Lincoln Place sixth-grader shines in 'Those Who Kill'

Dino with his onscreen parents, actors James D’Arcy and Anne Dudek

 

Lincoln Place sixth-grader shines in 'Those Who Kill'

By Rex Rutkoski  Published: Friday, May 2, 2014, 8:57

It wasn't long ago that sixth-grader Dino Rende of Pittsburgh's Lincoln Place dreamed of becoming a Major League Baseball player or an architect when he grew up.

Now, after landing a role on Lifetime Movie Network's “Those Who Kill,” which was filmed in Pittsburgh, he may be adding actor to those possibilities.

The suspense drama, which airs at 10 p.m. Sundays, stars Academy Award nominee Chloe Sevigny (“Big Love,” “Boys Don't Cry”) and British actor James D'Arcy (“Hitchcock,” “Cloud Atlas”). Dino, 11, plays the son of D'Arcy's character, forensic psychologist Thomas Schaeffer.

Based on a Danish crime series inspired by the best-selling work of author Elsebeth Egholm, the show follows Catherine Jensen (Sevigny), a recently promoted homicide detective with the Pittsburgh Police Department who enlists the help of Schaeffer to track down serial killers and relentlessly searches for the truth behind the disappearance of her brother. Pittsburgh serves as a prominent backdrop for the series.

Rende is John Schaeffer, an intelligent youth who sometime helps his father with a case.

“I love my character. He's really cool. We could be friends in real life,” Dino says. “I just follow the scripts and try to play the line the way I think it should be said, the way I think he would in real life.”

It is only a coincidence, says Dino's father, Frank Rende, a Pittsburgh police officer who has been on the job for 21 years, that his son happens to be in a police drama.

In fact, mother Donna Rende says, the family was not aware that Dino's audition was for the pilot of a national television series.

Since he was 7, Dino has been doing commercials, voice-overs and print ads through the Docherty Agency, Pittsburgh, but has no training in acting.

She is not surprised that Dino wanted to audition. “He's very outgoing. When we go to dinner, he will call the waitress over. He takes the initiative. He's a good student,” she says.

“The cast and crew really took to him,” Frank Rende says. “He gave them ideas, and they gave him ideas (about his part).”

“Dino is just the greatest young man,” D'Arcy says. “He is very charming and totally fearless on a film set, which is a very rare quality. I thought he was the sweetest child actor I've ever worked with.

“He had this amazing ability to absorb a note from the director and just effortlessly incorporate it into the next take without even thinking about it,” he says.

“There are no airs with Dino,” D'Arcy says. “He is just very natural, and he has great seats for the Penguins' games!”

Dino took D'Arcy to his first-ever hockey game. “He said he loved it,” Dino recalls. “We're really close.”

“They were buddies. James was like a big kid with Dino,” Donna Rende says. The two continue to text each other, though D'Arcy has moved on to his next project after filming for the first 10-episode season wrapped.

“Those Who Kill” premiered March 4 on A&E, but was bumped to its sister station after two episodes because of low ratings. There's no word on whether it will be picked up for a second season.

Pittsburgh casting agent Donna Belajac says Dino “is a natural. He nailed his first-ever audition without any acting lessons. He's incredible.”

Jared Pascoe, television and film agent for the Docherty Agency, believes Dino's greatest strength is the insight he brings to the roles for which he reads. “He gets it. A lot of younger talent just read the lines, but I think Dino understands what he is reading. And I think that helped him tremendously in booking ‘Those Who Kill.' ”

“We're super-proud of Dino,” Donna Rende says.”From the time he was a little boy, his personality was really out there. I think his two older siblings brought that out.”

Having a son on national television is “pretty neat,” and it “doesn't feel real,” Donna Rende says.

Dino is rather low-key about that exposure, his dad says. “I'm jumping up saying, ‘There you go. You're on national TV and you're a Pittsburgh kid.' We're just blown away by it,” he says.

“Everyone makes a real big deal about it; I honestly don't think it's such a big deal for some reason,” Dino says. “It's just natural.”

He concedes that it does make him “feel pretty happy” when he leaves for school in the morning and a neighbor says, “Hey, I saw your show,”' or one of his teachers at St. Therese Roman Catholic School in Munhall says, “I saw you last night.” His friends are supportive and happy for him.

“Several people ask for my autograph. I don't know if they are kidding or not,” he says. “Some call me ‘famous.' I'm not famous yet. I'd like to be.”

His parents try to keep it all in perspective for him.

“He studies his lines and goes to auditions, and he goes back to his normal life,” Donna Rende says. “If he hears back from the audition, he hears back. We don't put stress on him. If something comes out of it, great. But more than likely, it will be something you can tell your kids someday that you were on TV at one time.”

Dino Rende of Lincoln Place appears in a scene with his onscreen dad, British actor James D'Arcy, in 'Those Who Kill.'

The series was filmed in Pittsburgh.