Written by: Jayme Face
From playing ‘Ace’ on “Bella and the Bulldogs” to playing piano at Carnegie Hall to composing EDM in his free time, Rio Mangini has been one busy teen. Rio talked to us about all these things and what we will be seeing from him in the future!
Photo Credit: Brad Everett Young
upfrontNY: You played Ace McFumbles in Bella and the Bulldogs; what was your favorite thing about being a part of that show?
Rio Mangini: My favorite thing was probably just shooting all my Ace McFumbles bits. Ace was so much fun! The writers are geniuses, and I just love coming to work knowing they wrote a funny shtick.
upfrontNY: Can you tell us about your upcoming projects?
Rio Mangini: TEEN WOLF OH MY GOD IM SO EXCITED it airs November 15th on MTV, you totally have to watch it, it’s amazing. Of course I can’t say anything, but just know that it’s really good. Also you might see a familiar face on “Just Add Magic” next year. I also just wrapped a film with Jaime King, Jason Ritter, Marianna Palka, Brighton Sharbino. Oh, and hopefully an animated show I voiced will come out soon?? Who knows!
upfrontNY: How did you first become interested in playing the piano and when did you realize you had such a talent for it?
Rio Mangini: My mom put me in a piano class with my friend Cooper when I was 5, and I’ve just been playing ever since. I don’t really think “Oh I have a great talent for this.” I just play piano and I love it.
upfrontNY: You have performed at Carnegie Hall, it is such an iconic venue, how did it feel and how did you prepare for that?
Rio Mangini: If I played at Carnegie Hall now, I would be sooooo nervous. When I was 9 and performed there, I didn’t realize what an iconic venue it was. I prepared like any pianist would. I practiced.
upfrontNY: You make EDM music in your free time; can we expect any collaborations or an album?
Rio Mangini: You can expect collaborations, hopefully an album in the future. Did you hear “Rio and Fugue” with Champions of Justice?
upfrontNY: Your dad is a well-known sound editor; what advice has he given you about working in show business?
Rio Mangini: He doesn’t give me advice about “show business”, he gives me advice about life (such as “do your best work”) mainly because he’s my father.
upfrontNY: Acting vs. Music – How are they similar for you and how are they different?
Rio Mangini: It’s kind of like saying Pizza vs Burgers. Don’t make me choose between my favorite things. Acting and Music are similar in a few ways. They both involve timing and rhythm, and they are styles of art. They’re different because acting is basically intense pretending, and music is physically playing an instrument to make beautiful songs.
upfrontNY: You are already so accomplished; what is something you want to accomplish in the future?
Rio Mangini: I really want to become a composer for movies. I’m a sucker for movie scores, such as “A Storm Is Coming” by Junkie XL for Mad Max: Fury Road, “Is She With You?” by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL for Batman Vs Superman, and the entire score by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow for Ex Machina.
Fast Five Favorites
Composer – Frederic Chopin
Doughnut – Ummm Chocolate Glazed
Movie – The Accountant (because I just saw it and my Dad did it! I also loved Mad Max:Fury Road because my Dad won an Oscar for that!)
Sport – none
Animal – Monkey or Ring Tailed Lemur or Monkey
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