Alex Feldman EDISON — Actor Alex Feldman, a graduate of Edison High School, is the ultimate Hollywood party master in the upcoming Lifetime made-for-TV movie “Bling Ring,” based on the real-life burglaries that targeted A-list celebrities.
The movie is scheduled to premiere on Aug. 1.
“Bling Ring” follows a group of young burglars as they target the homes of some of Hollywood’s most prominent celebrities.
“I was already living in Los Angeles at the time and there was a lot of talk about the burglaries and how bizarre they were,” Feldman said.
Feldman portrays Vin Savage, a Hollywood insider and party promoter who facilitates the high life for the young criminals. Before getting caught on home security cameras, which leads to their arrest, the gang steals millions of dollars in cash and jewelry, and grabs the fascination of the entire country.
“I had a lot of fun with this character,” he said.
The names of everyone in the film have been changed due to legal reasons.
The film stars Jennifer Grey as the mother of one of the young thieves. Michael Lembeck, whose previous films include “Tooth Fairy” and “The Santa Clause 3,” directs the Dick Clark production . F eldman said he auditioned for the role in the movie after his agent brought him the script in March. Upon learning he got the role, he had only a month to research the role and start shooting scenes.
“Most TV jobs are fast and preparation time is faster,” he said. “This [movie] was fascinating because it was something that I was familiar with and it was fun.”
Feldman, an intuitive storyteller who also writes and directs his own projects, was excited by the opportunity to work with Lembeck, who encouraged Feldman to shadow him on set.
“[Lembeck] is a skillful director and is generous with the actors and everyone he works with,” he said. “… Now he’s become a great mentor to me.”
Feldman, 31, was born in Kiev, Ukraine and his family moved to New York and then to Edison, where he grew up. He said it was not until his senior year at Edison High School when he began thinking of a career in acting.
“I was dating a girl at the time who was into theater, and I decided to audition for the play to spend time with her,” he said. “It was the musical ‘Anything Goes,’ and I was cast as a drunken businessman.”
Feldman said it was an interesting experience because it reminded him that he is not much of a singer, but he fell in love with acting.
“It was fun. I remember we did two shows,” he said.
After high school, Feldman went on to study for two years at The New York Conservatory for the Dramatic Arts. He began his acting career in New York theater and traveled back and forth between New York and Los Angeles before settling in Los Angeles in 2003.
“I still travel back to the New York area. My parents still live in Edison and my sister and her family also live in New Jersey,” he said.
For over a decade, Feldman has had a presence in both independent cinema and mainstream television. As an actor, he’s made guest appearances on shows such as “Law & Order,” “CSI: Miami,” “Cold Case,” “Without a Trace,” “In Plain Sight,” “Notes from the Underbelly” and others. Film credits include “American Gun,” “When Will I Be Loved,” “The Collector,” “Repo Chick,” “Kush,” “Trespassers” and “The Final Patient.”
In 2006, Feldman wrote and directed “Sent,” a film based on the music of Tom Waits. In 2008, he made his stage directorial debut for a production of “Sexual Perversity in Chicago” by David Mamet in Hollywood.
Feldman is the creative executive of On the River Entertainment. He has written and directed multiple episodes for the web series “Floored and Lifted.” Most recently, he directed the comedic film “Fit To Be Tied.”
Feldman also has been teaching acting to young adults for seven years and was recently named the creative director of the Acting Studios of Beverly Hills.
“All the characters I have played have been different and I actually fall in love with all my characters,” he said. “About a year and a half ago, I played a Jamaican. That was interesting learning the accent, because here I am as a white guy. I met with the director and we just went through different varieties. It was crazy and ridiculous.”
Looking ahead, Feldman said he looks forward to continuing to work in films and television, as well as writing and directing his own work.
Currently, he is writing and producing a psychological thriller called “Eternity Hill.” He is also co-writing and starring in the feature comedy “All In.”