BOARDMAN HOMECOMING Man of few words on 'Shield' has plenty to say on future

An area actor visits for Easter and shares his goals for success.
By ASHLEE OWENS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
As day fades to night, Boardman is reborn in neon, headlights and moon. Ted Emporellis enters the soft glow of Starbucks caf & eacute;.
A scarf and dark peacoat define his slender frame. Black hair is tousled in that stylish every-which-way that rolling out of bed will never achieve, and his 5 o'clock shadow looks more masculine than messy. There's an air of celebrity about him, but no one tackles him for his autograph.
Not yet, anyway.
Home for Easter, the 34-year-old Los Angeles transplant has officially made his entree into the acting world in the FX police drama "The Shield." Emporellis, who appears in six episodes, plays one of four members of the "decoy squad" -- a new team in the precinct that collides with the "strike team," starring Michael Chiklis.
"In all honesty, they're just a few words," Emporellis says of his lines, over a cup of coffee. "For example, I command a perpetrator to stay down, while holding a gun to his head.
"But you'll see me about three weeks in a row, just passing by, and you'll see my face and they'll refer to my character."
Popular show
His character may be a man of few words, but those few words are scripted in a drama with a sizablefollowing that won a Golden Globe last year for best television series.
"I'm very proud to be on this show," says Emporellis.
Emporellis was born in New Jersey, and he and his mother moved to Youngstown when his parents divorced. Emporellis attended Boardman High School for two years and then studied aircraft mechanics at the Mahoning County Joint Vocational School.
That, however, was before his epiphany as a 19-year-old at a KISS concert, when he decided his passion was the entertainment industry.
Fast forward 15 years, and his r & eacute;sum & eacute; includes "road tour manager" for such bands as Bon Jovi and KISS.
"When I worked for those rock bands, I toured the world. I've been to Japan, Australia, Europe, all over the place," he says, noting that he has flown in the Concorde half a dozen times.
But life behind the scenes wasn't entirely fulfilling.
"My true passion is to be the artist," he says. "I don't want to keep making somebody else look good. At the end of the day, I want to be the guy under the spotlight."
He's up for it
Now Emporellis is enthusiastic about attending acting classes, living on macaroni and cheese between jobs and appearing on "The Shield."
"'The Shield' was a total fluke," says Emporellis, describing his phone call to Central Casting in Los Angeles and listening to a recording of available roles.
The director liked Emporellis' presence.
"You've got to be present," Emporellis says of his technique. "You have to be 'in the moment,' because if you don't believe what's going on, it'll show on your face."
That's not the easiest act to maintain all day.
"That environment of all these intense actors and intense situations is draining. You've got to be there and be mentally prepared: 'OK, well, I'm holding a gun in my hand and I have to keep somebody down.' You have to think like that and show it," Emporellis says.
Drama combines with long days for harder-than-it-looks work. "For example, the episode where I speak was probably a 10-hour day. Even though I spoke for about 30 seconds and it was over, by the end of the day, you feel tired because there's a lot of standing around, there's a lot of nothing to do, because it takes time to set up the lights."
Youngstown fan
Youngstown, away from the camera and lights for Emporellis, is a "great change of pace."
"I love the people here; I love the community. Everything you need is right here. There's affordable living and winters suck, but that's what Florida's for. It may be Youngstown, but it's our Youngstown," he adds with a smile, in a joking pep-talk voice.
And he's often homesick for it. "In LA, I have no family, no girlfriend; it's not like what you see on TV for me," he says, shaking off the Los Angeles party image.
Setting goals
But Emporellis isn't quitting. In fact, he's raising the bar for himself yet again. By the end of this year, he wants to do a major studio film.
"I put tremendous pressure on myself. That's a goal I've set, and, to be honest, it's unrealistic. But if you don't set goals for yourself, you'll never achieve them," he says, recalling his start in the music industry when he worked from bottom to top.
"Back then I said, 'I'm meant for something greater than this,'" Emporellis explains.
"And I'm not ready to rest on my laurels now."