Isaiah Washington’s ‘Cousins’ Adds Philip Schulte to Cast • Hollywood Unlocked

Director Isaiah Washington’s upcoming film ‘Cousins’ has begun the casting process, with the latest cast addition being Los Angeles-based actor and entrepreneur, Philip Schulte.

Schulte will play the role of Mario Tropea – a charming, Italian-American mob-boss in his early 30s who is looking to make his mark in the world of crime. Schulte explained that aside from the criminal background of Tropea, there were many parallels between himself and the character that made him pursue the role.

“When reading the character description and the plot as a whole, I was easily able to identify with the story, as well as many characteristics Mario Tropea possesses. He may be a career criminal, but he is misunderstood due to his past experiences and has a good heart underneath it all,” Schulte explained.

Schulte recently acted in the feature film, ‘AVA’ earlier in 2024 alongside Quentin Tarantino regular, Michael Madsen and Brian Letscher, who is best known for his leading role as “Tom Larsen” in the ABC hit series, ‘Scandal.’ The film is set to be released in the Spring of 2025. Schulte also produced and starred in the 2023 film, ‘Swindle’ in which he won over a dozen awards internationally, including best actor.

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Aside from acting, Schulte spends the majority of his time focusing on the business side of the entertainment industry as a talent manager. Schulte guides over 25 prominent clients, which include star athletes such as Ryan Garcia, top-tier social media creators, recording artists, models, as well as many brands.

“I am definitely not your typical actor, and I think that’s what caught Mr. Washington’s attention. I believe something he saw in me reminded him a bit of his younger-self,” said Schulte. “I was expecting to audition with a self-tape and then maybe get called in to read after, but instead, he called me directly and we had a really great conversation on FaceTime for an hour. He definitely understands actors on the highest level, as he is an amazing actor himself, and he is unlike anyone I have met in the industry. When we finished our call, he told me that FaceTime call was my audition.”

While Isaiah Washington is best known as a talented veteran actor, he is now making a name for himself as a fearless director who is not afraid to speak on what he feels strongly about- something most people in the industry refrain from.

“My goal as a professional entertainer is to create a community of talented artists, who can ‘create’ without fear of losing their jobs or getting a job, because they said “no” to the perversity of those in power. That business model is on life support, and I intend to disconnect the power of the life support machine through excellence and success,” Washington stated.

‘Cousins’ is set to begin production in late 2024. To keep up with casting updates, you can follow Director Isaiah Washington on Instagram.