Buckley Interviews Giovinazzo About His Career

CSI: New York‘s Carmine Giovinazzo (Danny Messer) spoke with costar AJ Buckley (Adam Ross) about how he got started in the entertainment industry.

Giovinazzo was inspired by “films like Mean Streets and anything by John Cassavettes,” the actor explained to Buckley in an interview for Scene Magazine. He added, “I happened to be going to a school that had a theatre program while I was playing baseball. When baseball ended abruptly (and painfully) due to an injury, I just dove into acting.”

“I had done many, many short films by this time,” Giovinazzo continued. “It was something I did growing up all the time, from sketches to little stories to visuals that had a lot to do with the music. We’d do everything…editing, titling, shooting. This was early on using the ‘on the shoulder’ VHS cameras.”

The actor dove into acting classes in New York City and responded to adds in Backstage. “You could find great student films in there,” Giovinazzo explained. “[I]ndies, extra work…I did all of that.”

“I’ve always had a [creative] outlet (that I would realize later was necessary) drawing, painting, music and acting,” he added. “When it’s right, acting can be so inspiring and relieving. And the fact that people respond to it at times is a bonus.”

When Giovinazzo left New York City to head to Los Angeles to pursue his acting dreams, he left a lot behind. “I left my hometown at twenty-one and all that support, which was my closest ally,” the actor revealed. “My family has been behind all that I’ve tried and I don’t have that here in LA. I’ve created a home base here at this point, but I left [home] to be out here alone and broke while trying to break into the toughest business next to becoming a professional athlete.”

Despite his love for films, Giovinazzo went through a period where he thought about giving up on show business. “Probably a year or two before I got CSI: NY was the first time I started contemplating going back home to New York and changing my priorities,” the actor explained. “I had been in LA just long enough to get annoyed by it and recognize a side of the business one tries to avoid.”

“I don’t know if I was really going to get out of the business, but I was ready to go back and be with my family and just stop fighting for something that seemed to be about all the wrong things,” he continued. “But I didn’t. I didn’t walk away. Because I don’t do that. Maybe it was my history as an athlete that kept me from backing off.”

Giovinazzo didn’t give up, but he said he has changed over the years. The actor encouraged others to, “Be original.” He added, “Find the right folks before you to follow but make your view a unique one. Realize at the end of the day all you need is a cozy corner and someone to love.”