Hey deejay, try acting

Gabriel Saint is proof positive that being in the right place at the right time can open a lot of doors, especially if you look like a deejay. Good thing the 27-year-old Baton Rouge native actually was one when last year producers drafted him from the art department of Mama, I Want to Sing for a featured extra role spinning in a scene opposite stars Ciara and Billy Zane.

After the scene wrapped, local casting agent Brent Caballero relayed a message: the producers were impressed with the “deejay.” After some encouragement, Saint enrolled in an acting class with Jerry Katz, and he now develops his chops weekly with a group of aspiring thespians. It’s a smart move for the front man of local hip-hop rock band The Halo Error.

Like other local musicians, Saint began working part-time on films for the solid pay and the cyclical, flexible nature of the industry that allows for extended periods to focus on music. But unlike most, he was bitten unexpectedly by the acting bug.

“Acting is a specific art form, so Gabe is learning to deepen his commitment and discipline to the specific process and technique I teach,” says Katz, who instructs many beginner actors in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. “He explores his heart and his psyche fearlessly and loves to express his unique point of view.”

This fall Saint all but put music on hold and began turning down offers to work in art departments on feature films. For a musician with so many other interests—he also designs and alters clothes, shoots skateboard photography and paints—focusing on the art of film is at the top of Saint’s “to do” list.

“I don’t want to spread myself thin, but it’s frustrating,” Saint says. “Half the stuff I do—like getting in a van and touring with the band—you work twice as hard as people in other industries to make a quarter of the pay. Entertainment and art seem so wishy-washy, but film seems to be turning around cash and still fulfilling me creatively.”

Most importantly, he realized it took leaving the art department behind before he could be taken seriously as an actor and screenwriter. Saint is currently developing several feature-length scripts he hopes to shoot independently. myspace.com/gabrielsaintla