Los Angeles freelance writer Matias Masucci ghostwriter screenwriter

I Want To Be A Movie Star

My friend Ugo once told me a story. It was 1961, the year he turned eighteen. It was a time when getting out of Argentina wasn’t easy, especially for a kid prone to getting into trouble with the law. Ugo never told me exactly how his obsession with Rudolph Valentino had begun. I suspect it was because Valentino was the only man his mother ever allowed herself to admire. She had raised him on her own with the dignity of a catholic widow, somber and always wearing black. Remarrying was never an option so she enlisted the local priest to impart a strict education to her son. Ugo would have none of it and as soon as he was out of their sight, he would get into all sorts of mischief. His obsession with “the movies” was his ticket out of a dead-end job or a life behind bars. For as much as she hated to see him go, the fear of what could happen if he had stayed was enough to make sure he was given a chance. With the help of a family friend, Ugo was able to set-up a meeting at the American Embassy to be considered for a visa. Back in those days, coming to the U.S. from South America was no easy task. Every applicant had to undergo a thorough moral assessment, answer several questions, and prove they had the financial means to cover the costs of the trip. People spent months preparing for their meetings and gathering the necessary documentation in the hopes of being granted passage to the promised land. If your application was denied, it could take months, sometimes years, before you’d be allowed to try again. Ugo showed up late, hungover, and clueless. The interviewer was the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina himself. Without exchanging pleasantries, the Ambassador began the screening process. Ugo failed to produce any of the required documentation and couldn’t answer any of the questions. Before ending the interview and sending the applicant on his way, the Ambassador asked one last question, and that was the one question Ugo was certain he knew the answer to.
“Why do you want to go to America?”
Ugo’s eyes lit up, his mouth widened into the beautiful smile only a dreamer has and he answered:
“I want to be a movie star!”
The Ambassador remained silent for a long time. He sat there looking at a young man with big dreams and very little sense. In a way, that was how the American dream had began a few centuries ago. That day Ugo was granted a green card and he has been living in Hollywood ever since.