ALEX FLERI INTERVIEW
We catch-up with Alex Fleri, renowned real estate agent turned actor to talk… well acting!
So tell, how did you make the move from selling luxury homes to selling fictitious characters as an actor?
It was my martial arts which created the opportunity to get into the movie industry via stunts. Through training at the Stunt Academy, I was singled out by a Producer and separately by a leading Stunt Coordinator. Additionally, I got to train with Van Damme and he asked me to assist him with training and then to work on The Last Mercenary. Covid lockdowns altered the pathway significantly, as they did for everyone of course. I was fortunate enough to land a role in Avarice in Perth. Ironically the role became available because the actor playing that character couldn’t travel due to Covid Lockdowns… so win some, lose some.
I still sell luxury homes on The Gold Coast and it’s a great fit for working in the movie industry because the flexibility in real estate allows me to step into a movie for a while and then step straight back into real estate without missing a beat. The real estate profile and the movie profile are both growing simultaneously so one profile has helped the other.
Are there any parallels between realtor and actor?
What a GREAT QUESTION! So many crossovers in the professions. Mainly to do with human behaviour, psychology and understanding motives of other people. In real estate we have ‘dialogue’ we use at different stages of listing a property and selling it. This is similar to controlled lines in a script. Good agents learn those lines as an actor would learn theirs. Add to that an ability to improvise and adapt to the person opposite you and you have an agent or an actor. There’s more risk in being an agent simply because if you get it wrong you lose the deal, there’s seldom the chance for a ‘take two’ in the real world. On the negative side, there can also be the toxic behaviour of others in each industry you have to watch out for and develop thick skin. Gas-lighting, slanderous rumours, baiting and relentless criticisms are just some of the tactics those working against you will use to throw you off balance. So it’s really important to stay focused on the objective and to block out the toxic noise.
Growing up, who were your favourite actors and why?
All the action guys were top of my list. Van Damme, Stallone, Arnie, Snipes. I still think that was the premium era of movie making which created pathways for unknowns to become movie legends. Look at each of their stories. Arnie (whilst a Mr Olympia legend) that held zero commercial value as an actor. Then finally roles evolved where his physicality got him going. I believe he was a bricklayer whilst waiting for the right opportunity. Stallone is famed for being down and out with zero prospects in the industry. But he wrote Rocky and held his ground when the studios tried to take it off him and cast someone else. Van Damme sold his gym in Belgium and went to LA with $5,000 to see him through. Green Card issues meant he ate into his savings super fast, but his martial arts combined with his ballet training got him noticed in a restaurant when he threw a kick at a producer to demonstrate his skills. So each of them quite literally had to fight their way into the ‘movie club’.
Favourite movie genre?
It would definitely have been the Action Hero genre. Rambo, Blood Sport, Terminator, Aliens. These were just great escapism and created an interest in martial arts and pushing the body through training sessions.
And now?
I see this as an interesting twist with Action Hero being morphed into Comic Book Hero. The development of X-Men, The Avengers, Batman and the relevant spin offs. So for me, the Comic Book Genre has taken the place of the 80’s and 90’s Action Hero and if you watch an Action Hero movie now it’s really hard for them to repeat the success of that golden era unless they have the budget of James Bond or Mission Impossible.
What are the biggest challenges as an actor?
I’m sure this varies for every individual, however for me, it’s simply the task of auditioning via self-tape. It takes the personality and energy out of the process, and you are quite literally flying blind. Auditioning face-to-face gives you a sense of the character and an ability to read the room so you can adapt and work with direction. In my opinion the industry has taken a step backwards with the prolific use of self-tapes. But it looks like it’s here to stay.
And the most rewarding aspect?
When you get that “cut – and we’re moving on”. There’s a sense of satisfaction when you know you’ve landed the scene for your team and Director.
Zombie Plane! What an ingenious plot! Tell us a little about the story and your character?
This is just such a fun movie. OMG!! Don’t tell anyone, but Zombie outbreaks happen regularly. They happen at the supermarket, at sporting events, in church; there was one even at the gym last week. Thankfully there are specialists out there who protect us daily so that we can carry on with our busy lives, bitch about the weather and complain about our mortgages. I can’t say too much about my character; all I’ll say is that I never ever thought I’d be cast as a gay flight attendant. It’s pretty much the exact opposite as the Action Hero!
Without spoiling the story, the funniest part of Zombie Plane?
I’m gonna have to give you a politician’s answer here.. Sorry. Just enjoy it!
Can you give us a sneak peak of Afraid of the Night and what’s your role?
I hate watching Horror. The way I figure, my heart is under enough pressure during the day with stress that when I watch a movie I don’t need to add to that… and yet here I am making a Supernatural Horror. I was drawn to this project because it’s based on the religious occult. On face value it reads as a Supernatural Horror; but deep down it deals with the complexity of good people doing bad things, and evil being used to accomplish good. It kind of flips the stereotype and it leaves the audience wanting more.
If you could pick with any actor or actress in the world to work with, who would it be and why?
I think for the fact that we have become such good friends over the years, and that he pulled me into the industry in the first place, a movie with Van Damme would be the highlight of the list.
Lastly, if you had an unlimited budget, what film would you make and why?
AH.. we are making it! But I am trying to get it turned into a series instead of a movie. To me the plot line needs developing and it’s a comic genre feel with enough gore and sex that it makes ‘The Boys’ look like ‘The Waltons’. (Yes I know.. you’ll have to google the Waltons!)
Thanks for your time Alex and all the best for Afraid of the Night!
Thanks Guys, and Get Gaming! Alexxx!
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