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"I actually have never acted before. I’ve never done anything, never even considered it. Funny story, actually," South Philly native Reno Laquintano recalled last week of his time on the silver screen after attending multiple premieres of "Law Abiding Citizen," in which he has a speaking role.
"I was sitting here in my house one day when I got a call from my dad, who’s an aspiring actor for years and years. He’d seen an ad on the Internet," the 24-year-old said. "They were looking for a big tattooed guy to play an extra in ‘Law Abiding Citizen.’"
Despite apprehension about his lack of skills, Laquintano sent in a headshot and received a reply that included a request for him to read for a part and an attachment of a piece of the script.
"I called my dad and he was like, ‘Just calm down. This is Hollywood, they don’t e-mail you a piece of a script.’ And I was like, ‘Can you just come over here!?," Laquintano said.
Sure enough, his father, Andrew, confirmed the authenticity of the request and a two-day shut-in ensued during which Laquintano memorized his lines — and others.
"I was the only guy that walked in with no script in his hands, so maybe that had something to do with the decision they made," the father of 5-year-old son, Santino, said.
Since his lack of papers was unlikely the cause of his success, it becomes obvious the humility — a characteristic that colors all of Laquintano’s recent accomplishment — is genuine, but unjustified.
After beating out thousands of actors from Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Detroit, Laquintano was called in for a head-to-head with a 13-year, Screen-Actors-Guild vet at the Warwick Hotel.
The second of the two to perform, Laquintano waited through his competitor’s 30 minutes before he was called in. To the novice’s surprise it was an audition, where he was asked to improv a scene in which he was to intimidate someone into giving him food.
In just five minutes, he gave them what they were looking for — and much more.
"The part I auditioned for was one scripted line," Laquintano, from Ninth and Jackson streets, said. "They took my improv audition and wrote my own lines into the script."
The audition tape would later become infamous, after Laquintano became friends with co-star Gerard Butler and told him casually over lunch he had no idea he was walking into an improv audition. Butler — who became a mentor, friend and confidant to the young actor — was awed and spread the news around set.
"Jamie Foxx stopped me in the hallway one day and said, ‘I saw those things on that tape. That was crazy! You keep that up!’ I just heard some really great [feedback]," Laquintano, who found everyone on the film a joy to work with, said.
The good vibes kept coming from all directions, including director F. Gary Gray, who told the newbie to be "proud" of all he had accomplished, and Butler, who patiently answered any questions and put Laquintano completely at ease.
"I can’t say enough about Gerry. The man’s amazing, he’s an amazing person, just who he is — beautiful inside and out that man," Laquintano said about Butler, who insisted on financing the struggling actor’s trip to the film’s L.A. premiere.
Laquintano, whose 6-foot-4 frame supports 250 pounds, fit the casting call to a T. His intimidating build and inked skin are what got the unseasoned actor a foot in the door. However, something else gave him a leg up.
"When I was leaving [the improv audition] someone asked where I was from," Laquintano said. "I said, ‘I’m from South Philly.’ He said, ‘Oh, I thought I could hear that in your voice."
As the $21.3 million box office-opener was shot in Philadelphia and surrounding areas, Laquintano’s local flavor added authenticity to the mix. But his exuberant disposition and natural talent are what won him favor.
"He called me on F. Gary Gray’s cellphone one day," Andrew Laquintano recalled of his eldest. "I was like, ‘What!? You’re on the director’s cellphone?’ And he said, ‘Ya, and I gave him suggestions about some things in the script.’
"I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘Oh, no! What did he say?’ And he said, ‘He liked ’em!’ He’s so na�ve, everybody took to him. He’s throwing suggestions out on set! It’s been a really fun ride."
Sharing the roller coaster, Laquintano Sr. — who has struggled in the acting world for the greater part of a decade — cannot believe the strange turn of events. He also could not be more ecstatic.
"He took me to the Philadelphia premiere, and to be at the Prince Theater and to be on the other side of those ropes, you just stand back and you say, ‘This is my little boy,’" the 54-year-old said. "I’m beaming."
Reluctant to crowd his son’s spotlight, the former Ninth-and-Jackson resident insists, "It’s about him, you know, I love him. I’m thrilled for him and I’m hoping something will break now for him."
Fortune did not always follow the young Laquintano. After attending Meredith Elementary, Fifth and Fitzwater streets, he moved to different high schools, eventually leaving a New Jersey school early for disciplinary reasons.
To make a living, a 20-year-old Laquintano tried his hand at multiple enterprises, including sanitation, concrete worker, Wendy’s employee and bodyguard.
When the Jan. 14 call came in announcing he had gotten the role of Dwight Dixon, Laquintano was putting in a handicap elevator.
The next day, his world was upended, standing in a warehouse on Lindbergh Boulevard getting fitted for his costume. In total, Laquintano put in six days of work, relishing every minute.
"They were long hours, started early in the morning and went to late at night. But it was good, all of it was good," he said.
Laquintano even came back after he was wrapped — to give someone a special present.
"He took me to the set," Laquintano Sr. said. "And when we got there, he was like, ‘Gerry, this is my dad.’ And Gerry came around the Navigator and was like, ‘Hello, it’s so nice to meet you.’ It was so surreal."
The small taste of the limelight has realigned the stars over Laquintano’s 18-month-old home in Pine Hills, N.J. Future plans include perfecting his craft and considering relocation.
"I’m definitely going to miss my city, I love South Philly," Laquintano said of the reality film actors need to be in Los Angeles or New York City. "I intend to move if I can make enough money to do that … I would make it happen. I would make it out there even if I had to sleep in some rundown hotel."
Even with the known obstacles, Laquintano’s fire is now too strong to quench.
"Without a doubt, as soon as I did this and I had the experience I had doing it, I gained a passion for it," Laquintano said. "Without something like this — this shot, opportunity in front of me — I go back to being nothing, which doesn’t make for such a great life for my son. He’s my motivation; he’s what fuels me."
