“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”
Bruce Lee
Acting from the get go….
It was 2015 and I don’t know how I stumbled on an article titled “The top five regrets of the dying”. It was this article that kicked off a set of events that would forever change my way of life.
I was a corporate executive, Vice President of IT. My personality lets me thrive in things that are binary with set parameters. Even though I love structure, there are times where I want to be someone completely different.
Before quitting my corporate job of 12 years, I thought about what I would want to do instead. I didn’t want to quit my job just so I could do the same thing somewhere else. No, no… If I was going to quit my job, I was going to take a big chance.
I didn’t want to be on my death bed saying, “I wish I would have done this or that”. I looked back at my life and remembered all these small memories hidden in corners of my mind.
The very first time I stepped on a stage was at the age of nine. It was a sixth-grade play. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I remember the bright lights and the audience. Then in seventh grade I remember doing a small scene in a film.
After graduating high school, I toured with a Latin rock band in the NYC tri-state area. We were successful, even recording and producing an album as well as opening for well-known acts.
When I went to college, I studied cinematography. I directed a few films and acted in a few as well. Along the way I found corporate America and all my dreams were put on hold.
Even though I had been working in corporate America I still somehow kept my foot in the creative arts. I attended a conservatory at Stella Adler and did Improv at UCB in NYC.
So, as I sat in my corporate office, looking out the window wondering what I could do. I recalled all those events and decided that I would try and become a working actor.
Never give up, always believe.
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Who would have thought?
A year after quitting my corporate job, I was lucky enough to film three episodes for the show called “The Path”. Never in my wildest dreams did I believe I would be sharing screen time with Hugh Dancy, Victoria Cartagena, Aaron Paul and MIchelle Monaghan.
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And we continue
I have been extremely fortunate to do a few commercials, small films, all your local NYC shot TV shows. Working as an actor is harder than it might seem. If you don’t work, you don’t get fed. So, it’s up to you to make something out of yourself.
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Even in Spanish
Being bilingual has its benefits. I was able to do this great gig for Capital One. I did all teleprompter work in Spanish. This also helped me with voice over work. All the voice training I did at Stella Adler has really helped me in all these gigs.
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Using my looks for something
One of the remarkable things about acting is that if you have a particular look, you get cast as that. I have no problem being cast as anything I can portray. My last gig was as a shaman for the show Billions.
Post Covid Acting
Right before Covid happened I had been cast for a show called Harlem Kitchen. It was so amazing. I had gone to cooking boot camp before the entire world shut down. Needless to say a lot has changed since then. I continue my acting career, slowly but surely. Check back for updates.