072 – How Hollywood Actor, Matthew Del Negro, Turned a 180 on His Life
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It’s not often we get the chance to interview Hollywood celebs on ETR radio, which is why this episode is particularly special…
For those who may not be super familiar with you, you’ve been in the acting space for how long? How long has it been?
it did change my life in that I went from being pretty much anonymous to all of a sudden riding the subway and people saying stuff and being out at bars and it was a show that was definitely seen. I came out to LA, I was still in New York at the time, I came out to LA that following year for the pilot season, and it was like I had meetings with everybody in town, and everybody I went to was like, “Oh my god, cousin Brian, I love you. Oh, you gotta come … the video guy in the back loves you. Let me get your headshot and you could sign it for him.”
This is like at NBC, and I’m like, oh this is awesome. Where’s my show? Sign me up. So I came out here, it was busy, I felt love, all this stuff, had all these meetings, got close to something, and nothing. Dude, when I tell you nothing, I’m telling you, crickets.
Went back to New York, tail between my legs, and Sopranos didn’t pay me much. That’s the thing. It was incredible exposure, it was incredible work, but they weren’t paying much. But it was enough that at the time I thought, okay, I’m making the leap.
Here’s the leap, here’s the leap. And then it was like, nope, you’ve gotta go bartend.
How do you, in that space, how do you create career goals for yourself? What does it even look like?
It’s really random.
Sometimes I’m incredible in the room and I don’t get the gig, and sometimes I’m not as good and I get the gig. Then when you get the gig you’re working for a few months, if you don’t get the gig, you’re not working until you get one. You know, it’s very hard for people to understand if they’re not in it.
I’m doing this Netflix show right now, and I’m having a ball. I’m in a really good head, and he said, “Is there anything else lined up after it?” And I was like, “No, not yet, but auditioning on the days I’m not working.”
How have you used the podcast, used your network in the acting space, and used your mentors to build a support group?
Having a support group is huge in my world, because like I said, you get kicked in the teeth for reasons that are not even your fault. You’re too tall, you’re too whatever you are. And it could literally drive you crazy unless you have a group of people around you that you can kind of go to and they understand it.
And there are times when I’m up and those guys are down, and I’ve got to get them off the ledge, and there are times when I’m down and they’re up, and they’ve gotta talk me off the ledge.
What got you into entrepreneurial coaching?
I never thought I needed coaching.
I’m motivated. I’ve played sports my whole life. I don’t need somebody to get me to the gym, I’m gonna go on my own, and I can push myself. And that is a good quality, it’s good to feel that way, but I have, I think through the podcast, begun to realize the limits of doing that and not having a professional around who’s got a real complex strategy, or simple strategy, but a very well thought out strategy.
In what ways do people keep you on track in acting or the podcast or any other area of your life?
- They help me write my script
- They keep me focused
- They make sure I have public accountability
Do you ever worry about burnout?
I don’t, really. I feel like if there’s one superpower I have, I can grind pretty good. I like to hustle, and as long as I’m hustling towards things I love, I don’t worry about burnout.
If I start to find myself, like I said, that whole college thing, if you want to take it full circle, if I start to find that I’m grinding on stuff that I don’t care about, yeah, then I’ll burn out. But if I love it, oh man, I can get up, I can go for days and forget that I’ve not eaten because if I’m into it, I’m like … I love it. It doesn’t feel like work, it just feels like I want to just be better at it.
If people want to follow up and get a sense of what you’re up to these days, posted public accountability stuff on Instagram, whatever, how are they gonna find you? What’s the best way?
I would say the most active right now is Instagram, and my handle there is @mattydel. I’m also on Twitter and Facebook.
Hi, this is Craig Ballantyne, host of Early To Rise Radio. Have you ever wanted to become wealthier, healthier, wiser, or just have more time to appreciate the finer things in life? On this show, we reveal what high performers are doing every day to be more successful WITHOUT sacrificing their personal lives. Early To Rise Radio is sponsored by The Perfect Day Formula. Get your free copy of this game-changing success guide at FreePerfectDayBook.com.
Jeff Steen
Jeff Steen is the Associate Editor of Early to Rise. Previously, he worked in food and hospitality journalism, but is currently focused on bringing unique, insightful content to the ETR world.