Griffin Santopietro

November 18, 2022November 25, 2022 Rachelle Henry 0 Comments

ILLUMINATE Interview: Griffin Santopietro

GRIFFIN SANTOPIETRO

Taking on the LaRusso legacy, Griffin Santopietro is ready to strike first, strike hard and show the industry no mercy! His role as Anthony LaRusso, son of the iconic character Daniel LaRusso aka the KARATE KID, is now becoming an active part of the dojo in the critically acclaimed Netflix series COBRA KAI. Griffin is steadily working on TV shows such as Bull, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and New Amsterdam. He recently appeared in the horrifying thriller TERRIFIER 2. Griffin’s star is on the rise and nothing is stopping him now.

ILLUMINATE: Hi Griffin! Thank you so much for joining us on ILLUMINATE Magazine.

GRIFFIN: Hey, thank you so much for having me!

ILLUMINATE: I read that you were born in Portland, Maine and grew up in Connecticut before getting your acting start in Charlotte, North Carolina. What started your acting journey in North Carolina? What first got you interested in the performing arts?

GRIFFIN: I first found an interest through my older brother Max. He was always big into musical theater, and one day I decided to join him. I started doing plays in school and in the community. We also ended up taking acting class at a studio (Acting OUT Studio, Charlotte NC) who brought us to a Talent Showcase. At the showcase, I was able to meet agents and then began to get TV/Film auditions.

ILLUMINATE: You play Anthony LaRusso, the son of the KARATE KID himself, Daniel LaRusso (played by Ralph Macchio). The series has a fandom that is a mix of original KARATE KID fans and new fans to COBRA KAI. How has Anthony evolved over the course of the show?

GRIFFIN: I think we’ve gotten to see Anthony grow from the annoying little kid we all knew him as to something with more depth. I think we get to see him as a venerable kid now and someone that people can root for. I think he is developing into a more complex character, not someone who just jumps into karate fights, but someone who just wants to improve himself.

ILLUMINATE: Anthony has now started being a part of the dojo. When did you find out you’d get to do some karate and tell us about the training process? Do you continue training off-season?

GRIFFIN: I had been training off season for the last two years with boxing, but I never really knew I’d get some karate until a few days before the egg scene in season 5. I think that there are similarities between my experience as an actor and Anthony’s experience in that way- our path to the action is not as straightforward as others.

ILLUMINATE: Anthony was bullying Kenny last season but now the tables have turned. This last season had a lot of tension between the two boys. How did you two approach those scenes and do you think we can expect a showdown between them soon?

GRIFFIN: I’ve always had fun filming those scenes, whether I’m the bully or the victim, because Dallas (Kenny) Is a really good friend. Honestly, I want nothing more than to see these to fight it out, but we’ll have to wait and see.

ILLUMINATE: COBRA KAI has been featured on numerous panels, many conventions and fan events. What has it been like getting to be a part of that and promote such a high-profile project? What has been your favorite convention to attend?

What have been some of the craziest fan theories you’ve heard.

GRIFFIN: My favorite was the COBRA KAI Bad Ass panel that Netflix hosted last May in LA. It was so much fun to see everyone and to see all the fans who came out to support the show! I hope to get to do some more events like that in the future. My favorite theories are any of the ones that try to connect random characters from the OG movies.

ILLUMINATE: Fans have a lot of predictions for what will happen if COBRA KAI gets renewed for a season 6. What would you like to see for Anthony’s future, and do you have any personal predictions for the series?

GRIFFIN: I like to see him grow more as a compassionate human and make up for what he did to Kenny. Maybe Anthony can be the voice of reason rather than fall into the fighting and bullying pattern again.

ILLUMINATE: You’ve appeared in a number of TV series such as NEW AMSTERDAM, BULL, and UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT. You were in “THE WEEK OF” starring Adam Sandler. In COBRA KAI, you worked with Ralph Macchio and William Zabka. What have you learned working with such talented, seasoned actors?

GRIFFIN: I learned about acting watching all these icons work, but really, I think the most important thing that I have learned is about professionalism. I can honestly say every seasoned actor that I have worked with from Adam Sandler (The Week Of) to William (/VJ) and Ralph (Macchio) are so hard working and respectful of everyone involved in production. I think I have been lucky to have had such good experiences on set and I think the lead actors set the tone for sure.

ILLUMINATE: One of your recent films is TERRIFIER 2, the sequel to the horror clown film TERRIFIER. Tell us about your role in this film and your experience getting to step into this horror world. Reportedly, this film is so terrifying that audiences have passed out watching. Did it scare you?

GRIFFIN: I’m really glad that I’ve been able to be a part of this movie, but I filmed it so long ago and I only had one scene without much horror, so I didn’t have any scary experiences there. However, I was terrified watching the original movie with my friends.

ILLUMINATE: You have a film called A PARACOSM that’s set to release in 2023. Tell us what we can expect, who your character is and any fun behind-the-scenes stories you can share.

GRIFFIN: I am really excited for you to see A Paracosm. It is such a great screenplay written and directed by Marco Baratta. It was so much fun to work on. I got to meet and work with some pretty great actors like Will Hochman and I can’t wait for audiences to see it.

ILLUMINATE: You’re a junior in high school. Are you involved in extracurricular activities? Do you play any sports, sing in choir, play an instrument in band, or are you involved with any school clubs? How do you balance your personal life and activities with your acting career?

GRIFFIN: This year has been pretty dedicated so far with academic work, which is…. Fun. As far as extracurriculars go, I can’t always find the time to do them with acting, but for the last three years I have been a part of the stage crew which is really fun. I now mostly work in lighting for the shows and my job is to assemble and hook up the lights instead of programming and operating them. It has been a really great experience to work behind the scenes and I hope I can continue it next year.

ILLUMINATE: Do you have any plans to write, direct or produce?

GRIFFIN: Absolutely, I am working on writing some stuff now, and I 100% want to direct a few things in the future.

ILLUMINATE: Are you going trick-or-treating and any ideas of your Halloween costume?

GRIFFIN: I didn’t get to go trick-or-treating this year, but went to a few Halloween parties which was fun. I had three costumes… Wirt from Over the Garden Wall, Aragorn from Lord of the Rings, and Robert Pattinson’s batman. I love dressing up if you can’t tell.

ILLUMINATE: Do you have any upcoming projects you’d like to share with us?

GRIFFIN: Right now, I don’t have anything that I can discuss, but I am hoping for the CK Season announcement and looking forward to A Paracosm release.

COLLEGE PLANS?

I am super excited for college, I plan to go to college somewhere here in New England, and I want to pursue Theatre and some form of writing/philosophy.