Photo by Marc Cartwright

I am back again with another interview. This time with Roberto Aguire. He can been seen in the movie, Boulevard alongside Robin Williams in what would be Robin’s final on-screen role. Roberto made his onscreen debut in the Chris Colfer film Struck By Lighting. Written by Chris Colfer (Glee), the film received fantastic reviews since it’s premiere. In the film, Roberto plays Emillio, the school’s resident foreign exchange student from El Salvador and consequently, a die-hard womanizer. Check out my interview with him below!

Hey Roberto! So correct me if I’m wrong here. You were born in Los Angeles but spent time in your life being raised in Switzerland. If true, can you explain how long you spent living in Switzerland and the dynamic of living there as opposed to here in the United States?

That is correct! I was born in Los Angeles, lived for a couple of years in Mexico, and then moved to Geneva when I was 11 for about eight years. Living in Switzerland was very different to living in the United States. I would say one of the biggest differences is the multi-cultural prevalence that there is in Switzerland. My high school had 152 different nationalities, so you can imagine how exposed you are to different cultures, languages, religions, and ways of life. It is great because in a sense everyone is a minority, since no one ethnicity is big enough to feel like it looms over the others. Also traveling to different countries is extremely simple from Switzerland because it’s basically in the center of Europe. Getting to Germany, Italy, France, etc usually takes either as little as 10 mins or on the longer side 2 hours. The big thing that you really miss from the US in Switzerland is the availability of anything really. All stores in Geneva close at 6pm on the dot and are only open half days on Saturdays. Absolutely no stores and very few restaurants are open on Sundays. Merchandise runs out quickly, and ordering things takes forever. In the US, anything you need is available 24/7 and if it’s not, you can usually get it within a day or two. When you are trying to buy someone a birthday present, you have to plan weeks ahead to make sure you can get something good! Haha.

Talk a bit about “Boulevard”, your latest film that was released in a few major cities in July?

“Boulevard” is a story about a man coming to terms with the person that he has been pretending to be his whole life and the person that he actually is and wants to be. It also shows that it is never too late to change and start living the life you have always wanted to live. The character I play Leo is actually the catalyst for change in Nolan, the main character’s life. Both Nolan and Leo are broken in their own individual ways, but together they give each other a hand and start to move forward out of this stagnant monotony that they are stuck in.

Now you had the opportunity to work with the late great Robin Williams, what was that experience like?

Indescribable. I really lack adjectives to do him justice. He was the most generous and hard-working actor, both talented and dedicated. He was extremely humble despite his lustrous career, and the kindest human being you’d ever met. He had an incredible intelligence mixed in with a never ending ability to make people laugh. Watching him act was watching a genius breathe profound reality into fiction. I think getting to meet and work with him will have been the most memorable experience of my life.

What have you taken away from from your experiences working on both  “Boulevard” and “Struck By Lightning”?

I think both experiences have just fed my passion for acting even more. They were both so different but at the same time they were both incredible. There’s nothing else I would rather be doing in my life. As actors, we get to walk in different people’s shoes for a living, truly getting to inhabit a moment in their lives and live as they would be living. It is a phenomenal process and immensely enriching, as well as just plain fun. I think both movies have just solidified that this is what I am definitely doing for as long as I’m able to.

Do you consider yourself a more of a comedic actor, or one better suited for the dramatic role? Do you enjoy tackling more serious roles in nature?

I enjoy doing both! They are both so invigorating. When you are making a comedy, you feel like you are playing. When you are making a drama, you feel like you are working. So it is nice to have a balance between working and playing. But I think Robin showed the extent to which you can do both successfully. He was the perfect example of someone who could bounce between both comedy and drama with extreme ease. I would like to be the same way!

What would you like to do next in your acting career? What kind of roles would you like to play?

I am kind of a geek, so personally I would love to be part of a movie that deals with fantasy! Something with dragons, or magic! Another Hobbit or Lord of the Rings! Haha. But professionally I want to tackle roles that really scare me. I think if you keep doing roles that you’re afraid of, it will make you keep growing and you will continue to mature as an actor.

What TV series would you like to be a part of?

Along the lines of what I first said, Game of Thrones would be amazing to be part of! But Modern Family and House of Cards are two of my favorite shows so anything like those two would be great as well!

Thank you Roberto, welcome to the “Blended” family. Is there anything you would like for our readers to know?

Thank you so much! I think we covered it all! Hopefully we will get another chance to chat soon!