ANTONIO CIPRIANO
Photo by Ryan Jerome @ryan_jerome Grooming by Danni Katz @Tracey Mattingly Writing by Adrienne Strand
Antonio Cipriano is on his way to becoming America’s newest national treasure. The 22-year old Italian- American grew up in Michigan, and in 2019 Cipriano made his Broadway debut on ‘Jagged Little Pill’ as Phoenix. Last year he entered our TV screens as Oren Bradley on the Disney+ series ‘National Treasure: Edge of History’. With the charm he possesses, it’s only a matter of time before he’s stealing all the single (and taken) hearts across the nation!
Congratulations on your role as Oren in the new action-adventure tv series ‘National Treasure: Edge of History.’ What drew you to that role?
Thank you! It is pretty dang cool to get to be a treasure hunter. When I got the audition and read the sides, I instantly connected with this character. I knew exactly who he was because I saw a lot of myself in him. It’s a good feeling when you’re playing a character that fits just right. And of course, National Treasure is a franchise and legacy I could only dream of being a part of, so to get that chance is a big honor.
Tell us the most challenging part playing your character?
Probably keeping him as grounded and real as possible. Oren has a lot of fun lines and moments in the show, so it was a fun challenge to still make him feel authentic and real. I think adding a lot of myself to the character really helped in doing that.
Who is Antonio off-set , what does your daily routine look like?
I like this question. Honestly, Antonio’s schedule could not be more fluid. My daily life as of late doesn’t seem to have much structure, and for now, I’m actually kind of okay with it. Being in between jobs, I don’t really have a home base right now and have been living out of my suitcase for the last few months and enjoying every minute of it.
When you’re moving around so much, it’s hard to establish a schedule because every location is temporary. So, I’ve really just been enjoying life for what it is and going with the flow because I think it’s important to embrace the randomness and unexpectedness in life. Wow… that was crazy. Sorry for the rant and thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
What was your favorite TV show growing up and why?
Favorite is hard… I think I have to say ‘Drake and Josh.’ For some reason when- ever that show came on I was fully content. Nothing could ruin my night you know? Also, I know this is kind of cheating, but my family and I would watch ‘American Idol’ religiously. My whole family would watch it so that was always nice.
You’re an actor, singer and entertainer, when did you realize you wanted to do what you are doing right?
In 4th grade my dream career speech was to be an actor, so this was always something I had imagined for myself, but it wasn’t something I thought could actually be a reality until probably my junior year of high school. I had participated in a national high school musical theater competition and from that was surrounded by opportunities that made me feel like maybe I was going to be able to make something out of this.
Who is your biggest supporter?
The family and friends that have been there since the beginning. I have a BIG family and every time I have an important life moment they are all there to support. When I made my Broadway debut, I had 80 family and friends in that audience. When National Treasure came out, my family rented out a movie theater and had 150 people fill that place up. I consider myself extremely lucky to have support like that. So much love for all the people who have gotten me to where I am today.
What is your dream role and who would you like to play against?
I’ve honestly been thinking about this recently because of the Batman movies coming out. I have always been a Robin guy. I am a younger brother, so my older brother would be Batman and I would be Robin. I have a major soft spot for the sidekick, so playing Robin alongside Robert Pattinson would be insane, hahaha manifesting.
What do you think punk in 2023 is?
I think punk is and has always been this form of catharsis or release of any inner frustration or major feeling. It’s something that I feel like a lot of people can relate to in this world today. Punk is badass. It’s fun as hell, and it always gets me hype as shit. Some of my favorite pop-punk artists right now and since I was younger are Panic! At the Disco and Fall Out Boy.