From his roles as Dion in The Chosen to Luca in the Yellowstone prequel 1923, actor Andy Dispensa is clearly on the rise. We caught up with the talented Yorktown native to get the inside scoop on his career.
Tell us about some of your early roles.
The Chosen was my first serious TV credit. The episodes [in which I appeared] were the ‘feeding of the 5,000,’ where Jesus comes into a town to preach on a hill while people are running out of food. When it came time to shoot the scene, they literally had 5,000 extras on set. I was sitting at the feet of Jonathan Roumie [who played Jesus] listening to his sermon. It was incredible. About three months after The Chosen, I booked an episode of NCIS: Hawai’i and we filmed on a real Navy destroyer in Pearl Harbor. We had to put tape over the stars on our uniforms because soldiers would come up and salute us. I’ve been lucky to have some truly incredible experiences early on in my career.
What was it like to work on the show 1923?
It was both my hardest role and my favorite role that I’ve played so far. The Italian accent was difficult, but I worked with a coach for authenticity and to personalize the scenes. Ben Richardson was a brilliant director. He helped me every step of the way and gave me great notes on how we could fine-tune the character. To step into the shoes of a character like Luca felt really special.
What shows are you watching?
I just finished The White Lotus and Severance—obviously everybody watches those! But lately I have been on a Survivor and The Amazing Race kick. I am a huge traveler—it is one of the things I love most in this world along with acting—and those shows make me want to get out there and explore. I’ve been to Italy 12 or 13 times, and I’m saving up for a trip to Japan.
“I’ve been lucky to have some truly incredible experiences.”
What lies ahead for you?
I’ve created my own plays and short films, and I’m an optioned screenwriter—I’ve written five feature films, one of which I am currently trying to get off the ground. I really believe in my creative abilities and drive, and I ultimately want to direct and star in films that I have written. I’m also a total sci-finut. My favorite book is Neuromancer by William Gibson, which is being made into a series for Apple+. So if anyone can open that door for me, I will gladly give you my firstborn.
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