Meet Armando Ortuño | Actor & Vocalist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Armando Ortuño and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Armando, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?

This may seem so funny, although when I was a kid, my friends and I would genuinely play outside of our home and do improv and pretend we were different objects or characters. I remember we would fake being WWII soldiers and jump on mud, grab dry dirt and rub it on our clothes to imitate military fatigues. I would also try to voice looney toon characters, hot wheel noises when I would play with toy cars, and I would imitate dances from singers such as Michael Jackson in my living room. All of this had me in a position where I enjoyed watching entertainment, TV Shows, and studio voice overs on TV as I would visit universals studios almost all the time to get the feeling of being on set.

As I grew I knew deep down in my heart that I had to pursue this feeling and burning desire to complete this calling of somehow getting involved in the entertainment industry. I took my first acting classes around 2020 and it was one of the best choices I have made in my life. I was able to meet amazing people who mentored me and guided me to the correct path. I knew this was the start of my career as it was there where I got signed by my manager and agent. This calling that I had, it felt so unreal that I was able to take something I grew up doing as a kid and turn it into something that I can do for as a living. I had the privilege of meeting many talented actors and coaches who I use to see on TV. In doing so, I have been able to focus on school for acting and when the time was right I was able to get in front of the camera and book jobs off of my agent and really be on set with talented crews that I have come across throughout my career.

My acting jobs that I have been able to do has molded me and shaped me into the craftsmen I have to be to achieve the level I would like to be in, wether they have been movies, short films, and even commercials as one of my first bookings was an AMC Coca-Cola Commercial. This artistic career has been an experience and an emotional rollercoaster as it can get really fun but it can have its moments if you are not prepared. Living the life I have been wanting to express and relive this childhood dream of mine was something that I am definitely thankful for. I can tell you now being in front of the cameras and waiting for that slate to hit together while director yells action is one of the most rewarding things you can definitely hear when you have been waiting to do acting all your life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

Being an Actor all I can say is that I love being a representation to the Latino / Hispanic community as its hard to find certain idols that I can look up too that look like me. It’s been an honor working with various directors and crews that come from all around the world. It is always exciting to step into a back lot or a movie set where you just see everything come together to make a particular scene, such as when I have to speak Spanish to bring my character to life as some of my roles require to speak Spanish. This is definitely a huge plus on my end because I love to just show where I come from and if I can do it in front of a camera, I will for my community such as when I worked with Mario “Scar” Ponce who is a big representation in Mexican Culture. I am mostly proud of when my films get shown at film festivals and get accolades or get screened at huge red carpet events and I am able to bring my family with me. It can get emotional because my parents never would have thought that they would be walking into a Cinemark at a red carpet to see a movie that I was in on the big screen. My parents both come from poor backgrounds and they never really got to see the luxurious side of things when it came down to them moving to the states as my father is from Nicaragua and my mother is from Mexico.

I love being able to provide for my family with what I get from my projects and being able to share those experiences with them. There are a few challenges that arise when it comes to acting, as it can take me away for days or even months depending how far Im shooting or how long I am needed. I tend to get homesick very fast and I am not a big fan of traveling, although for my craft I will travel if its needed. It can get difficult balancing my life with my career as sometimes it can get really hard and I become overwhelmed and it may seem like there isn’t any break, but one thing I always tell myself is that there is a reward at the end and my story isn’t finished.

I am proud of my work and I am grateful to work with a director by the name of Joshua Estrada on a new project “Apego” in which I was able to lead on recently. Another project I believe was a huge milestone for me that I would like to share is a movie I was in called “Fight for love” which I was featured in made by Crystal Ellis and is now streaming and you can see me on amazon prime. Now of course, I am eternally grateful for every acting opportunity I get although sometimes things don’t go the way they should, sometimes on set maybe a scene you were suppose to do first can get pushed all the way till the end of day and now you have to prepare for the scene that you probably didn’t practice the night before. That is just one challenge that can happen onset compared to a thousand more. One more thing I would like to share about my art is that its not for everyone, but for those who are willing to commit for the long run. Soon, I believe there will be a wave of Hispanic actors on the rise to representation and I will personally make it my goal to represent my community the right way and you can count me in. This story isn’t finished as there will be more opportunities to come for many actors to get involved and guided the correct way. I personally will be an even stronger advocate for those who come from struggling backgrounds, rough neighborhoods, broken families that would like to become actors as I come from that background being raised in Wilmington, CA.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Being an Actor in LA can be very busy if you’re always on go mode and sometimes its always best to take some time for yourself for health and mental clarity. I would love to share some places I go to or visit that can help me in my career or just some time to relax. There’s a rundown place in San Pedro, CA that is called Sunken City and this place has rocks in a hill you can sit on and just stare out into the ocean. The way the waves sound and the breeze is so relaxing and I believe it can definitely be a good reading spot if you like reading.

Some other place you can try checking out in LA, if you have a last minute self tape due and you’re not sure if you can have a reader on the spot, there is a location sometimes I use which is called Dr. Self Tapes. This spot basically provides the backdrop, camera, reader and studio ready for you to go once you arrive. Trust me this comes in handy if you have an extreme last minute self tape due and you weren’t able to get to it earlier this is the spot you can use to get it done.

I know some people love photography and personally I love doing photoshoots and one of the places I believe is underrated is the LA River located by 6th Street Bridge. The Bridge was built in 1932 it was a fixture of the LA landscape and has appeared in countless TV, film, and video projects. Many projects would do a lot of car related drag scenes in this location as it is iconic and well known. I encourage anyone to check this place out as it has a lot of value and it is a landmark of Los Angeles and a place where you can build your photography portfolio.

Lastly if you’re ever in Burbank area, I recommend to check Burbank Town center as it has a huge plaza that stretches for about three blocks and has variety or stores and shops that you can check out. Im a big fan of thrift stores so there’s plenty too look at in that location. If you ever have the chance there is also a restaurant I would suggest, it is Wokano which has asian fusion food from Chinese food to sushi. One of my personal favorite plates would be their orange chicken as well. Burbank also has great reputation to be used a lot in the entertainment industry so you can possibly recognize some filming locations that you have seen in movies.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

This career has definitely taught me moments of wisdom and moments of rejection, but I would like to thank everyone who supported me in doing this such as family and friends. When I first started acting I didn’t have anyone to guide me or to take my hand and show me the ropes until I came across Actors Giving Back. This acting program really pushed me forward and took what I knew already and molded it into something better. They were able to help me understand the transition of where acting was heading towards too since it was the peak of covid at the time. In this program one of the mentors we had was Marcelo who was always on top of us of our script reading, deadlines, and also self tapes. This was the start of my career where I got to understand the basics and some advanced fundamentals of acting. One of the reasons why I cherish their program is because they are keeping the talent development industry honest. They always pushed me to be the best I could be and advocated for me wether I believed in myself or didn’t. This is where I learned my craft and how I can be a tool to express emotions and bring characters to life. This program made me fall in love with my craft and chase after my goal.

In chasing after my goal I definitely came across other acting schools such as The Actors Campus. This Actors Campus was designed and made by Diego Tinoco to help actors come together and share valuable information on the entertainment industry. This also allowed us to meet casting directors, Actors, and also Managers who we were able to build relationships with as networking is crucial in this industry. This was a place where I was able to freely ask questions and have a mentor such as Diego Tinoco set up these platforms for us where we can genuinely dive deep and explore what the acting industry consists of. It helped me stay on top of my “why” as to why I am doing acting, and to hold on to that as it serves a purpose. This acting campus really showed me that there is so many actors out there that have the same goal and how we share moments that can help others who haven’t gone through this or that certain situation. It’s a platform where I was able to come to a community who was willing to help and not hold back, which I am thankful for.

As I Advanced in my career there was certain moments where it did feel lonely because of how far you can get. There were moments where I felt as if I had nobody to really talk to when It came to acting at a personal level. Although, one day on set for a USC TV Series (Sketch) I came across Napoleon Highbrou, which was one of the other leads on that show. We honestly kicked it off and he became one of my friends that has watched me grow and guided me when I didn’t know what do in certain situations. Bryan Torres was another actor I had came across in my acting class that shared a lot of similarities with me when it came to how we were raised since we both come from minority families and how many hobbies we had alike. He has certainly been a rock for me as he has been there under my worst and best circumstances. These two gentlemen I can say they have been able to contour me and have me see things in a different light as they were the ones who constantly pushed me and encouraged me when I felt things were difficult, and as humans we have our moments.

Now as I have shared those who helped me in my career, I have read many books such as “The Chubbuck Technique”, “Uta Hagen”, to Jack Nicholson’s “No Acting Please” that has helped me gain more insight in my career. Although a book I believe doesn’t get recognized enough is The Actors Guide by Jenna Fischer as it shared many relatable moments that I had went through. It was a book that helped me understand that I am not alone in this journey, that there is hope, there is a significant impact that I make in this industry. This book really made me develop a passion for acting as it shares many hard moments and crucial moments that Jenna Fischer went through that almost discouraged her from following acting but yet still fought through and as we all know it she was known for Pam in The Office. This book allowed me stay on my feet and had some neat tips and tricks that I still use under my sleeve till this day. It was a book that I was able to relate to so much on a personal level that I don’t believe no other acting book carries on that same value. I definitely encourage any actor to read her book no matter how far you’ve gone in your career.

Website: imdb.me/armandoortuno

Instagram: instagram.com/armandoortuno

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thearmandoortuno

Other: https://linktr.ee/armandoortuno https://catrinamovie.com/portfolio/armandoortuno/ https://sdvoyager.com/interview/daily-inspiration-meet-armando-ortuno/

Image Credits
Jess Choragwicki Photography Los Angeles Fashion Week Photography