The Elon alum is adventuring out west, at least on screen, in the prequel to the hit Paramount Network series "Yellowstone."
As an actor, Andy Dispensa ’11 says you don’t often get the feeling he has about his role in the upcoming second season of the Paramount+ series “1923.”
“This is a role that I feel like I was born to play,” he said.
Dispensa can’t say much (yet) about the new season, which premieres Feb. 23, other than he plays Luca, a young man working on a merchant ship. The show, starring Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford, is a prequel to the Paramount Network’s hit “Yellowstone” and follows a generation of the Dutton family in 1923.
“The sound stages that we filmed on, the costumes, the make-up, you feel like you’re in 1923. It was such an immersive experience,” said Dispensa. “Everybody should see the show because it’s historical fiction.”
“I see myself here”
Dispensa experienced a similar sense of something being just right for him when he stepped onto the Elon University campus as a high school student from Yorktown Heights, New York.
“It was the only place that I visited where I had a strong emotional feeling of, ‘Yeah, I want to be here. I see myself here,’” he said
Starting on a pre-dental track at Elon, Dispensa soon realized dentistry was not his calling and eventually found his way to film production. His participation in the youth problem-solving organization Odyssey of the Mind allowed him to explore his creative side at a young age, but he still got nervous about performing. It was an Elon acting course that helped bring his guard down and open his eyes.
“I was looking for an elective to take and I saw an acting for non-majors class. I said ‘That sounds like fun. Why not?’ It was a lot of acting games, and they taught you to focus on your partner and throw energy back and forth. It was thrilling for me in a way that I hadn’t experienced.”
The final exam for the course was to deliver a Shakespearean monologue; Dispensa was assigned the “To be, or not to be” speech from “Hamlet.” After seeing his performance, former assistant professor Elizabeth Patterson, who taught the course, recommended him for a higher acting class. Due to his schedule, Dispensa couldn’t take the course, but the feeling Patterson left him with made an impact on his acting career.
“To have that confidence instilled in you when you’re doing something for the first time, who can see your talent and say, ‘Hey, you should do this because you have a knack for it,’ I think that’s the best thing you can offer in terms of a teacher-student relationship, helping someone go more in the right direction for their life,” said Dispensa. “I’m getting emotional even thinking about it because I haven’t thought about it in a very long time.”
The call to act
Elon also provided an opportunity for Dispensa to explore his Italian heritage through the Italian studies minor, being the president of the Italian club and his mentor Samuele Pardini, professor of Italian.
“Pardini just has the right balance of brilliance and down-to-earth relatability that I enjoy being around,” said Dispensa. “Just hearing him talk about the culture and the language, and he also always pushed me as an actor.”
“Andy was a very creative and motivated student, with excellent writing skills,” said Pardini. “I remember he and another student giving a fantastic presentation in an Italian language class in which they also sang an Italian song. You could tell he had a talent as a performer. I am not surprised by his acting success.”
During his junior year, Dispensa explored his heritage further through a study abroad program in Florence, Italy, and, after graduation, taught English in Rome for six months. He was set to attend a graduate filmmaking program in California when he was, again, drawn to acting.
“I got this email from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and it said that somebody has recommended you and has waived the application fee if you want to come audition. I had never auditioned for anything in my life,” said Dispensa, who still doesn’t know who made the recommendation. “This was going to be an opportunity for me to study acting seriously.”
Sparking passion
His schooling set the stage for a career in New York City theater before he eventually did go to California, appearing in TV shows like “NCIS Hawaii” and “The Chosen,” but “1923” has been a game-changer.
“The director Ben Richardson, is brilliant, one of the best directors I’ve ever worked with. He helped me at every single turn,” said Dispensa of the “1923” filming process. “You’re working with professionals at the highest level, and I feel comfortable doing that: when everybody shows up and has a smile, is ready to go and is solution-oriented.”
Working around so many professionals started at Elon, and Dispensa says, like the Phoenix, it allowed him to “spread his wings.”
“Elon is a place where there’s a lot of really creative people in all different facets, whether it’s business or communications or entertainment, and I just remember being inspired by so many different students and faculty,” he said. “The college experience should help you sift through what sparks your passion.”
