NEW YORK – George Zouvelos, actor, writer, producer and director of television, stage, films and music videos spoke with The National Herald about his latest projects. A SAG-Aftra union member, and an award-winning actor, producer and filmmaker, Zouvelos studied Lee Strasberg-style method acting and filmmaking at the New York Film Academy (NYFA) in New York City. He spoke with The National Herald about his latest projects, including his work as creator and writer of Spyros Yeeros, a TV dramedy/crime series, he plans to present to Netflix, Showtime, Paramount and HBO, which still requires some additional funding.

Spyros Yeeros stars Basile the Comedian (Basile Katsikis), Angelo Tsarouchas, Ellen Karis, and Zouvelos himself and follows the trials and tribulations of a Greek-American family, six brothers and sisters who had all followed different career path but have now come together to run their retiring parents’ New York City restaurant, converting it into a successful gyro franchise that rises to the top of New York’s gastronomical scene. If that wasn’t enough, each brother and sister navigates their own personal modern day Greek tragedy as well.

Zouvelos is also working with actor George Kyriakopoulos to co-write, co-direct, and co-produce a television Marvel Comics Avengers-style concept called The Next Generation. It stars Kyriakopoulos as the hero and Zouvelos as the arch-villain.

Zouvelos has been increasingly featured as a SAG Aftra principle actor on faith-based and family-friendly television films viewed around the world including ‘The Maltese Holiday’ and ‘Deck the Hearts.’ He served as Associate Producer on feature films such as ‘Heavenly Deposit’ starring George Vincent, and worldwide-released and streaming television shows ‘Little Cupid’ and ‘Ivy and the Mistletoe.’

Zouvelos was the executive producer and lead actor on the award-winning film Definitely Soy that won Best Director in Los Angeles, Best Film in Rome, Best Screenplay in London, and Best Actor George Zouvelos at the Calcutta International Cult Film Festival. The short film is being remastered and edited to possibly appear on streaming channels like Sundance.

Zouvelos co-produced So Tiri’s hit Fanta music video that has nearly two million views worldwide: https://youtu.be/HZXdU29I80Y.

As a storyteller, Zouvelos noted that “if the good Lord permits,” he plans to “continue to collaborate with other gifted talent to create amazing and compelling content for stage, the silver screen, and television.”

He told TNH how his acting career began, following his time working as a bail bondsman, noting that working undercover was his “first big role” and he eventually decided to take acting classes with Cypriot-American teacher Stephen Michaels.

Zouvelos noted that “actors do not learn our role, we study it… The point is to crystallize the psychological profile of the character you play. I put myself in every character.”

He added that he has portrayed a doctor, detective, priest, father, coach, and a mobster.

Members of the Greek community may recognize Zouvelos from his acting roles in the Greek series Brousko and Didima Feggaria (Twin Moons). He told TNH about the experience, noting that on Brousko, “I was interested in seeing how it is shot, because it was the first TV series that was shot to film standards. That was the reason I went there. It had the advantage that it was shot on location and not in a studio. For example, the apartment was an apartment, the cafe was a cafe and so on. But I was invited to play two roles. One was Giorikas from the vineyards. In Twin Moons, I played the bouncer in a club. Through this process, I became friends with the members of the production team.”

When asked about his personal connection with Greece and Greek culture and how he passes it on to his four children, Zouvelos said, “I have told my children that, as Greeks, we are ambassadors and representatives not only of ourselves, but also of our culture and nationality. The Greek spirit has helped the world to this day. We are ambassadors of philoxenia and philotimo.”

More information is available online: shorturl.at/noCV4.