Lorenzo Antonucci, a Latino actor, writer and producer born in Brooklyn and raised on the streets of Jamaica, is executive producer, writer and star of the currently trending hit drama series “Paradise City.”
Antonucci stars as Pauly, who he says is based on his “best friend” Paulie Antignani, who passed away in 2018.
“I lived a lot on the road and took all the bumps and bruises of rejection and the failures Pauly goes through,” Antonucci said.
For over a decade, Antonucci toured internationally with well-known band Sworn Enemy. That experience, he said, made it easy to adapt to his role in “Paradise City.”
“Paradise City really hits home because of my time in the band Sworn Enemy. Being a touring musician around the world gave me a lot of the real-life experiences that I was able to bring into ‘Paradise City,’ especially the world of my band, Over it All,” Antonucci said.
Antonucci, who is of Puerto Rican and Italian descent, found success as a professional wrestler but found his true passion in acting and filmmaking in Los Angeles. His work can also be found in “Ballers,” “Game of Thrones,” “American Satan,” “Reactor” and “Cracka.”
“From my Puerto Rican mother I learned that failure was never an option. From my Italian immigrant father, I learned that you do anything you want, you just gotta want it,” Antonucci said.
The eight-episode drama series is a spinoff from the 2017 film “American Satan” and presents an accurate portrayal of the chaotic and somewhat dark Los Angeles music scene.
This is a self-financed show; it is not funded by any of the major studios. It features an all-star cast, including Fairuza Balk, Drea de Matteo, Bella Thorne, the late Cameron Boyce, Booboo Stewart and Olivia Culpo.
“Paradise City” quickly topped the iTunes lists as the No. 1 TV show and the No. 1 drama series only days after its release. The show is available for streaming on multiple platforms, including Amazon Prime.
