SPRING IS HERE. As California’s signature balmy weather settles over Palm Springs, Pedro Correa takes us on a journey chronicling the many, many ways to spend all the days of spring in style
Jacket by American Apparel
With the photo shoot wrapped up, writer and producer Tom DeSanto (known for, among others, the “X-Men” and “Transformers” movie series) sits down for a chat with the young actor.
Tom DeSanto: So, Pedro, you’re a kid who traveled the globe and ended up in lovely Los Angeles chasing your dream. How do you go from being a kid born from parents from two different parts of the planet, to being all the way out here in Los Angeles?
Pedro Correa: Well, I constantly bounced back and forth from Perú with my dad and Seattle with my mom until I was about 13. Just before high school, my mom called me up one day and was like, “Hey do you want to move to the Middle-East?” and I was like, “No.” And she was like, “Well, too bad!” We flew to Qatar shortly thereafter, and I lived there for two years. Serious geographic ADD.
Tom DeSanto: That had to be a little bit of a culture shock.
Pedro Correa: Censorship. The biggest shock to me was censorship. I remember my high school director forcing me to delete films I had produced, because freedom of speech wasn’t so free in Qatar. I created a short film poking fun at Qatari law and posted it online. It had tens of thousands of eyes on it overnight … not to mention a slew of death threats written in Arabic.
Tom DeSanto: And how did that all resolve itself? Did it just take time?
Pedro Correa: Not so much. It escalated to where I had people starting fistfights with me not only because of my films, but because I was American. The director of my school came to our house and told my mom that I was in danger. I was on a plane to South America six hours later.
Sweater by Saint Laurent, jacket by Supreme
Tom DeSanto: Yeah, it’s got to be a little bit of a shell shock when you go from one culture with a certain set of norms for sense of humor or freedom of speech and then you’re going into another culture where there’s different rules and different, sort of, culture shackles…
Pedro Correa: Totally. But it really lit a fire under me, and from then on I decided I’d tell stories for the rest of my life. Before starting my junior year in Perú, I traveled to New York to study acting that summer. Then I flew to L.A. for about a month to continue acting classes.
Tom DeSanto: So, you’re in L.A. For anyone reading this interview who’s never been to L.A., what are the first things you notice? What is the energy like, what made you want to get back to L.A.?
Pedro Correa: It was starry-eyes unlimited. For a 15-year-old kid fresh out the Middle East it was the twilight zone. Walking ocean side and seeing giant medical marijuana leaves dangling all over the place, people skateboarding shirtless, public drinking—which is still illegal here, but no one cares. All this made me realize that I can say anything I want in this town. And yet, I’ll still be the conservative one here. After that summer, I moved in with my dad to finish high school in Perú, and as soon as I did, I dove head first into L.A. and have been living here since I was 17.
Pedro Correa and Tom DeSanto
Tom DeSanto: How do you see where you want to go over the next year, the next five years, the next ten years?
Pedro Correa: If I’m not in someone else’s film, I’m making my own. In the next year, I’ll be developing and starring in my first self-produced full-length film. In the next ten years? I’d love to co-star beside Matthew McConaughey in a Christopher Nolan film. Dream big!
Tom DeSanto: How would you sort of define that intangible thing that people know as talent?
Pedro Correa: Being born talented … that’s bullshit. Natural talent may exist to a degree, but at the end of the day it’s just hard work, making mistakes and having the balls to fail so that you continue to grow. Work as hard as you can until you’re sick of it, you know?
Boxers by Br4ss, shorts, jackets and shirt by Calvin Klein
Hat by Contraband, T-shirt by Topman, shorts by Bassike, socks by American Apparel, sneakers by Nike
Outfit by Dsquared2
Tom DeSanto: Yeah. There is an interesting conversation that I had as a 20-something kid doing [the first] “X-Men” and it was with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, and I asked them what attracts an actor to a part. They looked at each other for a second and they smiled. Ian said, “Patrick, do you want to answer it or should I?” Patrick looked at me and said, “Actors love parts that frighten them.” And I asked Patrick, “Well, what frightens you about playing Professor Xavier?” And he’s like, “because whenever Xavier is in the room everything has to be okay, and the audience and the X-Men have to feel like everything is under control and it’s all going to be alright, and I have to do that from a wheelchair.” And what is the first impression you get when you see someone in a wheelchair on a human level? Is that, “oh, I need to help that person,” “that person needs assistance” or “what can I do to make their life easier?” And I thought, “Wow, I have read that comic since I was a kid. Now I’m a writer on the film but I never saw it from that perspective.” So, in an “actor-ly way,” what would be those things that would frighten you if you’ve got them in a part?
Pedro Correa: Addiction, sexuality, and love are my next self-prescribed fears to explore as an actor. I recently attended a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, as part of behavioral research for a role I’m playing. I came out of the experience realizing that I wasn’t observing these “addicts” from an outside perspective at all. I saw myself in every single person in that room. I walked out thinking, “Wow, we’re all addicted, whether it’s to TV, spending, gambling, eating, anything.” That scared me big time.
Tom DeSanto: What anyone who is a real artist does, is that they sort of explore that aspect of the human condition. You know, there’s a weird thing where it does make your soul, for the lack of a better word, evolve.
Pedro Correa: Yes, it does. Empathy is essential to telling stories that are bigger than you.
Jacket by adidas Originals by Pharrell, shorts by Zara, socks by Jack Threads, sandals by Jeremy Scott
Necklace by Givenchy, shirt by Zara
Tom DeSanto: For me, what is really interesting is in what I see in you. You have this crazy potential. But if you had a time machine and go back even five years and tell your high school self something, what would you tell that kid?
Pedro Correa: Make more mistakes, because the more courageous you are, the more you grow. You’ll find out whether it’s a dream or a nightmare very quickly. And even if it is the nightmare, my God, looking back at that, you’ll be so proud of yourself. Proud to know you were brave. I’d say, do it now before you’re a day older.
Tom DeSanto: Well, I know you’ve made a bunch of new fans through this interview and if they want to look for things you’re doing next, what should they be looking out for from you in the future?
Pedro Correa: I’m developing a feature film, “Postal.” It’s a crime drama about a teenage painter who is allured into trafficking through the dark net, but when the DEA intervenes, he’s forced to confront his addiction. I’m writing, directing and starring in “Postal.” As the script is being developed, I’ve began directing the concept trailer to pitch to studios. It’s complete reverse engineering, but has been a great exploration in developing the visual style and tone for the film. “Postal” is my masterpiece. I’m planning on a premiere in 2018. I’m also in post-production on a pilot I star in, “Ex-Bros.” It’s a buddy comedy about two brothers and best friends, Davey and Feather, who discover they have different dads and decide to go on a quest to find Davey’s missing father. I wrote and produced the project with a couple of my good friends. After our last project, “Drive 2: The Uber Years,” went viral, we were able to crowd-fund “Ex-Bros” on Kickstarter.
Sunglasses by Sicky, jacket by Supreme
Hat by Supreme, jacket by Y-3, T-shirt by Saint Laurent, jeans and boots by Diesel
Sweatshirt by Tommy Hilfiger, necklace by Givenchy, scarf by Gucci, shorts by Zara
Tom DeSanto: You know, especially with your ability to be a self-starter on YouTube, the power really is through something like Kickstarter. Awesome chatting today buddy. May the force make you live long and prosper and all that geek stuff.
Pedro Correa: You as well, you as well, Tom.
Follow Pedro on youtube.com/ThePedroChannel to keep up with his work.
Poncho by Y-3, shorts by Bassike, socks by American Apparel, sneaker by Nike
Jacket by American Apparel, necklace by Givenchy, hat by Supreme
T-shirt by Wasteland
Sweatshirt by Forever 21
Shirt by Fred Perry, jeans by Calvin Klein, boots by John Varvatos
“Natural talent may exist to a degree, but at the end of the day it’s just hard work”
Hat by Contraband, sunglasses and boots by Saint Laurent, jacket and pants by Dior Homme
Jacket by adidas Originals by Jeremy Scott
Vest by Moschino
Photography Mitchell Nguyen McCormack
Styling Lauren LaRocca
Management Luber Roklin Entertainment
Grooming Elie Maalouf at Jed Root
Digital Imaging Jon Norris