From Harrison Avenue – to Hollywood.
Miles J. Harvey was born in Peekskill and still lives here – even though he’s a star of both the big screen and personal screens. And now Harvey is part of the all-star cast of Riff Raff, opening in theaters on February 28. His costars are some of the most recognizable names in Hollywood, including Bill Murray, Pete Davidson, Ed Harris, Gabrielle Union and Jennifer Coolidge.
In Riff Raff, Harvey plays DJ, the son of Harris’s and Union’s characters. “DJ is a know-it-all sometimes, and the audience is figuring out things about his family as DJ is figuring it out,” says Harvey, who adds, “Gabrielle and Ed were awesome with me. They are the best examples of being supportive.” As for Bill Murray and Jennifer Coolidge, “He’s a legend for a reason. It’s hard to keep a straight face when he’s going off script and improvising. It’s an honor to work with him… She is hilarious. Talk about improv. She’s a pro at that.”
But it all started for Harvey right here in Peekskill. He was born in Hudson Valley Hospital and baptized at Mount Olivet Baptist Church (where his parents met) and he later became a parishioner at Mount Olivet.
Harvey’s first school was Tom Thumb preschool in Mohegan Lake, then attended Peekskill public school, until his mother Carol McKenzie-Harvey started homeschooling him for middle school and high school. “I started acting when I was young, so it made sense with my schedule to start homeschooling.” He says his mother’s support has been instrumental in his success. “If my mom wasn’t here every step of the way, I wouldn’t be here.”
His middle school music teacher, Lawrence DelCasale, was also a big influence. “He was my favorite teacher and music was my favorite subject. He was really fun. It wasn’t just chorus songs; we also sang The Beatles, Michael Jackson, The Doobie Brothers. I could talk to him and be honest with him.”
Miles’ acting chops were evident from an early age. As a fifth grader, Harvey was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for his role as JoJo in the Peekskill High School production of Seussical.
At age 11, he honored Michael Jackson’s brother Marlon at the Annual Prestige Awards in Poughkeepsie by singing “Who’s Loving You” and “Got To Be There.”
Harvey was on stage even a half a decade before that. “I got my start in acting from Yorktown Stage. Barry Liebman ran the group. He let me in when I was 5 and I stayed with them for seven years. Every connection to this industry I got through [Yorktown Stage], including my first manager and my first audition. I also went to their theater camp. A lot of Broadway kids went through there.”
From there it was on to Scarlett Antonia’s Wiz Kids, in Peekskill, where he was in the cast of “Yes Virginia” in 2012, when he was 12 years old. “We were one of the first acts to reopen the Paramount and that was a thrill.”
But Harvey says he got his first paying job at age 8, appearing in a commercial for SunnyD juice. He has also done a lot of voice acting for commercials, such as Pillsbury Grand Biscuits and Trix cereal.
While growing up in Peekskill, Harvey says he loved hanging out at the Riverfront and attending special events like the 4th of July, the New Year’s Eve ball drop and carnivals, and also having pizza by the Park Place gazebo and sweets at The Treat Station. “My friends and I got those candy cigarettes walking home from school. We always stopped there.”
He scored his first feature film role at the age of 13, playing Big Boned Kid in The Cobbler, starring Adam Sandler, Dustin Hoffman, Steve Buscemi and Method Man.
“I worked personally with Method Man. I felt like an annoying kid following him around, but he was so cool about it and always willing to run lines with me,” says Harvey. His character got its name because, “In the film Method Man calls me fat – and I say I am not fat, I am big boned.” Harvey has also appeared in the films The Babysitter, Supercool, and Roxanne, Roxanne, and the TV shows One of Us Is Lying on Peacock, and Season 2 of American Vandal on Netflix.
As a seasoned voice actor, he’s played Brewster in the animated show Chugginton and Chugginton: Badge Quest. For voice work, he doesn’t always travel to Hollywood, because he can perform some of that work from Peekskill. “I turned my closet into a vocal booth. All my auditions, and some of the shows and audio books, I have done at home.”
Harvey is a great example of Peekskill Pride. “Shoutout to Peekskill!” he says. “This is the place I was born and raised. When I heard that the Peekskill Herald wanted to interview me… this is awesome, I am really excited – shoutout to the Herald!”
Larry Epstein is a two-time Emmy award-winning documentary and news producer, journalist, writer, anchor and corporate copywriter.
