For Spano, Acting Was Just Fun

Vincent Spano was 14 when he met his destiny.

Spano, currently starring in John Sayles’ acclaimed “City of Hope,” was just 14 when he made his Broadway debut in Michael Cristofer’s award-winning play, “The Shadow Box.”

“I was involved in acting in elementary school,” says the New York-born, L.A.-based actor. “It was something fun to do. I never thought I wanted to be an actor.”

A friend’s mother, though, convinced Spano to see an agent. “I started trying out for things and boom! I started getting roles. When acting came into my life, I realized it was what I wanted to pursue.”

Over the past 14 years, Spano has worked with some of the best filmmakers around, including Sayles (Spano also starred in Sayles’ “Baby, It’s You”), the Taviani Brothers (“Good Morning, Babylon”) and Francis Ford Coppola (“Rumble Fish”). Now he’s ready to step behind the camera.

“Jodie (Foster) just did it. Sean (Penn) did it and it’s great. I think you have to be at a certain point where you are comfortable with your acting career and you can say, ‘I can leave acting behind for a year and go to other things.’ ”