Overview
Wasted Talent is a gritty documentary directed by Steve Stanulis and produced by Noel Ashman that looks at the temptations and hardships that many budding celebrities face on their way to recognition. It tells the life of actor Lillo Brancato, who was once hailed as the new Robert De Niro after playing in A Bronx Tale (De Niro's directorial debut), Renaissance Man, Crimson Tide, and the iconic television series The Sopranos. Brancato, on the other hand, became entrapped in the underbelly of Hollywood, eventually becoming a heroin addict and being arrested for the murder of a New York City police officer on a drug trip gone horrifically wrong. Despite the fact that Brancato was acquitted of murder, he was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for attempted burglary. The young actor was ultimately able to get clean and sober during his time in prison, and is now attempting to rehabilitate himself in the fickle world of entertainment.