of the world: the Bible.
“I get my news from the Bible,” the actor explained. “That’s just where I get my news from, because the Bible told us the earth was round when scientists told us it was flat. It is spiritual wisdom, and when you line up what’s happening in the world with what’s there biblically — the Bible already knows the story. The Lord already knows the end.”
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