From Po'Town to Hollywood, actor Kevin Makely stars in new Western 'Badland'

The path to Hollywood for Kevin Makely began in the woods of Poughkeepsie.

That is where the 1992 graduate of Roy C. Ketcham High School spent his childhood days playing behind the old Ramada Inn and the acres of land that bordered IBM along South Road in Poughkeepsie.

“I grew up in a single-mother home, my brother and I,” said Makely, whose mother, Joan, still lives in Poughkeepsie.

Makely's latest movie, “Badland,” in which he stars and produces, opens Nov. 1 in select theaters and on demand.

“We did not have a lot of money at all,” he said. “My mom worked three jobs to put food on the table.”

Like most kids growing up, movies and television were magic for him.

On the weekends, he would go to whatever big film was playing at the time: “Blade Runner,” “E.T.” among many others. And every night at 6 p.m., there were the reruns of “Star Trek” he enjoyed watching after dinner.

“The thought of being in movies and TV was untouchable,” said Makely, who lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Christi, and two young daughters, Hazel and Violet.

Known for his rugged roles in Westerns, Makely’s film repertoire includes 2018’s “Big Legend,” in which he portrays a former soldier who ventures into the Pacific Northwest to find the truth behind his fiancée's disappearance, and “Any Bullet Will Do,” also released in 2018 in which he plays a ruthless headhunter in 1876 Montana, who is tracking down his own brother with the help of a young fur trapper.

But acting was not something Makely saw in his immediate future growing up in Dutchess County.

As a creative outlet, Makely started playing the bass clarinet in sixth grade, but conceded that wasn’t a good fit for him. When he turned 15, his mother bought him a bass guitar, and he formed the band Ascender, which performed at places such as the old Hoe Bowl in Wappingers. After high school he was in another band, Implode, which played the Chance and other local venues.

Although Makely’s star is on the rise, he has not forgotten his humble roots.

“Kevin and I met at the Music Connection, a store that sold instruments across from the Galleria, when we were 14 or 15 (1988-89),” said musician Andy Pietroluongo, who plays guitar for the metalcore band, All Out War. “My guitar teacher was performing, and Kevin and I hit it off immediately.

Pietroluongo said Makely still keeps in touch with old friends from Poughkeepsie.

“There was never a doubt that Kevin would excel at anything he set out to do,” Pietroluongo said. “He was the natural leader of my group of friends growing up, and always seemed to have a way of making positive things happen. Even now, after living in California for many years, he’s still the one to get everyone together, stay in touch, and invite us to his film premieres. Good fortune really couldn’t have happened to a more deserving and hardworking guy.”

Inspired by actor Sylvester Stallone, Makely got into bodybuilding at a young age. He worked as a bouncer at the former Cactus Club on Market Street and as a bartender at Confetti’s on Academy Street, both in Poughkeepsie.

He was working as a fitness trainer at Bally Total Fitness in New York City and doing commercials and small film roles, including one opposite Russell Crowe in the 2001 film "A Beautiful Mind," when he got a lucky break. 

“They were asked who’s your top trainer that we can put on 'The Today Show,’ ” Makely said. "They said, 'Kevin Makely is one of our top trainers and he is in the movie 'A Beautiful Mind.' Then I got the call asking if I would do a segment with Katie Couric about power walking. A few days later there I was power walking with Katie Couric on 'The Today Show' as the National Spokesperson for Bally Total Fitness.

“They flew me all over, showing the latest fitness trends,” said Makely who won the tri-state professional Natural Bodybuilding contest in 1997.

His first role of note came from an open call in Manhattan for the Woody Allen film “Celebrity.”

“I got the role and that expanded to other things,” said Makely, adding that in the poster for the 1998 film, a portion of his left eye can be seen in the background behind the photograph of Charlize Theron, who plays a supermodel in the film.

The realization that acting was something he could do, and earn a living with, appealed to him.

“This poor kid from Poughkeepsie could be in the movies, too,” he said. “I worked at it and worked hard, and was able to move to New York City.”

One role led to another, and he has a pedigree of roles in television that include “All My Children,” “As the World Turns” and “Desperate Housewives;" and films such as "Zeroville," “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” and 2005’s “The Bad News Bears.”

Makely said he loves Westerns and action films, and his role models growing up were Clint Eastwood, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Stallone.

“I got my hero status from these guys,” he said. “These are the guys who molded who I was — Clint and Sylvester — it’s like the ‘Outlaw Josie Wales’ meets ‘Rambo.' "

His latest Western, in which he stars as the gunslinging detective Matthias Breecher, and which he produced with his Papa Octopus Productions, is written and directed by Justin Lee. Co-stars include Amanda Wyss (“Highlander”) and Ryan Kelley (“Teen Wolf”), with supporting roles from Mira Sorvino, Bruce Dern and country singer Trace Adkins. The film is set a decade after the Civil War and his character is hired by one of the first African American senators to track down some of the worst Confederate war criminals.

“He’s very stoic and an honorable man that believes in the job,” Makely said about his character.

He said he can relate to the character for his core values, and only having to be tough when one has to be.

“It’s so much fun,” he said about acting. “It’s like playing the most ultimate game of make-believe and to be the heroes that were my role models growing up. I get to share that with the world.”

Makely said it was a great experience working with Dern, who he said “is one of the most amazing talents and people in the business out there today. He’s one of the last of the greats.” 

Sorvino, who won the Academy Award for her role in Woody Allen’s 1995 comedy “Mighty Aphrodite,” plays Makely’s love interest in the new film, the daughter of one of the war criminals he is charged with apprehending.

“It was such a pleasure to work with her,” Makely said. “She’s such a beautiful person and she brought her ‘A’ game to it. It made me realize if I can act opposite an Oscar winner that I can do anything. It made me feel great.”

He also enjoyed working with actor Wes Studi, who recently made history by becoming the first Native American to receive an honorary Oscar during the Oct. 27 Governors Awards.

Makely said his dream role would be to work with Stallone on a project.

“He’s my big hero,” he said. “He got me into bodybuilding and everything I am in to today.”

He also said he would love that film to be shot in Poughkeepsie. 

"I want so badly to do a foot chase across a crowded Walkway Over the Hudson," Makely said. "I have loved that old bridge ever since I was a kid growing up in Poughkeepsie." 

His advice for up-and-coming actors is to work hard and to heed advice from everybody.

“Take the advice that works for you and don’t ever take no for an answer,” Makely said. “If destiny is not opening its door for you, you have to open your own doors. There is no deadline for your dream.”

Makely said he is grateful for the life he leads today and for his family and friends.

“Every second that is not put into these movies I love to spend with my family and my daughters, they keep me busy,” he said.

Barbara Gallo Farrell: bfarrell@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4979; Twitter: @PJBarb