Danny Lopes' Insights On the Worlds of Art and Entertainment

Danny Lopes is a Tri-State area native born and raised in New Jersey; the actor launched his career on stage before focusing his energy on films. While he remains busy running his media companies Xixels, LLC and Lopes Media Group (LMG) based in Los Angeles, CA, he continues to fine tune his catalogue of artistic works as well as expanding upon his accomplished acting career.

Lopes caught up with us recently and he was kind enough to share his insight on the entertainment industry and his experiences in the spotlight. Having grown up just outside of New York City, Danny was exposed to a multitude of arts from architectural, painting and performance with outlets from Broadway to some of the world’s most notable museums.

From early in his childhood, Lopes found himself drawn to acting first and foremost. “I would find myself filled with an indescribable energy that I couldn’t ignore. I would stay up late at night, mimicking the actors I had watched on the screen. The glamour of Hollywood and the excitement of making a name for myself pushed me towards the spotlight. Although I have done a majority of my current work in TV and film, I started on the stage when I was just in grammar school back home in New Jersey,” Danny shared with us.

One of Danny’s favorite actors is legendary Jack Nicholson who often inspires Lopes in his roles. He explained, “I am drawn in by his characters. He has a very comfortable pull, like a magnet that leaves me wanting more and I am always connected to his delivery. Jack is always on point, and I still remember how I loved being terrified of him in Stanley Kubrick's ‘The Shining.’”

With a similar history of playing roles in horror/thriller films, Danny Lopes was cast by Dante Tomaselli for his films, “Desecration” in 1999 and the unofficial sequel, “Horror” in 2002. Danny shared with us that to date, out of all the characters he has been cast in, that LUCK in 2002 would be his favorite role. “I played Bobby, a 15 year old loner who is haunted by the death of his mother. Bobby was a pushover and had many problems and demons. He was lost and accused of many things, although Luck was the complete opposite. In the film, it seemed like a natural progression that the vulnerable Bobby transformed into the sociopath, drug-deranged murderer known as Luck. He was the leader of the teens that escaped from a drug rehab. That was an amazing shoot with incredibly talented people that left me with a lifetime of memories!”

We asked Lopes about the importance of communication with castmates whether it is on-stage or on set for a successful shoot. He responded, “Always be open… I stay strong, yet allow vulnerability to open the scenes. You have to be willing to share the light. Communication is understanding, you are not alone out there and when you confide in others, it allows a transition into the make believe with a more significant impact. I immediately become friends with everyone on set and try to learn as much as I can about who I am working with.”

Although Danny is always focused on broadening his career and expanding into different genres and roles, he is ecstatic at the progress he has made already. To Danny, it’s all about the journey, he states, “I am exactly where I need to be at the right time. I believe that. There is no rush with destiny.”

What some of his fans may not know, is that he is also an accomplished abstract artist who just had his first featured show in Downtown LA in June. The event was hosted by Raw Artists, and Lopes showcased several of his original pieces and talked to guests about his commissioned work. His passion for art and fashion design has grown to be an enormous aspect of Danny’s career. “What many people don’t realize is the amount of work that no one physically gets to see. The pieces in my house, on my computers and at my studio are all filled with work that I have not released or shared with people yet. I become fairly intense with design and experiments. I am hoping this year, that I will have all of my work catalogued and organized to share with the public in early 2020.”