|
Meeno Peluce Interview
(Photographer / Child Actor)
Today he’s a Celebrity Photographer.
When I interviewed him on January 19th, 1983, he was a child actor.
He appeared in many of the top TV Shows of the day including “Happy Days”, “The Love Boat”’ and “Different Strokes”.
Here then is my interview with a very young Meeno Peluce.
Q – Meeno, what is your daily schedule like?
A - Well, I’ll come into work in the morning. I have to get in at least three hours of school every day it’s broke up during the day between scenes. I work a lot and I have to get my school in. Three hours for school. One hour for lunch.
Q - Do you have tutors? You can’t possibly go to school do you?
A - When I’m not working I go back to my school because I’m enrolled. I have a tutor on the set and I bring all my books from school here.
Q - Is it true you perform all of your own stunts?
A - Not all of them. I do as many as I can but some of them they just won’t let me do because it would be a little bit too hectic.
Q - Are some of the stunts dangerous?
A - Some of them are. I ride horses and stuff like that, but if they do get kind of dangerous they have the stunt guy do it.
Q - You appeared in the movie “The Amityville Horror.” Were you ever scared during the filming of that movie?
A - Well during the movie it wasn’t scary because you see how all the sets are done. It’s cut action. We didn’t shoot in the real house we shot in this house in New Jersey. It never really scared me when I was watching it, but when I saw it man. I got freaked out. It’s pretty scary.
Q - Your bio, says early on directors and producers noticed you because you had a certain presence. What does that word “presence “mean?
A - Well, what it was, was I was going with my mom and she was doing lunches for commercials and things I’d go with her a lot. When they’d see me there was just something about me, a look. There was just something about me that just really felt right.
Q - Just something you can’t really put your finger on. Either you have it or you don’t.
A - Yeah. That’s what they tell me. (Laughs).
Q - Your sister is now going into acting. Is she as serious about it as you are?
A - Yeah. She’s six and she’s having a great time with it. She just finished being in a movie with Ann-Margret. Right now she’s up for a series that Ronnie Howards doing. They booked 1000 kids and rounded it down to eight and she is one of the eight.
Q - Why did you want to be an actor Meeno?
A - I’m not really sure. When I came back to this country from India I didn’t speak much English at all so my mom took me to a lot of movies I’m sure that enhanced me a little bit. I always wanted to be the star, the stuntman and the hero. I like pretending. I put on my plays my friends all the time. I just had a great time with it. It was like a real job that a kid could do. It just really appealed to me. I’m glad I got into it because I’m having a great time only a few kids really make it.
Q - You went from a school play to a guest role on Starsky and Hutch. Were you nervous about what seems to me anyway to be a big jump?
A - I don’t know. It was a long time ago. I don’t remember. I was really happy that it was happening. The guy who was directing it I knew him from before so it was really easy to work with him. It was a lot of fun.
© Gary James All Rights Reserved
|
