Actor Paulo Costanzo films Royal Pains in the Hamptons.
On the popular television series Royal Pains, Canadian actor Paulo Costanzo plays Evan Lawson. His onscreen brother, Dr. Hank Lawson (played by Mark Feuerstein), is a concierge doctor to the Hamptons; together, they run HankMed—or at least they did until the season three came to a cliffhanger close in February.
The USA network show returned on June 6 for its fourth season with the brothers dividing: Hank strikes out on his own, and Evan seeks out new doctors, which means new faces on the show including Emmy-nominated actor Ben Shenkman (Angels in America) and Judy Greer (Two and a Half Men), as well as an extended role for Brooke D’Orsay (Drop Dead Diva). The fellow Canadian plays Costanzo’s girlfriend, Paige. “No one has told me this, but I have a feeling there’s going to be a wedding this season,” says Costanzo, who is set to direct his first episode this year.
Royal Pains films on location throughout the Hamptons, where the 33-year-old says he’s captivated by much of the landscape and the breathtaking homes in which the cast often films. He remembers one in particular: “It included a functional, full-sized bar, flanked by two 10-foot aquarium pillars, replete with living coral and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fish,” says Costanzo of the noteworthy real estate. He adds that the tank even had to be cleaned by a person in a scuba suit.
Production often calls on Hamptonites to serve as extras. “The local people are so nice to us—it’s almost like the show is a mascot to the Hamptons,” says Costanzo. “It’s their hometown show.”
Although spending the day with recognizable celebrities in a breathtaking landscape is all in a day’s work for the actor now, Costanzo’s career beginnings were a little less glamorous. His father worked in the film industry as a prop master. When Costanzo went to visit him on the set of a small independent film called Deeply Deeply Trunk, he decided he wanted to become an actor. As he got older, he dabbled in Canadian television series and made-for-TV movies, but his big break came through a nationwide talent search. “I thought I blew the audition, but they called me up and said they were flying me to New York to screen test for Road Trip,” says Costanzo of his breakout role in the 2000 comedy, which costarred Tom Green, Amy Smart, and Breckin Meyer. “No one told me [executive producer] Ivan Reitman was going to be there.”
Costanzo and the Hamptons can be seen all summer in Royal Pains on Wednesday nights on the USA Network.
