We’re looking forward to introducing you to Byron Vasquez Jr. . Check out our conversation below.
Byron , so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Integrity… You can be the smartest person or the most energetic person but if you don’t have any integrity then it can all be for nothing. Being honest and being a person worthy of respect is super important because that intellect requires responsibility and that energy demands control. That is where the power of integrity comes in.. people will trust that you can use your attributes in an ethical way and that build solid relationships with whomever you’re trying to work with.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Byron Vasquez Jr. I’m an actor first and foremost but through the years I’ve added some extra hats to my name including producer, writer, and musician. Acting has been my biggest driving force and passion throughout the years.. And I’ve been lucky to have been in some indie projects like “My Apocalyptic Thanksgiving” where I played Alfredo a man with special needs. I’ve also been lucky to have been cast in a national commercial as “The Dancing Man” for Pine-Sol that ran for 3 years. In addition, I’ve adapted a couple of plays into short films such as Jim Masters in “Clinically Undepressed” and Tom Topor’s “Answers” where I played the suspect who was psychologically tortured in an interrogation. My acting style has been described as, ““… fearless and immersive, with profound emotional access, blending vulnerability and inner strength to create performances that feel lived-in and unforgettable.”
As a producer I have had the pleasure of producing 4 short films; “And Let God Do The Rest” “Underhanded” “Clinically Undepressed” and “Answers”. I am now looking into producing my first feature film. As a producer, I’ve also had the honor of producing and directing my very own stage play “Help” in May of 2025.
As a writer, my early work started with “And Let God Do The Rest” where I wrote a short story and worked with another screenwriter to adapt it into a short film script. And some of my most recent work include two self published plays I wrote “The Lies We Tell Them” a family comedy drama and “Help” a psychological thriller that I was able to self-produce and direct in May of 2025. Recently, I wrote my first feature film script called “Signs of the Season” a Christmas movie that was an Official Selection at the Yucca Valley Film Festival. In addition to my performance writing, I am also the author of a self-published children’s book series called “The Adventures of Ollie and Kat”. I have two books currently released “Catching Santa” and “Blast off” as well as a Spanish translation of “Catching Santa” called “Atrapando a Santa”. I am also in the process of writing my first novel.
As a musician, this was something more meant for me personally to be able to put out artistic work without any pressure of wanting to succeed. I wrote a folk-pop EP called “Trials” and I released a Christmas song called “Relive The Magic of Christmas”
So, that is my work in a nutshell!
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
There are moments in one’s life that can be extremely powerful and if they happen when you’re a child you don’t really register how powerful they could be.. I remember in 7th grade there was an English teacher that everyone HATED. Mrs. Wurtz! She was tough and gave a good amount of work. And I was fortunate enough to be in her class. At first, I went along with the crowd and disliked her.. At that time I was taking the city bus home but it didn’t arrive until an hour after school got out..English was my last class of the day so to kill time I decided to volunteer to help clean her classroom. I started getting to know her after a few weeks and really started to like her… One day she didn’t come to school and she was going for a few weeks.. We had a long term sub.. I found out during that time that her husband had passed away… When she finally came back I went back to volunteer clean her room like normal.. one day as I was getting ready to leave I saw her at her desk and she began crying… I was at the door and I stopped turned around went to her and put my hand on her arm. Just simply me trying to comfort her… I stayed with her for a few seconds and then left. When I look back as an adult knowing that a 12 year old had enough empathy to offer an adult a moment of emotional support when they needed it most.. that was a powerful feeling… not because I as a child felt powerful… but in that moment my actions had a powerful impact.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me how to deal with pain… I struggled and suffered a lot growing up and even as an adult. But instead of withering I allowed it to make me stronger. And it’s that strength that keeps me pushing forward it keeps me moving. Recently, I suffered the loss of my best friend by suicide.. and on the way to the burial someone asked me if I wanted them to get me a sedative or anything else that will numb the pain because the worst of the funeral was yet to come.. and my response was “No, I want to see this through in it’s rawest form. I know it’s going to hurt but I want to experience it the way it was intended to and capture this moment in my mind as clearly as I can.”
Suffering taught me that I’m not easily broken… and that there’s a fighter inside of me.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
I was once told “Everything that ever happens to you good or bad is your own fault.” At first I thought that was hogwash.. but then as I reflected I really began to see the power behind the statement. You have a choice on how to react to anything good or bad.. It’s in your responses the way you deal with it that gives you your power. “What role did I play to get me here?” When you start to apply that to every choice you will see how much power there is in that.. and that’s a truth not many people come to agree with.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Yes! In fact, I feel like I’m living that now… As an actor.. I don’t think any of my work has been widely seen. In fact, I’d be surprised if 100 people have seen any of my work… but that doesn’t stop me from giving EVERYTHING I have for that role. I once had an acting teacher say “Approach every role as if it’s your $1 million dollar paycheck because one day it might be!” And that stuck with me ever since. I commit to every role I do and do the work just as I would do if I was getting huge offers for it… I remember doing a play where I had a super emotionally intense scene in the beginning.. and I would prep every night before the start of the play.. EVEN on the nights where only 2 people were in the audience. There could’ve been 1 or a thousand people I still would’ve given them the best performance I could’ve given.. because once those lights go on it’s not about me anymore it’s about the TRUTH of that character and giving anything less than my total commitment would not be truthful to the character.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: bvjr.
Image Credits
All of those pictures are mine. I own them.
