'Bronx Tale' star Lillo Brancato opens up on sobriety after his drug-fueled heist ended in cop's murder
YONKERS, NEW YORK: Actor Lillo Brancato recently opened up about battling addiction and inspiring others after turning his life around following a series of legal troubles during the peak of his career. Back in 2005, his life spiraled out of control due to crack and heroin addiction, a botched burglary attempt and his presence at the crime scene during NYPD Officer Daniel Enchautegui’s slaying. Although Brancato was acquitted of the cop’s murder, he served eight years in prison for his role in the burglary incident that led to Enchautegui’s death.
Years later, the actor successfully managed to battle addiction and is currently inspiring others to stay clean and steer clear of involvement in criminal activities both through his work at an addiction treatment facility in New Jersey and his Instagram account, where he shares motivation messages with his 95,000 followers. During a recent interview, Brancato told the New York Post about his mantra for others, “You can be anything you want to be,” a quote from Robert De Niro’s ‘A Bronx Tale’ character, Lornezo Anello. Brancato played the role of De Niro’s character’s son, Calogero, in the 1993 coming-of-age crime film.
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‘Kind of holds me accountable’
During the lowest point of his life, Brancato snorted up to 20 bags of crack, cocaine and heroin in a day and went to extreme lengths to find the next high, the actor shared in a recent interview with the publication. He said that he spent $14,000 on drugs within two weeks ahead of his botched burglary attempt and near “the end” of his concerning addiction. “I remember that amount specifically because that is what my mom put in my checking account for rehab, which I only went to for two days, and then I cleaned out the rest of the $14,000,” Brancato shared.
The actor revealed that he last did drugs in Rikers in 2006 before beginning his journey to get clean. Several years later, Brancato is now focusing on helping other people beat addiction. He currently works as the director of public relations at More Life Recovery Center in Metuchen, where he highlights on the notion of culpability. “Just the whole accountability concept, for me, is so important,” Brancato told the outlet while driving to a therapy session. “I’m going there now, and we have like 15, 20 kids, and I’m trying to teach them some of the things that I learned along the way,” he added.
Speaking about his weekly Metuchen session, the actor said, “You know, just the mere fact that I am doing that, it kind of holds me accountable. Because it’s like, ‘bro, you’re telling us all this stuff, teaching us all this stuff,’ so now you have a responsibility to actually live this way.” He also shared that he was formed a “very symbiotic” relationship with clients during his three-year at the drug and alcohol addiction treatment facility. “I’m held accountable by them, that I have to do the right thing and live the right way so they can prosper because they’re looking up to me. It’s mutually beneficial and it’s, like, exactly where I need to be,” Brancato mentioned.
‘Didn’t know that I was going to be that much of an inspiration’
Kenneth Sass, the owner of the outpatient facility at More Life Recovery Center, met Brancato through a mutual friend in 2020, the New York Post reported. Sass told the publication that he immediately knew Brancato could help others overcome their struggles and play an “impactful” role at the center. “Ever since we tried it, it’s been phenomenal. He’s instrumental in the whole system. He’s instrumental – period,” Sass said. “I didn’t know that I was going to be that much of an inspiration. But I could see right away I had an audience, just because I guess I had that credibility being that I was away,” Brancato noted while speaking about his impact at the addiction treatment center. He also shared that he was inspired by a dialogue De Niro’s ‘A Bronx Tale’ character told his.
“You can be anything you want to be. Remember, the saddest thing in life is wasted talent. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don’t do the right thing, then nothing happens. But when you do right, guess what? Good things happen, ya hear me?” Lorenzo Anello told Calogero when the latter asked if he can become a baseball player. Barcato said that 30 second exchange between the two characters still “means so much” to him. “I realize I have less time in this world, and it becomes much more crucial not to waste your talent,” he concluded. “It’s good to hear that Lillo has turned his life around, and is using his experience to help others,” De Niro told the New York Post through his representative.
Why was Lillo Brancato in prison?
On Dec. 10, 2005, Brancato and his accomplice Steven Armento broke into a friend’s home in Bronx during while desperately searching for drugs. During the heist, off-duty NYPD officer Daniel Enchautegui confronted the pair shortly before Armento open fired and killed the cop on the spot.
Following the incident, Armento was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on first-degree murder charges for the fatal shooting of the officer. Brancato was convicted of attempted burglary but acquitted in Enchautegui’s slaying. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and was released from the Hudson Correctional Facility in 2013 after serving eight years time.
Where is Lillo Brancato now?
Brancato is currently based in Yonkers, New York. Following his release from prison, Brancato returned to the big screen with the 2016 film ‘Back in the Day.’ The actor’s chance at redemption was largely condemned by Enchautegui’s family and the city’s police union. However, director Paul Borghese believed that Brancato deserved another chance.
“Everybody deserves a second chance. He’s in a much better place. He was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong person,” Borghese told the New York Post in 2015. Brancato also appeared in 2021’s ‘Made in Mexico’ and ‘Sleepyhead.’ He is also writing a screenplay titled ‘Never Meet Your Heroes,’ a drama centered on addiction. The actor has even amassed around 95,000 followers on Instagram, where he shares daily inspiration messages.