Vince Di Paolo, American born of Italian ancestry, was a teen in an Italian boarding school and one day cut school to go to a movie. That was it. He knew, as he said, at the ripe old age of 16 he belonged to that world. It seems that sometimes a little misbehavior, and the independence it may reflect. is, in the long run, the right decision.
How to succeed in that world? Talent and intelligent planning with a large helping of diligence. His first movie role was Lepke with Tony Curtis. Did he like playing his character? Does he have preferences in roles? Does he have limits as far as what he will do on screen? Yes, and my hat’s off to him for the stance he takes. An example of real elegance.
There are, of course, times in between opportunities in the film industry. His having, at one point, succumbed to clinical depression and bankruptcy made him want to get out of Hollywood and return to family. When a stroke of financial good luck reached him, he knew what to do. He opened a restaurant.
How he turned his own emotional trouble into help for others is a lesson in real generosity. And his religious journey and beliefs hold him in good stead. On that particular topic, he has written a book entitled A Loving and Funny God, a collection of wisdom bound to comfort and enlighten. His journey into, out of and back into acting is a multifaceted lesson.
Love letters? Well, the one he wrote as a teen to his mother from Italy telling her how much he missed her and wanted to come home certainly counts. At this point he did not recall any others, but stay tuned because on searching, he found a stunning collection. He will be coming back to talk about those.