Dane DiLiegro is the handsome actor inside the scary bear costume from ‘Imaginary’.Photo:Parrish Lewis for Lionsgate; LISA O’CONNOR/AFP via Getty
Parrish Lewis for Lionsgate; LISA O’CONNOR/AFP via Getty
Imaginary’s Chauncey Bear is terrifying. Dane DiLiegro, the actor who plays him, is not.
Unfortunately for viewers, the 6-foot-8 actor is often hiding his striking face behind a variety of fear-inducing costumes.
Prior to starring in the new horror flickImaginary, the Massachusetts native playedPredator in the thrillerPrey, the demon Ba’al in an episode ofAmerican Horror Storiesas well as a character called Muscle Monster on the Netflix seriesSweet Home. He was also an octopus inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
On one of his first days on the set ofImaginary— the new horror movie about Louisiana woman Jessica (DeWanda Wise) whose young stepdaughter (Pyper Braun) finds a cuddly teddy bear that turns out to be the stuff of nightmares — DiLiegro met star and producer Wise, who introduced herself.
Dane DiLiegro as Chauncey Bear in ‘Imaginary’.Parrish Lewis for Lionsgate
Parrish Lewis for Lionsgate
“She looks at me and she’s like, ‘Oh, good thing we’re covering up that face of yours,’” DiLiegro, 35, says with a smile. “She walked away and I [was] like, ‘You’re joking?’ She was like, ‘Yes. I was joking!”
He certainly made an impression all around. “He’s such a great guy — and so handsome,“Imaginarycostar Betty Buckley tells PEOPLE. “You wouldn’t believe he’s played a lot of monsters.”
Dane DiLiegro at the 75th Emmy Awards in January.ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty
ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty
After college, he played basketball professionally for eight years in Italy, Israel, and for one summer, the Boston Celtics. A few years ago, when he was in Boston training for the upcoming season, he was offered a job as a stand-in on theRyan ReynoldsmovieFree Guy.
People he worked with on the movie, “recommended I look into acting,” he recalls. But DiLiegro, who has a degree in business and tourism, “really wanted to host an unscripted culinary travel show. Anthony Bourdain was kind of my hero.”
Dane DiLiegro played an octopus in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’.Dane DiLiegro/ Instagram
Dane DiLiegro/ Instagram
Shortly after working onFree Guy, he headed out to L.A. to pitch a travel show, “and I ended up bookingSweet Homewithin a week, and then it just took off. Then playing monsters was kind of my thing, which I love and enjoy.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, DiLiegro decided to retire from basketball and focus on acting full-time. He enjoys it, but it’s not without its challenges. Especially when he’s suited up in a monster costume.
The Chauncey Bear outfit forImaginarywasn’t too heavy, says DiLiegro, but he does note that they shot the film in Louisiana in the summertime.
During filming one day, he took a quick break while suited up, “I went to go sit in my chair for 15 minutes. And someone comes up, ‘Are you okay?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah.’ They’re like, ‘Okay. Because there’s a huge pool of water around here,’” he says.
Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in ‘Prey’.David Bukach / Hulu / Courtesy Everett
David Bukach / Hulu / Courtesy Everett
“And I looked down and there was a giant puddle of water around me. I had just been sweating and sweating,” he says. “When I shoot things like this, my weight can fluctuate 15 pounds in a day.”
He might be sweating on his next project, but that’s only because he’s back to playing basketball. DiLiegro is now filming an upcoming untitled sports comedy from exec producerMindy Kaling.
It starsKate Hudsonas a woman “who is unexpectedly appointed head of the family business — which happens to be one of the most famous professional basketball franchises in the country,” according toNetflix, which is producing the series.
Dane DiLiegro.Dane DiLiegro/ Instagram
DiLiegro has a recurring role as a foreign basketball player based in America.
“He tells things like they are, but he also has a softer side. And he’s an Eastern European guy who loves America, loves being in America,” says DiLiegro.
“He’s enjoying himself and he tries to do things right and work hard,” he continues.
The same could be said for DiLiegro. At the moment, he’s single and focusing on building his resumé.
“Right now I’m just so completely focused on my acting and storytelling. I feel like I’m 22 years old because I started on this in this brand new industry,” he says.
The Kaling Netflix series “is my first major, I guess you could say, human acting job, which is a major stepping stone,” says DiLiegro. “It’s very exciting for me because obviously I want to play humans.”
No offense to monsters, of course.
Imaginaryis in theaters now.
source: people.com
