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Lou Leonardo will star alongside actress/singer Jennifer Hudson in a commercial that will air Super Bowl Sunday.

(Lou Leonardo's Facebook page. )

Lou Leonardo moved to Chicago five years ago with no job, no friends, and no connections. The CNY native quit his job at The Hartford insurance company and sold his place after being inspired by a week-long

improvisation class at Chicago's iO Theater

.

"I had to push onward and upward," he said about his bold decision to leave his home and his family to live out his acting dreams.

Like most big dreams within reach, Leonardo, 39, had to work hard to catch his. The East Syracuse-Minoa High School graduate got a job working for a law firm in Chicago's Loop, a main business district in the city. That day job gave him the money he needed to stay in Chicago while allowing him flexibility to go through the grueling audition process.

Diane Leonardo, his mother and a retired schoolteacher, said her son experienced a difficult time going after his acting pursuits.

"He got a lot of rejection," she said. Before Leonardo got the callback for the commercial, she told her husband that she didn't know how he kept taking all his rejection. "My husband told me, 'I've never seen our son so happy.'"

Happy took a few moments to register when Leonardo realized that he had been cast as a police officer alongside Grammy award and Oscar winning actress Jennifer Hudson. That American Family Insurance commercial will air this Sunday during the Super Bowl.

Leonardo was called back four times before he landed the role. "All the actors were under the assumption that they were still auditioning," he said. He had to read "I got the part" in front of a camera, which was the crew's way of telling him that he had indeed been cast for the part. "It took a few times to register," he said. His emotional response can be seen in the video below.

Because of his role, Leonardo was able to take a master acting class with Hudson where she shared her similar struggles with the entertainment business and her own perseverance. "Jen is a muse," Leonardo said. "She's so down-to-earth, and is a normal person. She is probably one of the easiest persons to talk to."

When Leonardo told his mother about his major gig, she said her first response was "Finally. Thank God. He's such a talented, well-rounded performer," she said.

She and her family plan on having a Super Bowl watch party to see Leonardo sing "O-o-h Child" alongside Hudson.

The American Family Insurance ad will be one of many commercials that cost $4.5 million for a 30-second slot during the Super Bowl. Because of a non-disclosure agreement Leonardo signed, he unable to discuss money aspects of the American Family Insurance spot.



Leonardo will continue his acting in Chicago. He was just cast in a directing show in The Second City, the improv-based sketch comedy enterprise. He also has two other show coming up at the MCL Chicago, a theater that focuses on live music comedy.