Conversations with Angel Anthony Marrero

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angel Anthony Marrero.

Hi Angel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born in Camden New Jersey. #1 crime rate in America multiple times. I started my childhood in the hood of North Camden and it would be a sugar coat to say life was tough. I grew up in an apartment above the laundromat my mother and father ran on the corner of north 7th street. That area was a hot spot for drugs and gang activity. My father worked long hours all day at different jobs while my mother managed the laundromat. I walked home from my schooI, Molina elementry everyday and was regularly getting into fights before the age of 10. I was always an athlete first playing baseball, soccer and football but my father put me in boxing and karate after I came home from school with a bloody nose. They tried multiple times to move and branch out into different businesses. The laundry business did well enough but the area we lived in was dangerous. My mother is and always has been a tough and proud Latina, black woman. So when a couple of local gangbangers approached her about selling their “product” out of the laundromat, she showed them what an angry combination of black and latina sounds like. They left us alone. A few days later, our laundromat was burned down. Soon after, we moved to Pennsauken New Jersey. I was doing pretty well playing football in high school and managed to earn a starting spot on jv as an outside linebacker while being second string running back. One day during practice I made a tackle and caught my arm in another player’s helmet. I broke my arm and couldn’t play sports for the rest of the year. That’s when my father put me into acting school. I went to The Actors Center in Philadelphia and soon after began auditioning and booking roles in theater, commercial, film and tv productions. I booked a role on a film titled “Zombie KIllers” and most of the cast and crew were from Los Angeles. They convinced me to move to LA for more work opportunities in Film and TV. That was back in 2012 and I’ve been living and working in Film and Television out of LA ever since.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Things were rough pretty much the whole time. LA was never a cheap city. I had to work different jobs to make ends meet and many times they didn’t meet. I lost weight at one point because I wasn’t able to eat three meals a day.` Sometimes not even two. Sure there was more work for actors, but there were also WAY more actors. Eventually I found my footing and learned how to get by in LA. I had to ignore the Hollywood parties and lifestyle that regularly left my account in the negative, and start focusing on my purpose again.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an actor and film producer. I’m most known for my role as Duttra in the movie Zombie Killers which first aired on Starz network and is now on Hulu. I’m most proud of my work in the tv show “Spades” that I produced alongside longtime friend and director, Joe Raffa. Most recently we also produced a horror film “Porcelain” directed by Nicole Cinaglia, which is currently streaming on Amazon, Tubi and Shudder. It has been rated as a top 10 film on Shudder for the month of November 2024. I’m also proud of the talk show I produce, “Random Fandom with Jordan Conley”, alongside tv producer, Al Rincones. What sets me apart from other producers and actors is my tenacity. I don’t give up. I grew up tough and can take a beating so when life beats me down, I get back up, spit out a tooth and smile.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
You have to humble yourself and ask those more experienced than you for help. People like to say things like “I don’t need a hand out” or “I’ll get it on my own”. 90% of those people are still in the hood or trailer park or the same neighborhood they grew up in and never made it far. Pride combo’d with a closed mindset will be the killer of most dreams. Everyone needs help. It doesn’t hurt to ask someone for advice when you don’t know what to do. After all, closed mouths don’t get fed.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: justadumbinacan
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3974432/?ref_=nmbio_ov_i