Meet Johnny Bazaldua

Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Bazaldua.

Johnny, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My life started with a lot of struggles. Growing up a first-generation Mexican-American and the youngest of 4, I had a lot of pressure to take advantage of my opportunities in the U.S. Especially since my oldest siblings don’t have papers to live here. I grew up traveling most of my life due to my mother getting by singing in Bars, weddings, etc., primarily because of the poverty and lack of opportunity my family had in Matamoros, Mexico. Regardless, she was known as a prodigy singer and was able to raise all of us in a beautiful way.

My Father was a dancer/Actor with a traveling group but wasn’t there most of my life. All this to say, I clearly come from an artistic family, so it wasn’t a surprise that I had a passion for Acting and music myself.

The older I got, the more I realized my talents and passion for storytelling. I eventually moved to Los Angeles and met my amazing star mentor named Richard Lawson. After a few years of training my craft, I was able to visualize my career crystal clear, who I wanted to work with, and what type of stories and characters I wanted to create.

These last six years, I also found my purpose beyond the arts. I learned that I had to Inspire myself to inspire others. Heal my traumas, to heal others. Reimagine myself to pave my lane in this tough industry. Especially because I look caucasian but can’t seem to convince anyone that I am actually Latino. This only gave me more fuel to pave my own path, so after a few Film roles, commercials, and theater shows, I decided to direct, write, and act an original character in a short film (Vincent) that I plan to pitch to Tim Burton’s Wednesday. A clever way to utilize my pale Latino side in the world of the Addam’s Family. I plan to continue pouring my purpose into my art and make sure I stay grateful of the opportunity to be able to do this at all.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My career has not been smooth at all. Making it in the U.S. as a first-generation Mexican-American, being away from my siblings that don’t have papers, and facing the stereotypical “you don’t look Mexican,” you aren’t “Caucasian enough” and just simply having to pave my own path.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My business is acting, but I’m mostly passionate about telling stories that can give others a lens beyond what’s common. Growing up in Brownsville, TX and Matamoros, Mexico (border town), I really do see how ignored my very valid experience was but unfamiliar to the world. There are many conversations of Immigration, the “wall” and the misrepresentation of what being Mexican is about. I truly believe art can change the world faster than politics can. With that said, I’m most proud of my current original film Vincent; I plan to pitch to Tim Burton’s Wednesday because I’m not waiting for Hollywood to give me a shot. When I did, I wasn’t Mexican enough nor white enough, so what better way than to create my own work? I think this attitude sets me apart.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Being the youngest of four and being born in the U.S. has given me opportunities my oldest siblings didn’t. Since they don’t have papers to even travel here, it was a tough decision to inform my parents I wanted to pursue acting. From that moment on, I have pride myself in taking calculated risks.

Risks that either push me out of my comfort zone to find deeper parts of me in my acting, taking a chance on myself regardless of a pandemic and SAG strike, and producing a short film pitching myself to a major series with my hard-earned money. I definitely believe in taking risks if you want to find new layers of yourself.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @johnnybazaldua

Image Credits
Desiree Yuzon & Mark Hill