New short film with Winchester’s Luke Macannuco explores bullying, masculinity, family dynamics

Dec 05, 2018 885

BY: Mariya Manzhos

Two years ago Joe LaRocca, film director and instructor at Boston College, had finished the script and cast most of the actors for his short film, except one. LaRocca struggled finding the right actor for the lead character Robert, a high school teenager who is pressured by older classmates to set off a smoke grenade in the school’s bathroom. An ideal actor LaRocca hoped would combine the youthful look of prepubescent boy and would also possess the maturity to convey the film’s complex themes.

Perfect for the role

But LaRocca’s mother had a suggestion for a candidate. Her friend’s son Luke Macannuco, now a freshman at Winchester High School, would be perfect for the role, she suggested. Two years ago Macannuco’s letter to the editor of the Winchester Star in response to resident who objected “Hate Has No Home Here” signs in Winchester, went viral on social media. After reading the letter, LaRocca knew the boy had the maturity the role demanded.

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SOURCE: http://winchester.wickedlocal.com

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