First, thanks so much to all of you from around the globe who are writing with such joy because you “saw me” in the new movie, In The Heights. I appreciate every social media note, your emails and phone calls. In the photo above, I am the man with the open shirt and hat in the middle!
A few of you are surprised to see me in an “acting” capacity, since your interactions with me have been through my role as a visual journalist, workshop instructor, college professor or consultant in your newspaper.
Well, acting is dear to me, and it is, indeed, what I thought I would do as a career. I was a child actor in Cuba from the time I was 10 years old. But, geopolitics intervened, the Castro revolution triumphed and my wise parents put me on a Pan Am flight from Havana to Miami in 1962. Suddenly, in a new country, with no knowledge of English and not even my parents here, I was another Pedro Pan, a refugee waiting to discover—and to live–the American Dream.
I was in one of the first films made in Cuba after Fidel Castro came to power, playing the sidekick of the young rebel in El Joven Rebelde (1961), see the image below. When my parents learned that the film would premiere in Moscow, they decided Miami would be a more suitable destination for me. It was! I will forever be thankful for their decision. Here I am in El Joven Rebelde with the star, Blas Mora.
Watch El Joven Rebelde (I appear in the early part of the film):
From telenovelas and film actor to restaurant bus boy
So, a few days after I had played my last scene in a Cuban telenovela titled, Esta Es Tu Vida, I was collecting dirty dishes at the Suzanne Restaurant in Downtown Miami. The photo above is from that telenovela, where I appear here with Lilia Lazo and Jorge Marx, the two stars. I was 11 years old playing the role of Juanito, the boy adopted by the affluent family.
Not to mention the number of commercials in which I appeared, including this one for Salutaris, a Sprite-like drink:
I traded film, theater, radio and television appearances plus tutors and drama lessons with the talented Sergio Dore, a TV director and top coach in the Vedado section of Havana, for a white apron, a wooden crate on which to sit for my breaks at the restaurant, and eight hours a day at Miami’s Ada Merritt Junior High School not understanding a word anyone said.
A journalism/academic career develops
Acting became a thing of the past in my new country. I had to learn English. I had to work to make enough money to help my parents who, by then, had left Cuba via Mexico, where they waited 6 months before they could get the visa to come to the US. My tip jar became my best friend. As my acting dreams evaporated, I began to work on the American dream. I liked to write, and, as English became friendlier to me, I found out that my writing did not have an accent and that it was a way to express myself. I joined the school newspaper, and eventually became the editor of the Falcon Times at Miami-Dade and of The Oracle at the University of South Florida. Both jobs offered scholarships, which is how I was able to get my undergraduate degree. I am thankful for my mentors there, the inspiring Prof. Barbara Garfunkel and Dr. Arthur M. Sanderson.
Let’s hear it for Cuban Pete
A new career called me and I answered the call. It was 54 years later, and already living in New York City that I was asked to make a video to raise scholarship money for the Society of News Design, and I decided to put on a tuxedo and channel my best Desi Arnaz to do Cuban Pete. I put the number together with the marvelous assistance of the late Rick Unterberg, the pianist at The Townhouse and a dear friend whom I will always miss. It felt great to hold those maracas in my hands, to face the camera and to see the spotlights in front of me. It was, in a way, as if those five decades have never happened. I was in my element. And so, Cuban Pete became a number I would sing time and time again on Saturday nights at The Townhouse as long as Rick was ready to accompany me.
It was not perfect, but it was pure fun. Take a look here:
It was as if we never said goodbye
Cuban Pete became my anthem, the song that settled inside of me to remind me how much I missed acting and being in front of the cameras. Not one to retreat from challenges, I did not let my age at the time –66 years —keep me from pursuing a little acting. Why not? After all, here I was in New York City, entertainment central nerve of the world. I was daring enough to try out for auditions.
My first such escapade was an audition for Tenderloin Towers, a project of Bruce McKenna, for whom I audition one afternoon in a studio in Times Square. I was handled a script to read and a number. Eventually I entered a small studio, shook hands with Bruce and we were instantly simpatico with each other. Bruce surprised me when he told me I would play Vix Romero, a sort of charming villain. I learned much from Bruce as I re entered the world of acting. I will forever be grateful to Bruce for giving this chance to pursue my dream. I filmed my scenes with the wonderful actress and great lady Mary Looram. Here I am with Mary:
…and with co-star Kathryn Kuhn
Then came Blue City
I went from playing the calculating Vix Romero to becoming a Cuban grandfather mourning the murder of his grandson and ending up with his throat cut in Blue City, the Amazon series. A juicy monologue and a bloody ending awaited here:
See my turn as Juan’s grandfather:
Other casting calls….
I joined the ranks of all those New York City actors who go from audition to audition.
I sat thru many of them, often yielding my spot to a young man or woman who needed to get back to a job as waitress, dog walker, nanny or pizza delivery person.
Going for auditions in your late 60s is quite different from when one is his 20s. I had long conversations in the waiting rooms of studios all over New York City and heard young aspiring actors tell their stories: “I have a Masters in theater from Yale,” said a young man in red All Star shoes. “I was the lead in my college production of The Music Man, ” said the young woman who now wanted to be in the Bette Midler production of Hello, Dolly!
They were nervous, anxious about their prospects, many living from month to month in an expensive city. To me, auditions were fun, no pressure, and, like them, I did not get many of the parts.
I was daring to try out for Hello, Dolly! myself, and for the Gloria Estefan musical On Your Feet. For both, maestro Rick Unterberg coached me. I had to sing, and I had to dance. Did not get any parts, but, oh, the experience.
I remember that the morning I auditioned for On Your Feet, I emerged from the audition smiling, sat at a table in the middle of Times Square and talked to myself: Mario, you are daring. You have the guts. How dare you sing and dance in front of a choreographer and a music director? Then I called my daughter Ana and told her what I had just done.
Thank God my children are not alarmed by anything they hear from me.
Like running a marathon, auditions, as so many things in life ,are not about completing them, but having the courage to start them.
Rejection is not good, at any age. But I looked at the positive side, what I have learned each time I read or sang for a part I did not get.
Other parts came along….
Auditions worked some times and I had a role in the sitcom Royal Pains, as well as the role of a journalist in the Spanish production Quinta Planta (2015), filmed in New York City. Here are some scenes from that production, with writer/director Mikel Rueda:
The Finellis, the new sitcom
Filmed in Berlin, The Finellis is the master project of Mark Janicello, who wrote and stars in the show as Tony Finelli. Mark describes The Finellis as “Mrs. Doubtfire” meets “Goodfellas” meets “Glee.” I originally read for the part of George, Tony’s dad, but could not quite get the NY Italian accent right. Following my audition, Mark contacted me and said: “The camera likes you, Mario, so I am going to write a new character for you.”
And so, Jorge Alberto Gutierrez was born: a Cuban American in Berlin who marries a transgender woman and settles with her in the German capital where she owns a small cabaret. Jorge is a dream role, a man with big dreams who gets to sing and dance too. What fun few days shooting in Berlin, with a superb cast and listening to Mark’s delightful singing in such Broadway classics as I am What I Am.
It was great fun to get into Jorge’s colorful “guaracheras” and I look forward to returning to that role in the future. The Finellis has been critically acclaimed and has received more than 20 international awards.
Then comes In The Heights
On July 9, 2019, I spent the day filming the scene in which I appear at the end of the film. What an experience it was to be on set with Lin Manuel Miranda, the creative, talented, friendly man with whom I shook hands and exchanged a few words of my admiration for him.
For this final scene, Lin Manuel invited cast members of the various theatrical productions of In The Heights to participate. Imagine the collective talent of such great voices. I was moved as those performers around me erupted into Paciencia y Fe. Lin Manuel would pose with all the returning stars for photos, some of which I captured here:
There is a bit of my acting history. I imagine I have not played the last role yet. At 74, still auditioning, enjoying every casting opportunity and knowing that you can follow your dreams at any age.
Read The New York Times’ review of In The Heights
The film’s review:
C’S PICK
‘In the Heights’ Review: In Dreams Begin Responsibilities
And the casting controversy….
Our mobile storytelling workshops now available remotely
Professors: get your review version of The Story on time for fall classes
As an academic, I know the importance of having the right tools to advance our students, especially on the important subject of mobile storytelling. Please drop me an email if you would like to sample The Story in its digital edition: mario@garciamedia.com
Start writing or type / to choose a block
The full trilogy of The Story now available–3 books to guide you through a mobile first strategy. Whether you’re a reporter, editor, designer, publisher, corporate communicator, The Story is for you! https://amazon
TheMarioBlog post # 3318