Jack DeCerchio

Actor, producer and writer Jack DeCerchio recently released his new short film on Apple TV called, “The Last Role of Charles LeBlanc.” The Bloomfield Hills native wrote, co-produced and starred in the film.

In the comedy drama, DeCerchio plays Luke, a young drifter who is hired as a groundskeeper at the home of aging legendary movie star, Charles LeBlanc. DeCerchio’s character coincidentally bears a strong resemblance to Charles’ best friend and enduring costar, the late Stuart Benedict. Luke soon realizes that Charles believes he is Stuart and that they are about to begin shooting their 1950’s film noir classic, “Gangsters Don’t Go to Heaven,” with the story progressing from there.

“The Last Role of Charles LeBlanc” gives a conspicuous nod to the influential classical or golden age of Hollywood cinema.

“My dad is a cinephile and passed that onto me. Growing up, we always watched old movies on the weekends, and he encouraged me to watch the classics,” DeCerchio explained. “The film has an homage to the movie, ‘Sunset Boulevard,’ but with my own twist.

“I was also influenced from an article I read a few years ago about Jack Nicholson and his suspected declining health since he hadn’t been seen in a while. I thought about how an older actor would still just want to act.”

DeCerchio tapped family talent to help create his film. His uncle, Tom DeCerchio, an established commercial director, directed the film while DeCerchio’s father, John DeCerchio, a Michigan-based advertising industry executive, served as a co-producer.

“Since my uncle is in the industry in L.A., it only made sense to go to him with the script. He ended up being as passionate about this project as I was,” he said. “They both have such great perspectives from their experience. We all worked together like a well-oiled machine.”

While the film was mainly shot in Los Angeles where DeCerchio now lives, he returned to Michigan for editing and ended up adding some scenes that were shot in Detroit and at his parents’ house in Bloomfield Hills.

During his younger years, DeCerchio hadn’t planned to be an actor or work in films. He credits his time at Roeper School with its emphasis on the arts for encouraging him to seek creative pursuits.

After high school, he attended American University in Washington, D.C. majoring in business with the intention of working on the business side of the movie industry. He spent several summers in L.A. interning at production company Mandalay Sports Media.

He moved to L.A. and worked as a production assistant for the ABC TV show, “Bless This Mess,” which completed its second and final season as the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020.

“During COVID, I came back to Michigan and started taking acting classes over Zoom and fell in love with acting,” he said.

These days, DeCerchio prioritizes auditioning for acting roles as well as perfecting his craft through taking scene study classes and learning improv techniques with The Groundlings, an L.A.-based improvisation and sketch comedy troupe and school.

He is also working on another short film as well as a feature script. “I’d love to make a film in Michigan. It’s a great film community.”

He is also taking piano lessons and spends “a lot of time working out.” He enjoys annual trips to Colorado for snowboarding and returns to Michigan every few months to visit family and admitted that after living in California, he prefers visiting during warmer weather months.

“A career in the film industry and arts takes a long time to see success. There’s no direct path or roadmap...Watch lots of movies and plays and ask yourself why they made certain choices when making it. The best writers are great readers. But don’t just copy ideas – put your own twist on things.”

He added, “Be ready to hustle. I’m always grinding the next thing.”

Story: Tracy Donohue

Photo: Cathy Guisewite