Nicholas D’Agosto always knew he wanted to be an actor. Over the years, his involvement in a speech team, improv classes and high school plays kept him on his chosen career path.

Hollywood came beckoning his senior year of high school, when he landed a role in the 1999 film Election. The movie was released during his freshman year at Marquette.

This left him with a decision to make: would he stay at Marquette to continue his studies, or leave for Los Angeles to follow his dreams?

D’Agosto decided  L.A. could wait until he finished college.

But, once he graduated, he relocated to Los Angeles and appeared in a number of films and television shows. He’s had roles in The Office, Fired Up!, Heroes and the upcoming release of Dirty Girl.

Most recently, he can be seen dodging bridge collapses and cheating death as Sam Lawton in Final Destination 5, which was released this August.

D’Agosto sat down with the Marquette Journal to discuss his experiences at Marquette and his leading role in Final Destination 5.

Marquette Journal: Why did you choose Marquette?

Nicholas D’Agosto: I went to a Jesuit high school in Omaha, Nebraska and the Jesuits are pretty good about advertising to their students to continue with a Jesuit education, which was something I was attracted to. One of my teachers had heard about Phylis Ravel at Marquette, who had extensive theater training and thought that she would be a very good fit for me. [Marquette] was a school that I felt comfortable with and really enjoyed.

After graduating with degrees in history and theater, D’Agosto pursued acting full time.

MJ: What do you think it is about the Final Destination movies that have been drawing fans in for so many years?

ND: It allows people to laugh at how gory they are. You can kind of bond over it and laugh about how you can’t beat death. I love the surprises and the Rube Goldberg aspect. Rube Goldberg was a puzzle-maker who made puzzles where you push one thing and it kills you a separate way. That’s kind of what these movies are about.

Did you know: D’Agosto shares the screen in Final Destination 5 with another former guest star of The Office—David Koechner. He plays D’Agosto’s boss at, ironically, a paper company.

MJ: After filming the opening disaster sequence on a bridge, are you a little paranoid about driving over a bridge now?

ND: I think it actually works the opposite way. I did a movie about dying on a bridge, so I’m never going to die on a bridge now. It’d be too ironic if I die on a bridge. I’m just going to build a house on a bridge and I feel like I’ll be taken care of.

MJ: There are some pretty great twists in this film. How have the fans reacted?

ND: Oh, they love it. The producers and writers had a strong view that this movie was all about the fans and the reactions are awesome. These are two great twists that kind of reinvigorated the franchise. They are fun and keep the movie fresh.

D’Agosto has not forgotten his Marquette roots

 MJ: What do you think is something Marquette students need to do before they graduate?

ND: Go to Thurman’s bar. That was my favorite bar. Just enjoy Marquette. Don’t ever say no. Take advantage of your time here and of the opportunities. You have a lot of things at your fingertips.