‘Gravesend’ star looks ahead to
season two of local mob drama
BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK
He’ll have a second season!
Brooklyn-born actor William
DeMeo is riding high on
the success of his most recent
release — but he isn’t letting
it slow him down. In fact, the
Gravesend native is already
looking ahead to season two
of the series named after his
hometown.
The fi rst four episodes of
“Gravesend,” the 80’s mob series
formerly known as “The
Neighborhood,” premiered on
Amazon Prime in March, and
was quickly lauded as one of
the platform’s most streamed
mini-series.
“It trended number one for
three straight weeks,” the actor
said. “The response has
been awesome, and everybody
is asking for more episodes. So
we’re already thinking about
how we can start getting out
there, and shooting more episodes.”
The brainchild of DeMeo,
who doubles as the show’s director
and lead actor, the series
COURIER L 38 IFE, JUNE 19-25, 2020
centers around mob “soldier”
Benny Zerletta as he
grapples with leaving behind
a life of crime.
Constantly challenged by
his mother’s dying wish for
him to seek guidance from
above, Zerletta must fi nd himself
— while managing to not
get himself killed.
The show, in production
since at least 2017, fi lmed the
bulk of its fi rst season in the
‘hoods where DeMeo grew up,
and the actor plans to do the
same for round two — which,
he told Brooklyn Paper, will be
much longer than the show’s
short-but-sweet premiere season.
“We’re defi nitely going to
be giving people more of what
they want,” DeMeo said, adding
also that the series has
been picked up to play in other
countries via the streaming
service. “There’s a big demand
for it in the UK – and within
the next two months it’ll be
in Canada. We just signed a
foreign deal — and a deal for
Actor Will DeMeo with the “Brooklyn Boombox.” Will DeMeo
more episodes — so pretty
soon the whole world will get
to see 1980’s Brooklyn.”
While production across
the city and the state is on hold
still due to the novel coronavirus
pandemic, DeMeo said he
plans to chip away at season
two as early as September —
and bring the camera crew
back to southern Brooklyn as
soon as early 2021.
The show, so far, has fi lmed
at neighborhood staples like
Lenny’s Pizza, L&B, and Our
Lady of Grace Church — De-
Meo’s parish. The crew even
made sure to shoot scenes
at the now-shuttered Vegas
Diner, before it closed for good
and an episode of season
“We’re going to hit all the
old locations and some new
ones,” said the showrunner,
who starred alongside John
Travolta in the 2018 John Gotti
biopic “Gotti.”
His “Gravesend” castmates
include Louis Lombardi,
James Russo, Nicholas Turturro,
Leo Rossi, Paul Ben-
Victor, Joseph D’Onoforio,
Patrick Borriello, Christina
DeRosa and even Bo Dietl,
the former New York City Police
Department detective and
mayoral candidate.
And there will be even
more big names next season,
DeMeo said.
“We’re adding some really
well known cast members
next season,” the actor
told Brooklyn Paper. “It’s going
to be very exciting — and
we’ll have more of a budget to
really extend this. The goal is
to do multiple seasons but the
beauty of it right now is that
the world wants this show.”
And the new season can’t
come fast enough for diehard
fans of the show, who’ve been
on the edge of their seats waiting
to fi nd out the fate of the
show’s lead character, DeMeo
said. “Everyone wants to know
what happens to Benny — and
people are going to fi nd out,”
he said. “A lot of questions are
going to get answered in season
two.”
Until then, the local celebrity
says he’s just taking it all
in.
“The feedback has been astronomically
great – the biggest
compliment I get is when
people say they remember
when Brooklyn was like that,”
DeMeo said. “I’m just very
grateful. It’s a dream come
true to be able to shoot a show
in my neighborhood.”
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
The annual Nathan’s
Fourth of July Hot Dog-Eating
Contest — Brooklyn’s answer
to the Kentucky Derby and Super
Bowl combined — will go
on as planned, but not at the
corner of Stillwell and Surf
avenues.
Concerns about crowds
and social distancing amid
the COVID-19 pandemic
forced the organizers to scrap
plans for holding the gorgefest
in public outside of Nathan’s
mothership location, just
steps from the Coney Island
boardwalk. Typically, a rambunctious
crowd of thousands
relish the frankfurter frenzy
every year.
Instead, the 2020 hot dog
happening will take place in
a private location. ESPN will
televise the festivities beginning
at noon on Saturday, July
4.
The men’s and women’s divisions
are being pared down
from 15 contestants to fi ve each
to allow for social distancing.
The elite eaters already confi
rmed for the Independence
Day tradition include the defending
Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating
Contest champions: Joey
Chestnut on the men’s side,
who’s won the competition 12
times; and Miki Sudo on the
women’s side, a six-time contest
winner.
Regardless of who walks
away with the famed mustard
yellow belts, the real winners
of the 2020 sausage spectacular
are the food banks across
New York City to which this
year’s contest is dedicated.
Nathan’s Famous annually
donates 100,000 hot dogs to the
Food Bank for New York City.
Major League Eating, the
league of professional competitive
eaters, and individual
contests will also use the
contest to make and solicit
donations of their own, and
to honor essential workers in
New York City.
“2020 has been a year for
the history books, and the realization
that this storied July
4th tradition would be able
to occur is a great feeling,”
said James Walker, senior
vice president of restaurants
for Nathan’s Famous. “With
that being said, our country
and our world has endured
so much in the last couple of
months that we’d be remiss
if we didn’t use this moment
to honor those that have done
so much for each of us during
this time.”
“The Nathan’s Famous contest
is synonymous with July
4th, America and the celebration
of freedom,” added contest
host George Shea. “We are
honored to use the contest to
highlight the incredible spirit
of those who have supported
our city and nation through
the current challenge.”
According to Major League
Eating’s archives, the annual
hot dog eating contest dates
back to 1916, when Nathan
Handwerker opened his Coney
Island hot dog stand.
Another hit
Nathan’s Hot Dog-Eating Contest will
go on in isolation, away from Coney
BROOKLYN
More private meal
STANDING ROOM ONLY: Thousands typically pack the area around Nathan’s
to watch the display of gluttony. File photo by Paul Martinka