Meet Byron Vasquez Jr. | Actor & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Byron Vasquez Jr. and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Byron, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I decided to pursue an artistic career because my childhood was a very challenging one. There were a lot of problems and negative emotional experiences. However, I knew as a child that I could channel these emotions and experiences into something greater by being an actor. The ability to use the pain I went through to create something of value that may move someone or explore the human condition in a way that it would resonate with even just a single person’s experience; then it would make everything I lived when I was younger worth going through.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

Early on in my acting training I was given a piece of advice that really resonated with me and that was “take every job as though it’s your $1 million dollar role.” And I’ve applied that ever since. What that meant to me was to always give 100% to my work even if I was in a play in a 45 seat theater that only 3 people came to watch. Or, a non-union, non paying short film that might never see the light of day. Do the same preparation, research, and commitment because that builds a great work ethic and you will stand out.

One of the roles I’m most proud of is working on an indie film called “My Apocalyptic Thanksgiving”. I went through the initial audition process thinking that I had really blown it and at the time I was really chomping at the bit to be able to create a character that would not just be in it for a scene but actually had some meaning to the overall story. When I was told I got the role I was really excited! And I put the work in! I was playing a person with mental disabilities and I did research, and watched documentaries, and even did weekly visits at a home for people with special needs. I was really proud of the character I created and I was just excited overall to be working in a film with a great story and a great crew.

Getting to this point in my career has not been an easy road. I don’t have a conventional look for Hollywood so getting auditions to roles can be difficult. I remember being signed by a manager only to be dropped a year later because he couldn’t get me into the audition rooms, allegedly. A few months later I booked a national commercial that ran in Canada, USA, and Mexico for almost 3 years. The journey has been hard.. submitting self-tape auditions to the ether never knowing if they’re being watched or not..

But then, there are the positive things that have come from this struggle as well. For instance, I had the opportunity to fly to Berlin, Germany to take a master acting class with Academy Award winning Director/Producer Paul Haggis. And because it was in Europe the class size was very intimate and we got a lot of direct work with him. And that was an experience I’ll never forget.. I got to meet actors from all over the world, England, Germany, Denmark, Kosovo! We were all together for a long weekend and I became good friends with many of those people who I still keep in contact with today.  These are experiences that I would not have had if I wasn’t in the place I was at at the time.

What I would like people to know about me is that I’m someone who keeps pushing themselves, and growing their talents and skills sets. I’m an actor first.. but I’ve written a play and in my early 30’s I wanted to find a new creative outlet because you can’t depend on acting so I bought a guitar without ever having a musical background. I took lessons, and songwriting lessons, and went to songwriting workshops and 5 years later I wrote and released my very first EP album “Trials” which is now available on Spotify.

So, that’s who I am. Someone who will keep going, keep pushing.. even when it gets hard and even when I feel like “I quit!” 3 minutes later “I un-quit!” because being an actor isn’t something I want to be… being an actor is something I HAVE TO BE. It’s a calling and I will never give it up!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Depending on what their interests are I would tailor the experience. However, when I like to go on “adventures” in the city I’ll take the redline to Hollywood where I’ll get drinks and Irish nachos at Jameson’s Irish Pub.. one of my favorite places to go right on Hollywood blvd and there you can go bar hopping. Maybe catch a show at the Hotel Cafe. While in Hollywood I would take them to watch a play OR Comedy Sportz which is one of my favorite improv comedy troupes to watch. I’m sure they would be interested in seeing the Hollywood Sign so I would probably take them on a red bus tour so they can see all the cool spots and get a general idea of the layout of the city.

At night, I would take a Haunted tour of Hollywood and learn about the old buildings and stories of the past that took place many years ago.

Also, if they are movie buffs I would most certainly take them to see the filming locations of many popular movie and tv shows such as “A Nightmare on Elm Street” house, “Fast and Furious” locations, the “Charmed” House. etc.

Then there are these really cool museums in Hollywood such as the Museum of Death.

I would also take them to Downtown LA there is a slide in one of the skyscrapers that is fun to ride on.. I would definitely go to the quaint Spring st. Cafe for either breakfast and walk around downtown.

I would then take them to Orange County.. I would take them to Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, and Laguna Beach.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
A book that has really inspired me is called “Sean Penn: His Life and Times” Biography by Richard T. Kelly. Since I was a child I knew I wanted to act and it was later on when I discovered Sean Penn that I knew what kind of actor I wanted to be. So, I bought his biography and read it at least 20 times. And every now and then when I’m feeling the need for inspiration I crack open that book and go through his life journey all over again.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuYsRvHxeEinTu0pdp46bTA