Per Us Weekly, Scanavino was born on February 29, 1980, making him a Leap Year baby. Via Broadway.com, he was raised in the small town of Evergreen, Colorado, a place he told the website was "a mountain town of about 5,000 people." He went to Boston University in the hope of graduating with a degree in another profession. Instead, his life changed when he read "The Fervent Years" by Harold Clurman during his freshman year. The book follows the founding and collapse of The Group Theater during the 1930s. Enlivened, he dropped out of college to become an actor.
While Scanavino admits his parents "freaked out" at his choice, he felt like it was a move he had to make. "At that point in my life, I was stuck in a rut and needed to try something bold," he said. "I thought, 'What's the craziest thing I can do?' So I decided to drop out, move to New York and become an actor."
Like many young actors, Scanavino waited tables before making his way to success. But unlike many young actors, he landed a slot at a summer program held at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theater Institute. He was also mentored by actress Kathryn Grody. One of his big breaks was landing a role in the Broadway play "Shining City" in 2006. On Twitter in 2015, the actor shared footage of himself performing the solo monologue "Drinking in America" at the American Palace Theater from that time period.
