Countdown: Day 7 of 7
PLINIO VILLABLANCA: Sunnyside
Short Film: Sunnyside
Actor: Plinio Villablanca (American-born, of Chilean and Nicaraguan descent)
Writer-Director:
YoungKi Jin (from South Korea)
Synopsis: A quintessential immigrant story that peers into the life of a day laborer
and illustrates how difficult it is to live and survive in NYC.
• When acting roles are hard to come
by, why did you turn down the role of the lead character? The director asked me to read for
the role of a Mexican immigrant. I felt that a Mexican actor would understand
it better. I didn’t turn it down. Then he asked me to do some improvisations
for the role of a landlord that has about 20 Mexicans sleeping in his garage
and I got the part. He went to Mexico to cast the Mexican actor and he brought
him up here for the shoot. He then shot it in January 2014.
• Describe the path your career has
taken as an actor to the present. When I was a kid, my aunt, my father’s sister, would
take me to a lot of movies. I played a lot a paddleball and handball on Carmine
Street in lower Manhattan and I got to know an older gentleman in the film biz,
Les Lone, and he sometimes taught at NYU’s film school. It was this guy who
pointed out my passion for the film industry and encouraged me to pursue
acting. I chuckled in response. Once back in the same neighborhood, I picked up
a newspaper and saw a play advertised about Latinos in the South Bronx and
realized that I could relate to the characters and felt I even knew them. One
of the actors was David Zayas (from Showtime's "Dexter"
and currently in Fox’s "Gotham"). When
I saw the older gentleman the next time, I told him that I would like to
seriously pursue acting and Les directed me to the renowned acting school, HB
Studio. I have about 18 years in the industry. Since then I have done theater
(i.e., Othello, Macbeth), commercials, indie films and short films. I prefer
theater over film. The theatrical production I am the proudest is Miguel Piñero’s The Sun Always Shines for the Cool. |
| Plinio Villablanca, at right, with Cheryl D. Hescott in a stage production of Macbeth. |
• Tell me about the importance of
mentors and who was yours? Les Lone who was teaching at NYU’s Film School was my
mentor. He told me stories about the industry. When I saw Dennis Hopper in an
interview in the Actors' Studio talking about seeing James Dean and how that
inspired him to study more, that touched me. Les really offered me good
guidance by recommending I study Actors' Studio Method Acting Technique with
Salem Ludwig. This was really tremendous for me.
• What $0.10 worth of advice [originally known as "your two cents", but now adjusted for inflation] would
you offer an actor? You really have to work hard at the craft because there is no
guarantee at success. When I started at HB Studio I wanted to do theater and
people thought I was crazy. I felt there was more continuity behind a character
through that medium. You start with this character and you keep on going and I
find a lot of depth in a theatrical portrayal. I recommend doing theater and working
at your craft.
SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACT
FACEBOOK Group: Prime Latino Media
Twitter: @PLMSalon
Instagram: PRIME_LATINO_MEDIA
LinkedIn: www.LinkedIn.com/in/louisperegomoreno
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