Meet Diego Lanao | Writer & Actor

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

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

Ever since I was 5, I thought I was going to follow in my father’s footsteps of becoming a doctor. My parents immigrated from Peru and are both in the medical field – my dad being a physician and my mother being a nurse. But I was always reading books during math classes and daydreaming during science exams. The one course I did well in was writing, but at the time – I didn’t really have any interest in pursuing it as a career.

My dad has always had an amazing understanding of film history and culture. At a young age, he would show me classic movies such as: Ben-Hur, The Great Escape, To Kill a Mockingbird and 2001: A Space Odyssey. None of my classmates had watched these movies, however, so I was left to interpret these films on my own. I would keep a journal and write down all my thoughts after I watched any movie with my father.

In 8th grade, my dad showed me two movies that would ultimately change everything: Rain Man and Good Will Hunting. I can’t really say why these two films had a huge impact on my life – but for some reason, it was as if a switch had turned on. Instead of daydreaming, I was focused. Instead of wanting to imagine, I wanted to understand these complex characters. More importantly, I wanted to see characters that looked like my family on the big screen.

In that time, screenwriting software was expensive and there weren’t really any social media platforms or online writers’ groups. Therefore, I took it upon myself to read as many screenplays as possible. I would write my first screenplay at the age of 14 – which will never be seen by anybody as it’s one of the worst scripts ever. But it helped me train my writing muscle and put all my random thoughts and ideas onto the page.

The moment I realized that I seriously wanted to pursue a creative path was when I had filled my journal with over a hundred different ideas. Nobody was forcing me to sit down and write, nor was anybody telling me to study acting techniques in different films. Slowly, but surely, my whole days were spent just thinking up different stories and characters. So I simply found a new, empty journal and continued writing.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

It definitely hasn’t been an easy road, let alone to even enter the creative arts world. My parents weren’t necessarily ecstatic when they heard my intent of pursuing a creative career. As a person of color, it’s pretty common to have your identity and qualities constantly questioned and their concern was more focused on the unpredictability of the industry’s standards towards diverse stories. Meanwhile, my friends thought my artistic interests were more of a hobby, rather than a serious career. I began to have serious doubts about my future as a writer and actor and decided to put it aside for a more realistic career.

I entered NYU as a pre-med major with a Joint Minor in Computer Science & Mathematics – with the intent of following my parents path towards medical school. Big. Mistake. I found myself surrounded by a group of people who were extremely passionate about what they were studying while I was all on my own. I would end up studying organic chemistry inside Tisch Building (NYU’s arts school), just so I could hear the Film & TV students’ talk about their projects. I would end up studying my courses all day and then read screenplays and practice my writing from midnight to 4 AM (to this day, my whole sleep cycle is completely off…)

As soon as I graduated, I ran away from the prospect of medical school and worked any job I could to pay rent. From working as a recruiter at a health insurance firm, as an assistant at a high school, as an analyst in media analytics – you name it. All while I was taking theater acting & playwriting classes at HB Studio in the West Village and improv & sketch writing courses at the Upright Citizens Brigade in NYC.

It took a lot of time and effort to find a creative community that was just as ambitious and supportive. When COVID-19 had everyone go into quarantine, I ended up downloading social media (it’s true – I didn’t have Instagram or Twitter until 2020) and reached out to different diverse creatives from different parts of the world. Much to my surprise, a lot of them replied and I formed numerous friendships, especially on the west coast. They were ultimately the ones who urged me to make the move to LA.

Finding your community is everything in this business – you really can’t do it by yourself, unless you want to find yourself constantly banging your head against the wall in frustration. You learn best in this industry by working and learning with the best. Kindness and respect towards others can be the ultimate defining factor for whether you move forward or stay stagnant in your career. And because of the awesome support group I’ve made on the west coast and all my past experiences, I’ve learned how to best define myself as a writer and the stories I want to tell.

I write stories that focus on diverse characters who find themselves in environments where they are not always welcomed for the way they present themselves. I write stories that instill the question of self-identity vs. how society defines us as an entity. I write stories that involve important, yet sometimes, painful lessons within comedic and hopeful dialogue between the characters. Most importantly, I write stories for those who feel as if they’re alone in their own world and the world around them.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

It’ll be my 2-year anniversary in Los Angeles this August, so to be honest ~ I’m still constantly learning new places and spots to hang out in the city!

I would definitely bring them to a picnic at Barnsdall Art Park in East Hollywood. It’s become one of my favorite places to hang out with friends while we look at the awesome view of the city.

I’ve also become a fan of La Descaraga in Hollywood that hosts free Salsa lessons, before opening the dance floor up to the public.

Bar Flores has become a great spot to grab drinks and listen to live music on their patios Tuesday nights.

Canter’s Deli and House of Pies helps me remember home, back in NYC, with the diner environment, great food and the restaurants being open until late hours. Coppelia’s Bakery & Restaurant in Downtown Culver has amazing Peruvian food and desserts.

And of course, the Griffith Observatory has always been a go-to spot since the space has so much history. My friends who’ve all come to visit have agreed that LA is different in the evening when you’re looking down at all the bright, moving lights from above.

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

I have way too many people to thank and acknowledge. It takes a village to support one’s journey and I’ve been extremely lucky to have met some of the most kind hearted people ever. It’s going to kill me to not fit every name possible on this list, but I’ll do my best and apologize to those who didn’t see their name here later on.

First off, I’ll start with my amazing family who’ve been crucial with shaping me as an individual. My father taught me art, my mother taught me empathy, my younger brother taught me humility and my older brother taught me persistence.

My 8th and 9th grade English teachers: Mrs. Susan M. Cavanaugh and Mrs. Regina Kailan. Two incredible educators who were the first ones to celebrate my writing and plethora of ideas. They encouraged my interest in fiction writing, especially within the film world.

Eric Linus Kaplan helped assemble a group of Latinx writers during the COVID quarantine. If it hadn’t been for him and this initiative, I wouldn’t have met so many amazing and talented Latinx artists. They were my first real creative community who would help provide script feedback and for that reason, I have to shout each one of them out: Patrick Thies, Wes Rodriguez, Nicole Peurifoy, Jorge Thomson, Brittany Sandoval, Millie Torchetti, Valeria Miranda, Ana Defillo, Amilcar Javier, Dominique Nieves, Sam Villarroel, Tom Santos, Barb Rodriguez, Hunter Toro and Fabiola Rodriguez.

Teatro Chelsea in Boston and The Barrow Group Performing Arts Center in NYC were the first two theaters to provide me a platform to share my work and validity for my writing, alongside a cast and crew of Latinx artists. The Latinx Playwrights Circle has also been a safe haven for me to share and develop my plays among an incredibly talented and diverse group of Latinx playwrights and actors.

Marcelena Campos Mayhorn was the first TV writer within the industry to read one of my pilots and provide me amazing feedback. Moisés Zamora was the first TV showrunner to read one of my plays and do a ZOOM with me. Although the duo were busy working on their projects, they were able to make the time to meet with me and provide invaluable advice. They would ultimately urge me to make the move to Los Angeles to seriously pursue this career.

Greg Nix, a hilarious comedy writer, helped connect me with my first job within the industry as an Executive Assistant for EffinFunny Productions, where the team welcomed me and gave me an insightful Hollywood 101 crash course.

The whole amazing NOSOTROS team who provided me my first ever live stage to present my monologue in their Ya Tu Sabes Monologue Slam. Most importantly, they provided me with an incredible community and support group of talented Latinx friends, including: Jared Trevino, Kenia Romero, Luz Ozuna, Mariel Martinez, Carrie Herrera and Maor Ohzana.

Raul Martin Romero and Eric Lyons were instrumental in helping me get into my first ever TV writer’s room as a Writer’s PA and would be my ultimate support group for navigating how to best perform my job.

My incredible mentors – Jorge Rivera, Franky D. Gonzalez and Eddie Quintana – who each take the time to provide me guidance, support and most importantly, kindness, throughout this crazy journey.

Rubén Mendive – for his great deal of support and work that he does for the Latinx community through his podcast, LaLista Podcast. I’ve met a ton of awesome friends and colleagues through listening to all his episodes.

My super talented filmmaker’s friend group and support team who’ve helped me shoot my short films with a great deal of patience and encouragement: Olivia Brown, Miguel Melo, Hannah Roberson, Matthew Rodriguez, Clarence Williams, Steve Deering, Thomas Ash and Oliver Patterson.

And finally, my amazing and dear friends and family who’ve been there for me whenever I was seriously doubting myself and looking up medical school applications. They’re the ones who always drag me back to my laptop and sit me back down to keep creating. There are way too many to name, but they know exactly who they are.

Website: http://diegolanao5.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dlanao5/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diego-lanao-344498121/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lanao_diego

Image Credits
Oscar Moreno Jared Trevino