Matthew Del Negro stars opposite Billy Bob Thornton on season 2 of Amazon’s Goliath, and will next star opposite Gad Elmaleh in Netflix’s comedy series Huge in France, due in early 2019.
In 2017, Matt was in theaters in Taylor Sheridan’s Wind River, starring Elizabeth Olsen, Jeremy Renner, and Jon Bernthal, which won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival.
Matt’s had a very successful film and TV career. Matt recurred as ‘Michael Ambruso’ on the ABC series Scandal for three seasons. He portrayed ‘Mayor Gavin Newsom’ in the ABC miniseries When We Rise, about the gay rights movement in the US, and played ‘Detective Hauser’ in the Warner Bros. feature Hot Pursuit, starring Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara. The most notable of his many recurring roles include HBO’s The Sopranos, NBC’s The West Wing, Showtime’s United States of Tara and MTV’s Teen Wolf.
Matthew’s film credits include Celeste and Jesse Forever, starring Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg, Alex of Venice, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Derek Luke, Ira and Abby, Room 314, and Limerence, on which he also served as a Executive Producer.
Having made his own short film, Christmas Break, in 2007, Matt stepped behind the camera again as creative consultant to help fellow actor Chris Messina with his directorial debut, Alex of Venice.
He has had similarly prominent roles in an assortment of festival and independent films such as the gritty The Sublime and Beautiful, Celeste & Jesse Forever starring Andy Samberg and Rashida Jones, Ira & Abby for Magnolia Pictures, and the Ethan Hawke directed Chelsea Walls.
In 2017, after describing his career as “being told ‘No’ for a living”, Matthew created and launched his podcast, 10,000 “No”s, which can be listened to on the Apple Podcasts App, Spotify and at 10000nos.com. On it, Matthew gets up close and personal with top-shelf folks from all walks of life about the 10,000 “No”s they’ve had to endure and the struggles they’ve had to overcome on their journey to where they are today. The interviews are inspiring, raw, honest, and funny, with the intention of helping listeners realize that the people they think have “got it made” put their pants on one leg at a time, just like them.
Matthew grew up in Westchester County, New York and graduated from Boston College, where he played Division I Lacrosse and consistently made the Dean’s List.
He lives with his wife and two children in Los Angeles.
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Sneak Peek Into What You’ll Learn…
3:08 – Matt shares his backstory—how a break-up in Italy laid the foundation for his decision to pursue acting.
7:17 – Why is it difficult to leave a well-worn path in order to forge your own? Matt describes his early years as an actor and the trade-offs he made in order to get started.
11:05 – Matt explains how his overwhelming desire to be an actor spurred him on when he struggled early in his career.
15:48 – Believing that you’ve “made it” can come and then go in the entertainment industry. Matt provides inspiring advice about how to keep moving forward in the face of uncertainty.
18:44 – 10,000 “No’s” is Matt’s podcast where he interviews inspiring guests who share stories of overcoming rejection and other obstacles in order to achieve success.
25:34 – Matt shares his biggest challenges at present and how he navigates his life as an actor, a podcast host, a husband, and a father.
28:24 – Scandal was an influential and highly successful show. Matt discusses his role on the show and his experience working on it.
31:08 – What advice would Matt give to someone interested in pursuing his or her dreams? Matt explains the steps he’d recommend taking.
35:46 – Matt describes his life as a working dad and how it’s different for him as an actor.
40:05 – Matt shares what he and his wife consider to be non-negotiables as they navigate integrating his successful acting career with family life.
44:14 – Brass Tacks: The lightning round of concrete advice and tips
Quotable quotes:
“I think deep down within me there has always been this belief that somehow, by hook or by crook, I would find my way…”
“You really don’t know what something is, or what it could be, or if you like it, or if you’re good at it, until you actually do it…”
“Dream bigger and give yourself more credit…be bold…”
Links to Resources
Learn more about Matt Del Negro
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