Today we’d like to introduce you to Miguel Nuñez
Miguel, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Miami Beach to a Venezuelan/Italian/American artist mother and a Venezuelan painter/musician/theatre-maker dad. As a little 2 year old, I demanded we moved back to Caracas, Venezuela because the weather is nicer and I wanted to grow up in a city with amazing public transit, so we did. After High School I dabbled in Graphic Design (I’ll leave the fine arts for my mom), Sound Engineering (Loved it, but too much physics and math), TV and Film Production (actually quite good at it, but the school closed) and a very short but intense rock vocalist career, I settled with acting when I enrolled at the now defunct IUDET, The National Theatre University in Caracas, where I majored in Acting and Theatre history. I worked as an actor in Caracas for a couple of years.
Because of the unstable political environment in Venezuela at the beginning of the 2000’s, we decided to move back to USA, settling with family in Indiana for a couple of years.
When I finally realized that my acting career was going nowhere in the middle of the Indiana corn fields, I jumped the state line and settled myself in Chicago where I spent the next 15 years perfecting my craft and working as an actor and director with some of the best theatre companies in the city and regionally. Chicago is where I also started my T.V, Commercial and film acting career.
In 2021, after spending most of the lockdown stuck in a small apartment, surround by snow and already read books, my partner and I decided that it would be nice to get some sun and have a pool, so at the end of that year we drove across the country and settled in LA.
Now here I am, working as an actor in the City of Angels.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think life is smooth at all, but that is what makes it fascinating and worth living. So no, it hasn’t been smooth. That being said, it has been incredibly interesting, challenging and ever-changing.
When I decided to move back to USA I was 22 years old. I had a whole life and history that I built in Venezuela, so the culture shock was real. Moving from a major city like Caracas to a small town in the Midwest was quite rough at times. Learning cultural and societal cues, dealing with some people who were not happy that someone with my name and accent was in their community, and trying to stay focused on my goals in an area where the arts was not the primary focus made my first couple of years in this country very hard.
Thankfully, I’ve always been very fortunate to meet wonderful and supportive people along the way. Kind folks with open minds and inquisitive souls. Some of those friendships I still carry with me after 23 years.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an actor. A very proud member of SAG-AFTRA and AEA. I have been acting and doing theatre since the late 90’s.
I have been able to touch most parts of the theatrical creative process in one way or another throughout my career, but focusing on acting and directing.
During my stint in Chicago theatre, I got to do a lot of work with new play development both as an actor and director.
Parallel to that, I was building an on-screen path that has been steadily growing in the last couple of years.
In Los Angeles I am mostly focused on my on-camera work, but I am always willing to do go back to do some theatre with the right project.
Being a bilingual actor has been an incredibly exciting thing. It has allowed me to do great work in both English and Spanish, on stage and in front of the camera.
I am very focused on portraying characters that break the preconceived idea that most people might have about Latinos, people with accents, and immigrants.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I think we are at a pivotal place in our industry. The last couple of years has shown us that our current model of producing and distributing work is not sustainable and not worker-oriented. Fortunately, my union SAG-AFTRA, among others, have recognized that the small, developmental actor, such as myself, cannot make a living with how the business model is set up right now. After last year’s strike, the whole industry was shaken to the core.
I am hopeful that we are setting up the foundations for a more equitable and sustainable industry.
I am also very excited about the new and diverse voices showing up in the writing rooms. This gives more opportunity for artists such as myself to be a part of projects telling stories that mirror the diverse ecosystem that is America.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mlnunez.com/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/Mnunez79
