The Speech That Proves One Bold Move Can Change Everything

Folks, as a magician, our second storyteller tonight has performed for celebrities like Joe Pesci, Natalie Portman, and TV legend Eric Estrada. As an actor, he has appeared in festival-winning films, and as a director, he has brought dozens of narrative and commercial projects to life. And as a storyteller, well— I'm a storyteller. He's here. Please welcome Tony Suriano.

Hi. I gotta tell you, in 2015, I tricked a guy to renting me an office above his liquor store. I told them I had a steady income, but really I was a struggling magician secretly living above that liquor store for years, practicing magic like a madman. Because I loved magic so much, because it helps you see things in different perspectives and helps you believe in things that aren't there, and then boom, they're there. But I also loved movie magic. And secretly, for 10 years, I wanted to become an actor and work in movie magic like my dad. But I was shy, and I wasn't that confident in myself. So I had that dream hidden up my sleeve like all my magic for years, until one day I met a guy That believed in me more than I believed in myself. But first, let me tell you about my dad, Philip Suriano. You may have seen him in a film called Casino, where he gets beaten up, thrown in a hole, buried alive.

That's my dad.

So I used to have my friends come over, and I'd be watching the movie with them. I'm like, look, that's my dad. He gets killed in movies. What does your dad do? And I studied that film so much. Other kids are watching cartoons, I'm watching how my dad gets whacked. And I had this dream early on about being in a movie with my dad and the stars he got to act with. Years passed, and I ended up in that office. My little office, practicing magic. Now, because I was living in an office, I had no hot water and no shower. So I would frequent the YMCA gym a lot. And I would go there, and after a workout, a shower, hop in the jacuzzi, and it was like a 5-star resort. I just loved it. It was awesome. But one day I went, and this gentleman to my right, about my age, He turns to me and he says, hey, I'm a magician. There was some other chat in between. That would have been really weird. But I say, I'm a magician too. This is weird. I don't meet magicians in the wild like this. Because it's rare. It's like meeting a magician in the wild is like meeting your evil twin brother you don't know about. So we hit it off. We go to the gym. We go to the beach. We start practicing magic together. Now he's a professional magician. I'm an amateur at the time. So I'm like, ooh, maybe he can teach me how to make some more money so I can get a real apartment in Santa Monica, overpriced, and have a shower. It turns out— by the way, his name's Chad Nelson— he was living above a bar in an office with no windows, minutes away from my little office.

We clicked.

Now, when Chad found out that I wanted to be an actor, he became my biggest supporter, and I love him for that. And he helped me build my confidence up. And he would say, Tony, when you walk up to people, say, hi, I'm Tony, I'm an actor. And that was huge for me because I didn't feel like an actor. I didn't make money. I didn't have a credit or anything. But I started doing it. I started working this. and building my confidence, and it helped. It worked. And that's when my dad got the call. He booked a film called The Irishman by one of my favorite directors called Martin Scorsese. And I was so excited. Dad, let me see the script. Oh, there's a wild son in this script, and it's your son. I could be the wild son. Okay, reality check. But I then said, hey, Dad, can I go on set with you and support you and observe? That would be amazing. Now, my dad, short Italian, he turns to me and goes, Tone, I'm only on one day in New York. I haven't seen these guys since Casino. I can't ask favors. I'm like, damn.

Okay.

He knows the industry. I'm disappointed though. But my wacky brain says, ooh, what if I crash the set in New York. I'll get on the film set somehow. I don't know.

Hmm.

So I told Chad all about this and we talked, but there was this debate going on. And I found out the dates of the shoot. They were the same dates that I already booked for my out-of-country trip to go propose to the woman I fell in love with.

Uh-oh.

But I had a lot going on, like maybe I should postpone it, she'll forgive me, this is my only chance, I should fly to New York. So it was a big decision. I charged it on a credit card, I said, please forgive me, I'll see you after the film. And I went to New York. And I'll never forget, before I went, Chad and I went to go print my headshots, my actor headshots, because I'm gonna go to New York and say, hey, look, I'm an actor, put me in the movie like my dad. Didn't really have a plan, but I had this feeling. And then Chad, we're in this car, we're driving, it's night, he stops at a red light, he turns to me, and he yells, you're going to be in this movie! You're going to be in this movie! You're gonna be in this movie! I had chills. And I felt like it was real. He had conviction in his breath. So I went to New York. Walking in New York, 2 days pass, I can't find the casting director. I'm like, I don't know what to do. My dad doesn't know I'm here. No one really knows I'm here. Oh, I have one contact. He's an assistant on the film. Let me call him. Hey, my dad's in the movie. I'm in New York. Can you get me on set? He's like, let me see what I could do. So some hours pass. It's getting dark. Let me call my dad. Hey, Dad, I'm in New York. I postponed the trip. I want to visit you and Grandma. Is that cool? Because he was already at my grandma's house near the film set. That's where she lived. So I go over there and walk in. I don't know what's going to happen, but the first thing my dad says, he's looking at his cell phone, he goes, hey, Tone, Did you talk to production? Because they said, Phil, your son's able to come on set.

Oh, really?

Oh, that's amazing. That's interesting. Okay. Didn't even tell him what happened. So the next day, I'm walking on set with my dad. We go into his trailer. And the other thing he says to me there, he goes, Tone, look, I haven't done this for a while. If you're watching, don't get in my eyeline, all right? It was just hilarious. I'm like, Dad, don't worry, I'm gonna be a fly on the wall. So I get to set. I'm on set watching Joe Pesci, Robert De Niro. These guys have been in great films like Goodfellas, Casino. And then I see Scorsese. They're all talking. And I'm just standing here observing. I'm just feeling this. And Joe and Scorsese start talking to each other, pointing my way. I'm like, what are they looking at? Then Joe Pesci— if you don't know who Joe Pesci is, he's a short gangster Italian with a high voice. He goes, hey, Tony, come here. I know Joe a little because him and my dad worked in some movies. I go up, I say, hey, Joe, what's up? How you doing? He goes, You're gonna be in this scene. There's no lines or anything, but you're gonna be in the back. You're in this thing though, so can you handle that? Yes, Joe, I can totally handle that. I'm excited. This is amazing. Yes, I'm ready. But don't fuck this up, or I'll smack you in the head. You understand? I'm serious. Joe Pesci's serious. I get it. I'm totally ready. So I fly in wardrobe. I go into makeup. They put a tattoo on my arm. I'm just getting ready. They slick back my hair. I fly to set and I'm there and they're about to roll. Then Robert De Niro walks up to me looking at my hair and he goes, In the '70s, the sideburns were higher. Can we cut your hair a little? Yeah, do whatever you want. He grabs the hair clippers from the hair lady, starts giving me a haircut on set.

I'm serious.

This was hilarious to me. I, I enjoyed the whole moment. Boom, cameras are rolling. All right, Joe Pesci over here, my dad. De Niro over there. I have my hands on this counter. I'm looking at Joe like, F you. That's the face. And they're having this conversation. They're improvising. And Joe Pesci, he whispers to my dad, he goes, you got a wild son. You got to control him. My dad goes, I understand. You know, I'm going to do something about this. So guess what? I didn't mess up this scene. So Joe didn't have to hit me in the head. But the scene kept improvising. And then my dad walks over to me and he smacks me in the back of the head and goes—

What?

What's the matter with you? And I'm like, what? And then Martin Scorsese, the director, calls cut. Tony, I loved it. Let's do that again. That was magic. No, he didn't say that was magic.

I—

but he said the other stuff. And I took in that movie magic moment because that's what it was. And finally I called Chad, told him everything. We were talking about it. I thanked him for supporting me. And then finally, the premiere of The Irishman finally happened at the Chinese Hollywood Theater. Famous. And sitting next to me, it's not Chad. No, of course not. It's my wife that I went back and married and brought to sit in that seat. Sorry, Chad. I gotta make up to her somehow. So she's there. We're just in this zone. Celebrities everywhere. And then my scene comes up. I'm so excited. There's also a pit in my stomach. I get hit in the head. My line stays in the movie. And I'm like, I'm an actor! Now, I didn't say that either, but everyone laughed because they loved this funny scene. I felt amazing. And again, that was true magic. It was street magic to movie magic. And it's something I'll never forget. So Chad, we're still friends today, and he was my best man at my wedding. It was awesome. And me, I'm still a magician. I'm an actor. I'm a filmmaker to this day. And the real magic I still love, and that's— this is what it taught me, is the magic of believing. And also the magic of someone else believing more than I believed in myself to help me believe and get the conviction going. And then I went for it, and I did the best magic trick in the world that I could do, is appear in a Martin Scorsese film out of nowhere. Now, I'm not saying if you have dreams you need to go live in a tiny office with no hot water and hang out in a jacuzzi with a magician. I'm saying it worked for me. Thank you for listening.

One more time for Tony.