A brush with Hollywood

My Airbnb roommate was a Hollywood movie star. I had no idea.

I was at the Toronto Greek Film Festival for Ange & The Boss, and the organiser said, “You’ve got a roommate tonight. You’ll like him.”

Five minutes later, he’s pointing at me going, “Wait… you’re the guy who made that Ange Postecoglou film?”

Turns out he knew half the people in it. He’d actually PLAYED with them in the 1980s.

His name was Costas Mandylor. When injury cut his football career short, he pursued acting. Quite successfully, it turned out!

You’ve probably seen him without realising. Picket Fences. The SAW movies. Cameos in shows like Sex & the City.

For the next two days, I got a quiet masterclass in confidence. Not arrogance, just ease. Costas was affable, generous, memorable, magnetic.

It got me thinking: was his charisma a reflection of his stardom… or the reason he became a star?

In this week’s Fink Tank, Col and I dig into conviction and success, and where it comes from.

Also, you should see his film The Aegean. He's the lead actor, he barely says a word in the entire film, and his performance is mesmerising.