Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose Guns Alves.
Hi Jose, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
After working in finance for some time, I got back into acting ten years ago when a friend asked me to play one of the main characters in her short film. I loved everything about the whole process and knew I wanted to do more of it. So I started training in acting workshops and classes working with acting coaches from New York. By doing this, my love for the craft grew exponentially. As a kid, I was lucky to have done summer stock theater at Theater By The Sea in Rhode Island with Broadway/off-Broadway actors at 13; but peer pressure led me to decide to get more involved in athletics at the time. I would’ve been a lot further in my career had I stayed on this path but I don’t regret starting later. It was meant to be this way, right? Besides all the life experience I gained along the way, I used to pull from when I act.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As a black actor who has the look to play Latinx characters, I’m lucky to be what the industry calls ethnically ambiguous. But as a person of color, it’s been challenging to get casting to see me as much more than just a police officer, security guard, bouncer or criminal. I know everyone starts from the bottom in this industry and climbs up from there but often it seems most projects (even small indie projects) use all-white actors to play the main characters. I’ve actually been approached by directors to play roles in their projects. Some of these people claim to be fans of my work on all the television shows and major motion pictures and yet they offer me the role of a security guard with two lines or no lines at all! It’s insulting actually. But that is one of the challenges of being an actor of color, many people can’t fathom you playing a lead or main character. Only in more recent years are people of color getting to depict main characters. I hope this trend continues as I continue to grow in the eyes of casting in order to play some of those main characters.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As an actor, I’m known for playing intense, physically intimidating characters because of my muscular physique. This is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because it gets me lots of work; but it’s a curse because directors and casting often can’t picture me playing much more than bulky police officers, security guards or bouncers. They see my frame and immediately think of me for the kind of roles requiring a certain physicality instead of giving me a chance to show them what I really can do with a juicy character. Luckily, that’s a trend that started breaking last year. Nonetheless, I’m very proud of some of my recent work. I can be seen on RAISING KANAN which is the prequel to POWER on STARZ. I play Jeronimo Guillén, the Colombian enforcer for a drug lord in New York City. I can also be seen in theaters playing a comedic role in the summer blockbuster FREE GUY starring Ryan Reynolds. The role I’m proudest of is my largest role to date as a major supporting character in the BET Christmas movie SOUL SANTA due out this Christmas. Again, I play an enforcer, but this time for a gangster/loan shark and my character has a lot more personality. In addition, I’ve had many appearances in principal roles on network tv from Bull to Gotham to Manifest and others. My latest booking was on New Amsterdam playing a more comedic type of character. So far, I’ve been very fortunate in my career but this by no means makes me content. It’s pedal to the metal time.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Train, train, train. Acting looks easy when it’s done well but it’s one of the most challenging jobs I’ve ever had. That’s right, it’s a job. That’s how I treat it. I take it seriously and treat it like I would a 9 to 5. But many actors starting out don’t take it seriously. They think it’s easy or something you don’t have to train for. No one watches Simone Biles on the balance beam and thinks…I can do that. No one watches a pianist play a concerto and says…I can do that. No one watches a ballerina on stage and says…I can do that. But every day people watch an actor in a film and think…I could definitely do that. No doubt acting looks effortless but like any other art, it takes great skill to do it well which means lots of training, years and years of training before you begin to really develop the level of skill it takes to really compete for roles in large projects. So don’t sell yourself short, take it seriously and TRAIN HARD.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: josegunsalves.com
- Instagram: @josegunsalves
- Twitter: @josetheactor
Image Credits:
Jeffrey Hornstein Photography Chris Hunter/Collective Thought Media David West/Born Imagery Photography Alisdja Photography Dana D Photography Jordan Matter Photography
