While Joseph Masi was growing up in Syosset, acting was always in the back of his mind, but not something that he pursued until he was a junior at New York Institute of Technology.

Masi was involved in many activities at NY Tech, including basketball, and his English teacher, who was also head of the theater club, approached him and asked him to try out for the upcoming play A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. "I always wanted to get involved in acting so I did it and I have been acting since then," said Masi during an interview with the Syosset-Jericho Tribune.

A few years ago, Masi had an under-five role, a role with five lines or less, on Guiding Light and the casting director kept him in mind for future roles. The casting director called him for a general audition after that and about a month later he auditioned again.

About two months ago, Masi landed a role as Maurice onGuiding Light. His role was supposed to be for a few episodes but it got extended indefinitely. On Guiding Light, there is the Santos crime family and the head of the family is the mother, Carmen. Masi's character Maurice does Carmen's dirty work. "I would like to get more of a romantic involvement," said Masi. "Many people refer to me as a 'big-hearted bad guy.'

He has been auditioning for some other roles and for some pilot seasons. "They have not killed me off yet on Guiding Light," joked Masi.

Masi remembers his days in Syosset fondly. "Syosset is a wonderful place to live and raise a family," he said. "I live in Manhattan now due to the commute, but if I could, I would live in Syosset. That would be nice, but the commuting is hard."

Masi was also recently involved with Cancer Care's Bachelor Auction at which 50 men were auctioned off to raise money for Cancer Care of Long Island, which is located in Woodbury. Masi received the highest bid of $1,000 at the auction. "This auction is for a fantastic cause," said Masi. "It leads to a nice night out for a great cause."

Masi's roll is a recurring role and not a contract role so it can end or change at any point in time. Please e-mail gl@cbs.com to send feedback and comments about Masi's character Maurice and support a Syosset native. Masi can be seen on Guiding Light on CBS Monday - Friday at 10 a.m.