Meet Ethan Rodriguez | Model, Actor, & Influencer

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

Hi Ethan, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think about risk as being the biggest opportunity to discover [your life’s] purpose that is most often missed or denied due to internalized fear of the unknown and internalized fear of failure. All of us are born with purpose, and I believe it is our responsibility, our obligation to find that purpose and pursue its highest potential. Yet, we can only find said purpose when we choose to leave every ounce of certainty and security behind. We can only find our personal meaning to life when we embark on the journey to realize our fullest potential; when we embark on the journey that is characterized as chasing your dream. We can only find purpose… through risk.

My entire career has been contingent on the unknown, the uncertain, on risks. When I first started this journey of becoming a model / actor, I had less than $1,000 in my bank account, knew one person in Los Angeles, and had no knowledge how to break into the industry. Everything and everyone was telling me not to do it. Yet, deep inside me was a belief that this dream was for me. Something deep in the depths of my soul told me this dream was not only possible, but that it was absolutely necessary that I go and pursue it. And, that’s exactly what I did. Within a month, I was homeless, my car had broken down, and my bank account had dwindled down to about $10. Anything that could have happened did happen. Yet, I looked at my situation, my circumstances and told myself, “I’m not going to let this get me down. I’m not going to let this turn me back. This is my reality now, but it won’t be my reality forever.” I remember waking up around 4:00 AM everyday – that’s when it got the coldest during the mornings while I was living in my broken down car – and crying, praying, asking God to give me strength because only two things were certain: One, I was going through the hardest times of my life. And two, I refused to believe I risked everything for nothing.

I had risked everything: family and friends, financial security, a home, etc. Yes, it was difficult. Yes, it was lonely and depressing. But, like Denzel Washington once said, “If you hang around the barbershop long enough, you’re bound to get a haircut.” Today, – to list a few things – my resume includes modeling for Los Angeles Fashion Week, modeling for GT Synergy Raw Kombucha, modeling for New York Fashion Week, and modeling for a major spirits brand I am currently not at liberty to state due to it not being released yet. Additionally, I now live in my own studio apartment I rent in Los Angeles. With this said, I would have never accomplished any of the aforementioned had I not risked it all. Like I said, you can only find purpose through risk. A lot of people are scared to take the risk their dream / purpose requires because they ask, “What if I risk it and it doesn’t work out.” To that I ask, “What if you do and it turns out better than you ever imagined?”

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am currently a working model and actor. When I have time, I love to create content as well. I’ve been in music videos for artists such as Khalid and Marshmellow, Cece Frey, and the RealestK. In terms of modeling, I’ve worked for GT Synergy Raw Kombucha, Agua Caliente Casinos in Palm Springs, and runway shows such Los Angeles Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week.

The road to get where I am today professionally has been difficult to say the least. Like aforementioned, when I first started I lived in my car, had no one to talk to, and had nowhere to go during the day. I used to walk around the mall or hang out at laundromats to pass time if I didn’t have modeling or acting work. A lot of the time, I would go to what I would refer to as “the office.” The office was just me sitting at a local Starbucks or Panera with my laptop – using their Wifi – looking for modeling and/or acting work. I didn’t have a home, let alone Wifi.

Further, I believe what sets me apart from others in my industry is the same aspect of myself that helped me overcome these challenges and adversities. That is, I don’t stop; I don’t quit. I will keep coming back day after day, night after night until I accomplish what it is that I want to accomplish. I adopted the mentality of “Nothing and no one will stop me.”

I had to learn and accept what a motivational speaker by the name of Les Brown once said. That is, “When you choose to pursue your purpose, your dream, you are sending a direct telegram to Murphy’s Law to visit you personally… but you can’t stop.” For anyone chasing their dreams, that visit will come. Then, you will go through the most difficult times of your life. But, if you are able to face those adversities, face opposition, face family, friends, and everything and everyone stopping you from making your dreams come true day after day and night after night, you will make it. You will succeed. If it were easy everyone would do it. Greatness has a cost, and usually that cost is everything. To get everything you ever wanted, you have to sacrifice everything you’ve ever had because life does not and will not accommodate to your comfortability. Life will only accommodate to your persistence, to your consistency.

Once I learned what Les Brown and dozens of other motivational speakers were saying, I began to separate myself from others in my industry and began to overcome these challenges and adversities. I got to the point where I stared at adversity, the devil, the universe, life – or whatever you believe in – and said, “This is for me, and no matter what you throw at me, I will keep coming back.” When life tries to break you and you look at life and say, “I will break you before you break me.” opportunity starts to favor you. There is opportunity in chaos, but you can only find it if you don’t stop, if you don’t quit.

Moreover, what I want the world to know about my brand and about my story is that I’m just someone chasing his dreams, trying to inspire others in the process. I grew up extremely impoverished. My family lived in a car when we first immigrated to the United States from Mexico. We used to sell snacks and drinks outside of Coors Field and used to deliver newspapers at night to get by. I want to accomplish my dreams of becoming a household name in modeling and in acting because I want others to look at me and say, “If he did it and he came from nothing, then so can I.” With this said, I want to be the next Superman for this very reason. I want kids who have been marginalized and been labeled as minorities to look at me in a role of such magnitude and then at the color of their skin and say, “I belong in this industry too.” I want to be the source of inspiration for future generations to follow their dreams and to represent their identity, culture, heritage, etc. in an industry which has predominantly done the opposite.

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.
This is a difficult question for me because I don’t go out often. I spend most of my time working or looking for work – always looking for my next modeling gig or my next acting role. But, if a friend of mine was to visit the area the day would look something like this: Our first stop would be Tacos Gavilan. I’m a huge fan of tacos and Tacos Gavilan was the first place I ever got tacos in Los Angeles. Next, I would take them to the Santa Monica Pier because, come on, who doesn’t like the pier. If they wanted to explore a little further or a different beach, I would take them to Newport Beach – easily one of my favorite beaches to visit from time to time. I don’t know much about the nightlife in Los Angeles, but I’m sure we’ll come across something driving the city. It’s Los Angeles. There’s something for anyone and everyone here.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Yes, of course! I believe Gregory Andrews, the Bressler family, Georgia Grellier, John Henry, Oussama Ghidhaoui, Robert Smith III, Jerry Rodriguez, and my family back in Colorado all deserve credit and recognition. In the pages that is my story, each of these very special and unique individuals all helped me get to where I am today.

Further, a book which deserves recognition as well is titled “The Alchemist.” Written by the Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, the book’s main message is the pursuit of personal dreams.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ethanrodriguez__

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/ethan-rodriguez-4013911a7

Other: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@_ethanrodriguez?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Image Credits
Alina Kaminskaia / @alinakaminskaiaa Jordan Farkas / @artdirector85 Manonce Artist / @manonceartist Jerry Rodriguez ParrAguirre / @jerrysilverr & @jerrysfotohs House of Verdugo / @house.of.verdugo & @christopher.m.verdugo Adrian Quiroz / @glazedadrian & @glazedflicks Coveney Inc / @coveneyinc