Vince Ferguson:
A
ctor/comedian/composer, singer and impressionist, Stephen Sorrentino has appeared on the Las Vegas strip, and has toured over 25 countries and 43 states. Stephen’s long résumé includes television, film & Broadway engagements. He has worked with numerous celebrities such as Patti LaBelle, Dennis Miller, Dana Carvey, and the legendary Debbie Reynolds, and here today to discuss the keys to longevity in the entertainment business and his career, is Stephen Sorrentino. How are you Stephen?
Stephen Sorrentino:
I’m doing well, Vince. How are you?
Vince Ferguson:
You look great, man. I’m doing well. Thank you for coming on the show.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Well, thank you, brother.
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah, baby. And look at that. Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
Vince Ferguson:
Now, here at Six Weeks To Fitness, I usually interview fitness and nutrition experts, athletes, some doctors and celebrities, and we talk about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. That has got to be very important to you.
Stephen Sorrentino:
It absolutely is. I mean, if you want to… Your brain wants to do a lot of stuff, creativity-wise. So you want to do it as long as possible. And if you don’t take care of yourself, you get a short run. I don’t want to burn bright and short. I want to burn bright for a very long time.
Vince Ferguson:
Oh, very well said.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
Now, I interviewed Denise Boutte, Jasper Cole, Kim Coles, and they all talk about the importance of health, because they’ve been in the business a long time like you.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
So how long have you been in the entertainment business?
Stephen Sorrentino:
I started when I was five years old, when I was a little boy. But I’ve been making a living at it, like full-time for 46 years now. So I’m lucky.
Vince Ferguson:
That’s a blessing. That’s huge.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
But now, you’ve also celebrated a birthday this week.
Stephen Sorrentino:
All right, let’s not get crazy now.
Vince Ferguson:
Did my research, baby.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah, I turned 61. Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
What?! What?! That’s beautiful.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
But isn’t that wonderful? When you don’t have to feel that way, but you feel great. You look great.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
Because age, they tell me, is just a number.
Stephen Sorrentino:
It’s just a number. And especially if you’re creative and you want to keep well, you have to always think young. My brain always thinks nine years old, so I could be free, and create, and be funny, and be interesting, at least on stage. So if you think old, you’re done, man. So you have to continue to just stay vibrant, eat the right foods, exercise as much as you can, and stay engaged with people. You know? Don’t just know what you know, learn every day. That’s the most important thing.
Vince Ferguson:
Learn every day. There’s something to learn every day.
Stephen Sorrentino:
I hope so. And you know what? The people that stop learning, I usually find that they kind of just go down the pike and you don’t see them anymore. And the older I get, I don’t know if you’re the same way, the more I don’t know. Because I used to know everything when I was 18, and now at 61, I don’t know nothing.
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah. Exactly. The more you know, the more you don’t know.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Uh-huh (affirmative).
Vince Ferguson:
It’s amazing. But now where did it all begin for you, Stephen? Where did you grow up, and what was your childhood like?
Stephen Sorrentino:
I had a weird childhood, because I was in a third generation show biz family. My grandfather was kind of like a Ricky Ricardo type. He had his own club, and then he would perform after dinner with my mother and my father playing saxophone, my mother was a singer. So I kind of grew up in a box backstage type of a thing. It was a good family life in Long Island, New York. And the weekends, my parents were performing all the time. Sometimes, they’d take me. And then by the time I was like five or six years old, my grandfather would give me the big finger, which meant I needed to come up, and I’d sit on his knee and I’d sing a song with him. Which was frightening for me, but who knew I would make a living at it?
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah.
Stephen Sorrentino:
And then at 15, the bug hit me, man. You know? I had the PA system set up, and I played guitar, sax, flute, piano, and I just wanted a band. And you know? I got a record deal by the time I was 26, and I was hitting it and I love it. Every day, every part of it, I love it. So that’s me. And then I toured around the world. I got to meet all these beautiful people, eat all these great foods, learn about nutrition…. learn about exercise from Chinese people, meditation. You know? It’s a beautiful life if you go out there and you look for it, you know?
Vince Ferguson:
Yes. The more I speak to people like yourself who’ve been in the business a long time, they talk about meditation. You know?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
And believing yourself, and that’s so important.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah. You have to listen to yourself. You have to listen to your heart, and what your body’s telling you, listen to what your creativity is telling you. That’s the only way to channel yourself. You know? So mind and body and spirit is all we have, and we put it all together when we make a living at it, and we touch other people.
Stephen Sorrentino:
And we educate them sometimes, and they say, “Gee, you’re 61, and you’re running around like you’re 20.” I’m like, “I know.” Because I keep at it. You know? I’m a vegetarian.
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah, there you go, nutrition.
Stephen Sorrentino:
I don’t drink booze anymore. I did for a long time. I don’t touch any drugs or anything like that. So I’m a natural guy, you know?
Vince Ferguson:
Wow, that’s amazing.
Vince Ferguson:
Now, you wear so many hats, you know? And again, you’re vibrant, you’re a comedian, you’re a singer-composer, actor, everything. But if you could only choose one hat to wear, what would it be?
Stephen Sorrentino:
You’re going to give me that question?
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah.
Stephen Sorrentino:
I think the spice of life is all the different things. I don’t think I have been asked that question before.
Vince Ferguson:
Good!
Stephen Sorrentino:
I was going to say, I’m going to say actor.
Vince Ferguson:
Really?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah, because I think you get to be in as many people as you want to be, and you get to channel all the other personalities that are in you and then bring them out. It’s almost like Halloween every day. So you get to wear any mask you want. You pull it out, you play the character, and you put it away.
Stephen Sorrentino:
But I’m like that with all my stuff, with my comedy, with my composition. Even when I put it to show, the way I design lights and stuff, I just I’ll take different ideas, the way I do with nutrition and the way I eat, take everybody else’s ideas, and bring them, and make my own. You know?
Vince Ferguson:
Yes, yes.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Is that a long answer or what?
Vince Ferguson:
No, but it makes a lot of sense. It makes a lot of sense.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
Now, to be the person you are today, obviously you had to go through, you learned a lot, you met a lot of people. Who were the most impactful in your life? Who made you who you are today, Stephen?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Oh, gee, you know what? I’m going to bring it all the way down to my sixth grade teacher. I know it sounds unexceptional. I could say Debbie Reynolds or something like that, or Patti LaBelle.
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah.
Stephen Sorrentino:
But there was a person when I was in sixth grade that was a hippie back in the day. He had long hair and a beard, and that was very unlike the school district. And this guy just said, the first day, he goes, “You guys want to do a class, or you want to go outside because it’s beautiful and just talk?” And he cared, and he listened to us. And from that moment, it was like a class of… It was like a camp. It almost like a hippie thing.
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah.
Stephen Sorrentino:
It felt so good that somebody cared, and we all got to know each other. It wasn’t a lesson. It was a lesson in life. It wasn’t a book lesson. And I’ll never forget him, so he touched my life.
Stephen Sorrentino:
And I’m going to say Patti. Not to be stupid, but Debbie Reynolds also. I learned so much from being positive about everything. Even when negative stuff was happening, say it in a positive way. “I don’t want to do that.” You know? With a smile. So you know? So I think being positive, and gleaning something from the people that you meet, especially on stage. Like George Carlin, hanging out with George Carlin and talking to him.
Vince Ferguson:
George Carlin?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Jerry Lewis. I mean, these are people that affected me as a kid, and then seeing what they’re like in real life. So another person, Leslie Jordan. I don’t know if you know the actor, he was on Will and Grace, he’s little gay dude.
Vince Ferguson:
Oh.
Stephen Sorrentino:
I read his book, and I stopped drinking. Because I read his book, and it touched me somehow. And I called him, we had a mutual friend. I said, “How’s that non-drinking thing?” Because I used to like my wine and it was affecting me at one point. And I said, “How’s the non-drinking thing happen?” He goes, “Well, I won an Emmy.” I said, “Well, I want an Emmy.” He goes, “Then quit.” And he made it so simple. And I went, “Yeah.” And so I called him every day for 30 days just to say how I was doing, and I never had another drink. That was like 13 years ago. I never touched the booze again.
Vince Ferguson:
Really?
Stephen Sorrentino:
So that those are the people that touch you.
Vince Ferguson:
Yes.
Stephen Sorrentino:
And you never forget them.
Vince Ferguson:
Most definitely. Oh, that’s amazing. And you mentioned Patti LaBelle. What was that experience like?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Oh, my God. I mean, that’s the queen. I got called because she was having some problems. As a comedian, she was having some vocal problems. So they said, “Would you come in and do an audition for Patti LaBelle” I’m like, “For who?” And they said, “Patti LaBelle. And I’m like, “Wait, I’m going to sing in front of Patti LaBelle?” You know?
Stephen Sorrentino:
So I went there. And I got the job, because my comedy is a lot of singing impressions. I do like Sammy Davis and all that stuff, so I sing a lot.
Vince Ferguson:
Nice!
Stephen Sorrentino:
And so I’m looking. She walks in, and there’s Miss Patti with the entourage. And I’m like, “Oh, my…” And I started getting weird. You know? Because it’s Patti LaBelle. And I’m looking at the microphone and I said, “Okay, I can’t do this. Because that’s Patti LaBelle, I’m going to flip out. I’m going to pass out. I’m going to throw up. Whatever’s going to happen.” And then I just went through this little process that we all do when we try to take care of ourself. I said, I looked at the stage, and I looked at Patti, Miss Patti. And I took the microphone. I know a microphone. There’s a stage. There’s a monitor. That’s an audience. I’m familiar with all of that. I’m just going to do it. And I went out and I killed.
Stephen Sorrentino:
And on the way out, I introduced her. She grabbed my shoulder with her beautiful nails, and she goes, “You’re with me forever.”
Vince Ferguson:
Really?
Stephen Sorrentino:
And she said that. Yeah. And that, just got the chills talking about it because I just believed in myself at that moment. I put all the crap aside, and all the negativity that what could happen, and just said, “Yeah, I’m doing this.” And I did 69 dates over the years with Miss Patti, so it was just wonderful.
Vince Ferguson:
How many dates? 69?
Stephen Sorrentino:
69 dates, I think. Yeah, probably all together in Las Vegas for many, many times, and then a couple of road dates. I was there for her 60th birthday. Yeah. Yeah, I’ve been around, man.
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah. No, yeah, you’ve been around. But also, you really mixed it up with these people, too, which is great, you know?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah. Yes. Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
And I’m sure they speak highly of you, as well, so that’s amazing.
Stephen Sorrentino:
You know what? If you’re smart, you get a lot from people. You don’t just try to tell them who you are, but you listen. That’s the biggest thing I ever could tell young people, because I mentor young people in the arts and I teach in China, as well. I mean, I’m a little nuts with that. I just tell them to listen. Because if you listen, you’re going to hear everybody’s story. You put it into your own little mix master, you make it, and then it becomes your story. You know? But listen, if we listen, we hear a lot. You know?
Vince Ferguson:
I think the problem to a lot of us today is that we don’t listen. Right? We want to talk about what we know, who we are instead of listening-
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
… to what someone else knows-
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
… that might help us to become better than what we are today.
Stephen Sorrentino:
You know what? I don’t know you very long, but I bet you I got months of stuff to learn from you. You know what I mean? And people don’t take the time to listen. Especially when it comes to age, too. People, “Oh, he’s old.” When people, some young people say, “What song is that? Oh, I wasn’t even born when that was written.” Well, the world didn’t start when you were born. I don’t know if you got the memo.
Vince Ferguson:
Thank you. Thank you. It’s so true, man.
Vince Ferguson:
I want to talk to you briefly about a movie. I just saw this movie, and you’re in it, and it’s called A Tale of Redemption and Regret. It was hilarious, but tell my viewers about it.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Well, it’s you know? I got this script. I was in Las Vegas, and then COVID happened, so I moved back. I have a farm in the east coast of Virginia, and I just went to the farm just to be safe, and there’s not going to be any work. And this young guy sent me script and said, “Look, I saw you perform a long time ago. I want you to do this character.” So I’m like, “All right.”
Stephen Sorrentino:
I read the script, and I loved it. It was a mafia guy that was down on his luck. It was like he wasn’t going to win it at the end. He’s actually kind of a loser. And I had a lot of empathy for him, because he’s past his prime. Yeah, the ’80s are over, and he’s still trying to do the same thing, which is the mistake we all make. You have to roll, and change and evolve. Well, he can’t, and I loved it.
Stephen Sorrentino:
So I called him up and I said, “If I give this guy a real personality … I’ll play the thing.” And he did. So I produced the movie, I starred in it, and I also wrote the music for it. And it’s just a really great romp of this… It’s comedy, but it’s dark comedy. Because he’s kind of a murderer, but he’s funny.
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah. Yeah. You mix it all.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah. You can see it on YouTube. It’s also just won today… Or last night, I should say we won the London Short Film festival, the London Film Festival, and we won three other ones last week. So this movie is touching on something. I think all of us, as we get older, want to stay relevant.
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah.
Stephen Sorrentino:
And some of us that can’t, we fall through the cracks … and this is touching on it. It’s called A Tale of Redemption and Regret with Sunny the Heat.
Vince Ferguson:
Sunny the Heat?
Stephen Sorrentino:
It’s a fun movie.
Vince Ferguson:
It really is.
Stephen Sorrentino:
I’m Sunny the Heat.
Vince Ferguson:
Yes. It really, it really, truly is, man.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Thanks.
Vince Ferguson:
And you say co-produced it. Now, also in the theme was about, as you said, getting older.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
And does Stephen Sorrentino worry about getting older?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Of course. You know? You want to stay relevant. And like last night, I’m on stage, and I’m playing the piano, and the recorder’s rocking. You know? We’re doing shows here in Las Vegas. And I said to myself, “Do I want to stand on the piano bench and jump off?” Well, at 30, that was easy. But at 61, I’ll blow a hip. You know?
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah
Stephen Sorrentino:
I did it, because I did my running yesterday and I feel good. But what happens if? So you stuck getting that self-doubt thing, and you try to talk yourself out of it if you stay in shape.
Vince Ferguson:
Wow, exactly.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
Exactly. That’s why being healthy is so important, right? So-
Stephen Sorrentino:
It’s all you got, man.
Vince Ferguson:
I know. But do you think acting today is more of a young man’s game, or does it make a difference?
Stephen Sorrentino:
No, I think acting, I think it… Well, the thing is, here’s the way I look at it. At 22, there’s 9,000 other guys that want the job and that could do it, because they’re good looking and they want it badly. At 45 there’s 500 guys because they want it pretty much. But at 60, there’s only four guys. I’m going to get the part. You know?
Vince Ferguson:
Great way of looking at it. Less competition, you’re saying, huh?
Stephen Sorrentino:
That’s right. Yeah. Well, the thing is I’m a character actor, so I’m not going to be the leading man anymore. That ship sailed in the ’70s, so… Or the ’80s. So for me, I love to play older. I mean, to get into an old character, to play someone maybe from Ireland, then you really can get yourself all crazy. You know? It’s great.
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah.
Stephen Sorrentino:
You know? As long as I can pop out of it and run around the room a little bit, you know?
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah, yeah. Exactly, exactly. Very, very funny, man.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
But now, what advice would you give a young actor? Because you said you mentor actors, right? Young actors.
Stephen Sorrentino:
I do, yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
What advice do you give them if they want to get into the business?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Well, this movie is playing at all the film festivals worldwide, so I’m getting a multitude of people reaching out to me saying, “Help me.” So I can’t help everybody. But the first thing I said is, “Do you want to be an actor, or do you want to famous?” And if the answer is, “I want to be a star, I want to be famous,” then I can’t help you. But if you want to learn the craft and get famous because you’re awesome, I can help you with that. You know what I mean?
Stephen Sorrentino:
So learn the craft. Don’t just want to be… Anybody can be famous taking a picture of their hinny on Instagram and putting it out, and everybody looks at it.
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah.
Stephen Sorrentino:
But to have a career like me for 46 years of getting paid, having homes around America, touring the world, that’s really seeing the world on other people’s dime because of the business, that’s a real gift, man. So you have to put your work in. You know? As a musician, as an artist, as a comedian, as whatever it is that you do, put it all in. And this may sound weird to you. I don’t have it B plan, I never did. I don’t have a backup plan. Because if I have a backup plan, then I’m telling the universe or whatever I believe in that it may not work out. So my thing has always been A plan, and it always worked out.
Vince Ferguson:
And do you recommend that for most people?
Stephen Sorrentino:
I do. I have to. when you say I have a B, I’m going to have something to fall back on, you already fell back. Because you just said that you don’t believe that it’s going to work out for you. So I don’t have a plumber thing, or a… You know? I did jobs when I was a kid. But I’m going to be an actor, comedian, composer until the minute I die.
Vince Ferguson:
Wow.
Stephen Sorrentino:
And that’s the way it’s going to be. Because I said so. You know what I mean? It sounds arrogant, but it’s like the world, the universe is a restaurant. You got to tell the waiter what you want. Tell them exactly what you want. But you also have, you have the patience to wait for it and do the work. You know? Tell them what you want, like working on your body, working on your nutrition, be prepared, and then it will come to you. It’s guaranteed. But if you say, “Eh, it’s not coming. I’m going somewhere else,” then you’re not there for the food. And they show up with the hamburger for you, and you’re not there to eat it. So stick with it, know your stuff, take care of yourself, and it’ll come to you. That’s what I tell my young people.
Vince Ferguson:
That sounds great, man. That’s great advice. But now, what are the keys, in your opinion, to longevity in the entertainment business. I say entertainment business, because you’re more than just an actor. Okay?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
So what’s the keys to longevity?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Evolve. Learn that-
Vince Ferguson:
Evolve.
Stephen Sorrentino:
You know? Your body, when you’re 21, you could do certain weights. You could do certain fitness.
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah.
Stephen Sorrentino:
But when you’re 55, you’re not going to do the same exercises. It’s the same with the arts. You have to evolve. At 21, I looked young and handsome … I had tight jeans on, long hair. You can’t play that guy when you’re 40. So you have to change, and evolve, and roll with the punches, and roll with what life brings you. I embrace the fact that I’m not 21. I’m glad, because now I’m playing this guy, the older mafia died. I’ll be doing a play this summer in New York City. I forget the name of it right now because it’s early here. It Could Be Worse, it’s called. And I’m playing an Italian guy, and his daughter comes, and she’s got a girlfriend and this whole… But it’s two hours of non-stop, like manic energy. And I’ll be able to do it because that guy, I took care of myself. So maybe he didn’t take care of himself for the story. But for me to play him, I have to have taken care of myself. No drinking, no meat for me, no booze. You know? No anything. Just rest, exercise.
Vince Ferguson:
So those are the keys. Evolving, not drinking, not abusing your body, proper nutrition. Okay. When did you become a vegetarian?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Oh, my God, about 10 years ago. I’m an animal rights activist, and I didn’t like meat as it was, the concept of it. And when I stopped eating red meat and pork, I felt better. And then I just said, “You know what? One day a week, I’m going to eat no meat at all.” And eventually, it just went away. I just felt better and better. So I take protein shakes sometimes, and I have a lot of nuts. And I know that nutrition-wise, a lot of fruits. Yeah, you know? I try to eat right, man.
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah, man.
Stephen Sorrentino:
You’re the vehicle? You know? You have to…
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah.
Stephen Sorrentino:
We want our car to go somewhere. So our brain is the map, and our body is the car, and if you don’t put new tires on and take care of the oil and gas, it won’t go anywhere.
Vince Ferguson:
It just doesn’t work right. Exactly. Exactly.
Stephen Sorrentino:
You know?
Vince Ferguson:
That’s good wisdom. What about exercise now? What exercises do you do on a regular basis that keep you going?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Well, jumping around on stage every night helps because you’re sweating it out all the time.
Vince Ferguson:
Sure.
Stephen Sorrentino:
But I run three miles a day, three to six miles a day. A slow run, because I’m older, so my hips are not what it used to be. I do pushups every day, and if I can get to the gym twice a week and just do a whole, like a universal circuit, I’m good.
Vince Ferguson:
Nice.
Stephen Sorrentino:
I sweat it out. Got to sweat every day.
Vince Ferguson:
Nice. That’s good to hear that.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Definitely
Vince Ferguson:
And also, good advice for other people to know that you have to move your body, right?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Have to. Yeah, as you get older, too-
Vince Ferguson:
Yes.
Stephen Sorrentino:
… if you stop using it, you will lose it.
Vince Ferguson:
Exactly. I agree.
Vince Ferguson:
I don’t lift as much now. I just want to be healthy. To me, it’s about being fit.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah, but you look… Exactly. And you look good, so hello.
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah.
Stephen Sorrentino:
That’s the game.
Vince Ferguson:
And you want to be around long time, right?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah. I want to play an 80-year old in a play someday, and I’ll be 80. That’s cool.
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah. But you won’t look 80.
Stephen Sorrentino:
No, I will look 70.
Vince Ferguson:
It’s all good, it’s all good.
Vince Ferguson:
I read a personal quote of yours, and it said-
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
It said, “I’m not afraid of dying. I’m afraid of living with no purpose.” That was awesome.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
Explain that to my listeners and viewers.
Stephen Sorrentino:
You know? I said that as a mentor thing to a Chinese medical student, that he posted that somewhere. It became like this thing. I’m not afraid of dying. I mean, for me, living is the whole thing. Dying, I don’t believe anything negative about it … I think it’s a positive thing. You just move into the next thing. I just don’t want to be on this planet and not touch another person, not change another person’s life, or leave a legacy. Even if it’s just a song, or a performance that somebody said, “Gee, you really touched my heart.” Or a song that somebody used for their wedding because it meant something. So we have a short time here relatively in this world, and I think our job is not to make money, and to buy stuff, and boast. But it’s to touch as many people positively as possible and change their lives. That’s it. I don’t want to live without purpose. That’s my purpose.
Vince Ferguson:
That is so well put, you know?
Stephen Sorrentino:
I didn’t mean to be so profound. But it came out good, and when he posted it everywhere, I’m like, “Oh.”
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah, man, it’s like, “This guy’s got a lot of wisdom to share. You know? He’s really deep.”
Stephen Sorrentino:
I’m the Dalai Lama.
Vince Ferguson:
Right. Exactly, exactly. Which is cool. Because someone needs to hear that, man.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah, that’s cool. That’s my life. I mean, when people reach out to me, I do the best I can. There a lot of people that… I was in a film festival in India recently, and all these Indian actors, young dude actors wanted to talk to me, and I’m getting like 13, 14 requests every day, “Hey, can I speak to you?” And I do the best I can. But at one point, I’m like, “I can’t.” You know? “Take a number,” so to speak. So I want to give positive energy to anybody I can. You know? Someday, on a world platform, if I can. You know?
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah.
Stephen Sorrentino:
But we’ll see.
Vince Ferguson:
That’s awesome.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah, man. I mean, isn’t that our job?
Vince Ferguson:
I think so. To give back and to help those who are around us. I believe that.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Isn’t that what you’re doing? Yeah, but look what you’re doing. You are.
Vince Ferguson:
I believe, yes. And it feels good to do it, to share information. You bring on people like yourself who can also share uplifting and positive information, man.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
You know? It’s a beautiful thing.
Vince Ferguson:
But now, I also know that you are in a film that’s coming out the end of the year. It was directed by Victoria Rowell?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yes!
Vince Ferguson:
… of Young and Restless?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yes! Young and Restless. Victoria’s a like rockstar, you know?
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah.
Stephen Sorrentino:
First of all, I was excited because I’m the only white dude in the movie, which is freaking awesome.
Vince Ferguson:
Really? Oh, wow. A token.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah, I’m the token white dude, which is fine with me. Equal time, finally. And she’s a great director. Actually, Denise Bute is in it, also as well.
Vince Ferguson:
Denise is in it?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah. Blair Underwood, Bill Bellamy, and it’s called-
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah.
Stephen Sorrentino:
… A Rich Christmas. And I play a small part, but I play an English butler. Very, very different, you know? I’ve got my glasses like this. You know? One of those guys. And I had played Annie, I played Drake in Annie, which is a butler, with Sally Struthers-
Vince Ferguson:
Yes!
Stephen Sorrentino:
… the year before. And Victoria saw a video of mine, and she goes, “You’re hired.” And it was so cool. So it’s called A Rich Christmas. You know? It’s a Christmastime movie on BET-
Vince Ferguson:
Yes.
Stephen Sorrentino:
… and look for me. Yeah. And Victoria’s again, you walk in the room, her positive energy fills the room-
Stephen Sorrentino:
… and you just get taken over by her. Yes, strong, strong woman director, so unique. And great that we’re starting to see more women, more people of color directing. It’s wonderful.
Vince Ferguson:
Yes. Wonderful.
Stephen Sorrentino:
I’m inspired.
Vince Ferguson:
Where do you see yourself, Stephen Sorrentino? You’ve done so much, but where do you see yourself in next five years?
Stephen Sorrentino:
I’d like to have a regular show, like on a Netflix type of platform. Maybe the Sunny the Heat thing. I don’t know. On whatever platform.
Vince Ferguson:
That’s awesome!
Stephen Sorrentino:
And just have a steady job on television. And then on my off months, I’d love to tour a little bit to do my comedy, and then have enough time to mentor and teach young people. That’s it.
Vince Ferguson:
That’s it?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
That’s a lot, man. That’s a lot.
Stephen Sorrentino:
That’s okay. I got a lot. You know? Like I said, I got a lot of energy, so…
Vince Ferguson:
So how do you rest though? How do you take it down?
Stephen Sorrentino:
I shut off. So it’s no people. Because anytime I’m around people, I kind of somewhat perform. I don’t know. I can’t really shut down. So what I do is I close everybody off, I go away, and I just rest. I just I do nothing. I try that. A little meditation.
Vince Ferguson:
Yeah.
Stephen Sorrentino:
And can I be honest with you? When I’m back in Virginia on my ranch, I mow the lawn.
Vince Ferguson:
You mow the lawn?
Stephen Sorrentino:
For eight hours. It’s 13 acres of mowing-
Vince Ferguson:
Oh!
Stephen Sorrentino:
Because it’s a 50 acre estate.
Vince Ferguson:
Whoa!
Stephen Sorrentino:
So I mow
Vince Ferguson:
Whoa, really? Really?
Stephen Sorrentino:
It’s I can’t. It sounds stupid, but it’s very zen, man.
Vince Ferguson:
Very zen, unbelievable.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Zen mowing. I don’t know what to tell you, but that helps to slow me down.
Vince Ferguson:
Because you’re such an outgoing person, and I would imagine that you’re always around people. But for you, get away from people.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah, I have to shut completely off. And I think, and somebody pointed this out, a psychologist friend of mine said, “You’re not an extrovert. You’re an extrovert for a living, but you’re actually an introvert.” And I think he’s right. So I do this Mr. Personality thing.
Vince Ferguson:
Yes.
Stephen Sorrentino:
But my real person is a very quiet, inside thing. So it’s kind of strange.
Vince Ferguson:
It is kind of strange, man. But how can my listeners and viewers find out more about Stephen Sorrentino?
Stephen Sorrentino:
You can go to Stephensorrentino.com. It’s Stephen with a P-H. You can go to my Instagram, follow. There’s a lot of awards being posted on that, which is New York actor or Stephen.Sorrentino. Or on Twitter, I’m Sorrentino. Easy.
Vince Ferguson:
Amazing. Definitely easy.
Vince Ferguson:
But one more thing about Tales of Redemption, right?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
It was only 14 minutes. It was a very short movie.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah. Yeah, it’s a short movie. We wanted to make an impact and show everybody what we could do. And now we’re developing it as a series. Like I said, I want that series. So we’ve got 13 episodes written, and then we’re going to start pitching it all over the world to whoever will look at it, and whoever will give us the most platforms that we can see it. And you people can watch Sunny, because he’s a very interesting character.
Vince Ferguson:
Most definitely. I wanted more, man. I wanted more. How it ended, I wanted more Sunny the Heat.
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah. A lot of people say, at the festivals that I went to in New York, they came up to me and said, “We want more of Sunny.” And I’m like, “That’s great.”
Vince Ferguson:
Thank you. Thank you, man.
Stephen Sorrentino:
You know? No, thank you.
Vince Ferguson:
You can identify with Sunny, man. You know?
Stephen Sorrentino:
Yeah.
Vince Ferguson:
You really could.
Vince Ferguson:
Well, look, Stephen Sorrentino, on behalf of Body Sculpt of New York, that’s my non-profit fitness program for kids, and Six Weeks to Fitness, I truly want to thank you for coming on my show today.
Stephen Sorrentino:
It’s my pleasure. This has been a blessing. Thank you so much.
Vince Ferguson:
And to my listeners and viewers, I truly hope this program was informative, encouraging, and inspiring, and that you will continue listening in and watching our Six Weeks to Fitness program. If you have any questions or comments for the show, please leave them below. And don’t forget to subscribe, so you don’t miss any future episodes. And remember, you don’t stop exercising because you are getting old. You’re getting old because you stopped exercising. http://www.6weekstofitness.com
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