Elmont actor pens new script

McGregory Fredrique started acting after his football career was derailed.

Courtesy McGregory Fredrique

McGregory Frederique’s dream of playing professional football was derailed in 2017, when a truck slammed into his car, and he suffered injuries to his legs, face and head. He could not play the sport for months, and as he was recovering, he saw an advertisement for a casting agency. For a dollar, the ad said, the agency would offer him full use of its services for a week.

He tried it out, and has since been cast in hundreds of roles, earning several awards along the way. Now, at the age of 34, Frederique is trying something new — screenwriting.

“As an actor, your mind starts to expand,” and you want to try different aspects of the filmmaking process, Frederique, of Elmont, said.

He started writing a script entitled “R.E.G.R.E.T,” about a couple’s relationship issues. In the script, Jessica always seems to put her husband, Will, first, but Will always seems to prioritize everything else over his wife. “We really have people out there that act like this,” Frederique said, and when he read it over, he said, he realized that it was actually pretty good.

So, he sent it to a screenwriter who got a television show picked up from Warner Bros., figuring, “in L.A., they don’t sugarcoat anything,” and he agreed that the script was worthwhile.

“It’s so raw and realistic,” said Jaysalee Salcedo, who Frederique hired to assistant direct the film. She saw the script on a Facebook group for aspiring directors, and decided to message Frederique, telling him that she would love to be involved.

She felt a “really strong connection” to the Jessica character, she said, because she was in a similar situation. “It relates to a lot of people who have been in relationships where their partner doesn’t have their best interest at heart,” Salcedo said.

Frederique and Salcedo are going to start auditioning actors for the film virtually in April, and invite those they like to an in-person audition in May. They will then start filming in June, after which Frederique will premiere “R.E.G.R.E.T” at film festivals throughout Long Island.

“This movie is going to be something new to screens,” Salcedo said, with Frederique adding, “It’s going to be mind-blowing.”