Justin Berti. Photo Courtesy of Justin Berti
Actor, model, and dancer Justin Berti (“Submission”) chatted about his new film “Divorce Bait,” which will be released via Samuel Goldwyn Films.
‘Divorce Bait’
In the romantic comedy “Divorce Bait,” he stars as Marco Laguna opposite Vannessa Vasquez (who portrays Alexis Laguna) and Erik Fellows, who plays Samuel Grey. It was directed by Patrick Perez Vidauri, and it was recently acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films. “I booked this film during the pandemic and I just wanted to work,” he said. “I saw a description about playing Marco Laguna, and Laguna is a place where I lived for eight years of my life. I thought it was for a short film and I would do it for my reel. They sent me the audition and 2.5 weeks later I heard back from them.”
“Vannessa Vasquez was awesome to work with,” he exclaimed. “Vannessa is quick in her delivery and everything. She makes me laugh.”
“When they offered me the part, I realized it was a feature film,” he said. “I auditioned for it because my character’s last name was Laguna. If they changed it, I would have probably passed on it.”
“We turned into a small family during the month and a half of shooting ‘Divorce Bait.’ Although I never got to work with Erik Fellows, when we did the table read on Zoom, Erik was so into his character, and it was so much fun to watch him,” he said.
‘Secret Lives of Housewives’
He also played the role of Peter Davis in the Lifetime movie “Secret Lives of Housewives” opposite Jessica Morris, who starred as Kendra Davis. “Working with Jessica was the best experience I’ve had on a Lifetime film thus far because she was doing all the background work and that was great. She just brought it, and that brings you up a level. I memorize the lines and go with the subtext and what I am trying to accomplish,” he said.
“The production value for this movie was high and the acting was good,” he added.
Daily motivations
Regarding his daily motivations, he said, “I remind myself each day that I am one audition away from stardom. When I first auditioned, I was 10 to 12 auditions away from stardom, now, I am just one.”
He shared that “Submission” was the series that put him “on the map.” “That show was like ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ on steroids,” he said.
“Ever since the pandemic and now, I have been in seven feature films. That was a lot of work, and I got to train and practice every day, where I got better and better,” he said.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “Riding the Wave of Abundance.”
Advice for hopefuls
For young and aspiring actors, he said, “If you live in Los Angeles or New York and you are a new actor, there is no excuse not to be busy. That doesn’t mean that you are working every day but you should be taking headshots of yourself, memorizing monologues, and submitting more content. The work is all there, and it is all waiting for you.”
The digital age
On being a multifaceted entertainer in the digital age, he said, “I believe Bruce Springsteen had a song called ’57 Channels (And Nothin’ On)’ and that was back in the day. Now, we have thousands of channels and more opportunities, but I want to be in more things such as ‘Submission’ and ‘Divorce Bait.’ I want things that get the creative juices going.”
Success
Berti defined the word success as “the ability to fly anywhere he wants at any time, as well as people recognizing him on the streets of Los Angeles, and wanting to take a picture with him. Finally, being able to look in the mirror and like the person that he sees there.” “I’ve gotten the last one, I love the person that I am,” he said. “Also, doing projects that are financially worthy to give me financial freedom.”
Rapid Fire Questions
Wilson also took some time to answer a few “Rapid Fire” questions.
Waffles or pancakes? Pancakes
Flying or driving? Flying
City living or country living? Country living
Summer or winter? Summer
Library or museum? Museum
Bath or shower? Bath
Pepsi or Coke? Neither
Texting or calling? Calling
Half-full or half-empty? Half-empty
Curly fries or normal fries? Normal fries
Skydiving or scuba diving? Scuba diving
Tea or coffee? Tea
Rain or snow? Snow
Singing or dancing? Dancing
Burgers or tacos? Burgers
Money or fame? Money
To learn more about Justin Berti, follow him on Instagram, and check out his IMDb page.