Conversations with Missy: Caleb McDaniel

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Conversations with Missy: Caleb McDaniel Revisited

Have you ever wondered what life was like as a member of the mafia? Have you ever been intrigued by the Hollywood portrayal of Mob life? Maybe you heard stories as a child from a relative who in fact was associated with one or more people in the Italian Mafia. Of these many portrayals we have seen on the silver screen, including loyalty, horror, glamour, love, fear and power, we have also seen inspired stories from real events. These movies have left impressions in the minds of many. People of all ages have become enamored with many notorious mafia members from the associate to the "boss of all bosses". 

For all of the history buffs and Mafia intrigued people all over the world, AMC has filmed an 8 part docudrama that covers more than 50 years of mob life beginning in 1905 called, The Making of the Mob. This 8 part event tracks the lives of the 5 original mafia families that led to what we now know as the modern American Mafia, including Lucky Luciano and Bugsy Siegel. This show was aired on Monday nights on AMC which began June 15th and ended August 3rd. Don't worry if you have missed these episodes, as you can watch these online at www.amc.com. AMC has renewed "The Making of the Mob" for season 2, so stay tuned.

On July 2, 2015, I had the pleasure of having a phone interview with Caleb McDaniel, who plays Tommy Gagliano. During our conversation I learned of some of the other actors in this incredibly well written docudrama. I asked Caleb if there was anyone that he really enjoyed working with and as you can imagine he had wonderful things to say about the entire cast, such as Rich Graff (Insurgent 2015), who plays Lucky Luciani and James Kacey (Till We Meet Again 2015), who plays Joe Bonanno. 

Missy: Have you had a lot of support from family and friends? 

Caleb: "Oh for sure yeah. So I'm from Oklahoma originally and my state has really pulled in a lot of support. They definitely have shown us, the whole production a lot of love."  

Missy: When you are a part of an actual true story unlike just a scripted Hollywood version of what the mob was, how was that for you? How was that part of it?

Caleb: "Oh it was great. There is so much information on my character, Tommy Gagliano. Because you can Google everything on him and there's books on him..." "...there is a lot to pull from when you're in that element."

Missy: How many episodes are you in?

Caleb: "I am in 4 of the 8 episodes"

It is clear that Caleb has an incredible gift and shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. Already he has a part in an epidemic film that begins shooting the last two weeks of July. With the right amount of support and passion anyone can achieve their dreams. I am eager to see all that this talented man has to offer and will continue to bring you coverage and interviews following his "on film" journey. For more on Caleb McDaniel please listen to our full interview and listen to him talk about his friendship with the Swon Brothers, other film projects he will be working on and more. You can also connect with him on one or all of his social media links. Stay tuned for more ~Missy