On this special edition of THE INTERVUE, we are reporting from the Mayflower Hotel in DC for the annual National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts for their annual closing celebration of the NHFAs’ inaugural 2023 Visioning Summit, the newly-minted Noche Musical! At the 26th annual Noche de Gala in 2022, we had the pleasure of introducing the 2022 NHFA Artists in Residence to our friends and supporters. These four young Latino performers’ incredible performances stole the show. This year, we’ve revamped and modernized our beloved Noche de Gala as Noche Musical in honor of the talent showcased at the event.

With this in mind, Dean on the Scene was there to capture some interviews with the talented artists who excelled in excellence. First on deck is the intervue where talked to Blue Beetle director Ángel Manuel Soto, the recipient of this year’s Raul Julia Award for Excellence!

How does it feel to be named the Raul Julia Award for Excellence?

It’s a humbling. I grew up hearing Raul Julia’s name. I grew up watching Raul Julia’s movies. I remember the impact that he had in us as Puerto Ricans and giving us hope that our dreams are actually not impossible to achieve. So, it is a whirlwind of emotions, because you know, like, I do what I do not thinking that things like this are going to happen.  And understanding the importance of events like this. And the importance of certain recognitions gives me hope that more are going to come after this. I hope that more continues to happen.

You have given hope to the Latino community making the first Latino superhero on the big screen for DC Studios. When did you realize that you want it to pursue film directing as a career?

I have to say I was very young. The first time I got this age, the curiosity to make films was when I watched my first movie in the theater. It was Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I remember watching it. And I guess I loved it, I was excited. I remember asking my dad questions about how things were done. You know, he’s not from the industry. My dad was a car salesman. He was asking, “you’re not scared about that beheading?” I’m like, “No, how did they do that? I know, that’s not true.” So that curiosity stayed there. It grew into this pursuit of the arts and this pursuit of my dreams. I’m happy to be alive, and to be here. And to show the world that it is not impossible. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, like, I’m from Puerto Rico. I don’t come from privilege. I just had a passion, and I wouldn’t take no for an answer. I found a way. They wouldn’t let me inside a lane. I have to make my own lane. So I hope this encourages people to do the same.

What advice would you give to anyone, especially all the future of Latino American actors, directors, producers, script writers?

I mean, for starters, I didn’t go to film school. My opportunities were very limited, but I didn’t take no for an answer. I think that resilience that we all share as Latinos and as marginalized communities, I think that resilience can translate into your passion. And with that, you have to be very passionate, because this is not a sprint. It’s a marathon. It’s taken me a long time to get where I am, but I know that this is the only thing I wanted. I did everything possible to be here within my abilities. Also, I made sure I surrounded myself with people that wanted to see me succeed. I got a lot of “no’s” and “that’s impossible” but I never let that bring me down. I started to surround myself with people that will be like, “I believe in you”. I don’t know how that looks but it can happen. And for me that is the most important asset that you can have people that love you and support you.

Next, I talked to Ramón Rodríguez, star of the ABC’s crime drama “Will Trent” and the 2023 NHFA Spotlight Award

When did you realize that you wanted to take on the craft of acting because you’ve acted in so many great television series over the years.

You know, it wasn’t something I kind of grew up with the dream of wanting to do but I was fortunate enough through a weird road of basketball. Actually, I did some Nike commercials. I grew up playing basketball in New York City. I got a shot to do these Nike commercials that put me in front of the camera and I kind of caught the fever. I was really intrigued and interested, then I was like, “okay, I’ll find a school or somewhere I can take classes” and I did in New York. I fell in love with the craft. I fell in love with the idea of stepping into someone else’s shoes and that part of the process.

As I learned more about the craft and acting, I really fell in love with it, sort of the psychology and getting to sort of really understand different walks of life. So it’s been a fun ride, I never would have thought through basketball. That was my dream. And then I’ve luckily stumbled upon this incredible passion that I absolutely love now enacting.

Why do you feel is such an important to have to have an organization like National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, especially for an event like this tonight?

It’s critical that, you know, we have this organization like NHFA and that we support it. They’re here to advocate Latino voices in the industry in politics. It’s one of the few events that I know where they’re sort of making a fusion of the arts and politics and bringing folks together to celebrate us, which I think is fantastic. And to advocate the youth, we have some students here that are going to be celebrated. That to me having that support system, we don’t always have that. I think every artist, every human needs a support system to succeed. And so, organizations like this do an incredible work. It’s an honor to be here and to be on it. I’m incredibly humbled.

And the representation of Latino actors and actresses have been greatly improved in the last 25 years, from Edward James Olmos to your leading role in your series. Where do you see the representation going for?

Well, my hope and my dream is that we just continue to a support each other put the word out, not only sort of representation from Latinos in front of the camera, behind the camera, in writing rooms, directors, creators, actually. For me, maybe most importantly, I want to see more Latinos, as executives in those positions, that with the seat at that table, where the decisions are made of what projects are going to be greenlit or not.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat in rooms where I’m pitching to a room, there’s not one Latino there that might not understand the specificity of what I’m talking about, and I’m trying to sell. I think if we can have that in those positions of power that we know, are very powerful. And in politics, by the way, you know, how beautiful would that be? To really have that fully represented. And so that is not so much that we’re constantly fighting this battle. It’d be a beautiful thing to really have that a little bit more streamlined and welcomed and embrace and have it be diverse as it should be.

Stay tuned for more interviews as I talk to Radical producers and Horizon Award winner Camila Morrone

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

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