Today, we’d like to introduce you to Ruben O’Neill.
Hi Ruben, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Hi, beautiful people; it’s nice to e-meet you all. I’m Ruben.
I am a Hispanic LGBTQ+ actor, and my acting journey started in 2021 in a dustbowl town in Lakeside where my best friends were tweakers. (Wish I was kidding)
It was a town where everybody was comfortable and progress and “Bettering your life,” truly wasn’t a thing, so image the responses I received when I started telling people, “I want to be an actor!” Or “I want to be an author!”
Responses…
“That’s a good dream!”
“Yeah, and I’ll be a millionaire too!”
The truth was, I wanted a better life for myself.
I look back now and can finally tell myself, “Ruben, you’re living the life you’ve wanted!”
I need you to understand this, none of it was easy, and I had to sacrifice a crap ton.
All the parties I was invited to when my buddies wanted to invite me over for a smoke and drinks, yeah, it all sounded fun, but I wasn’t elevating myself, and truth be told, it scared me, thinking I could end up staying in the town forever.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, though, it’s that I’m not ashamed of where I came from. In fact, I’m proud because it taught me valuable life lessons. Example One: NEVER SETTLE.
I can go on and on about my life experience and how coming out as a part of the LGBTQ+ community was hard and such, but this is my story, and I decided to make it a happy one and one I was proud of.
So, I’ll keep it short and sweet: the fact is back then.
I drank, I smoked, I was overweight, I had a lot of debt, a bunch of my teeth were rotting, and I had some wild moments, but there just comes a time when you wake up out of autopilot and ask yourself, what am I doing with my life? Or maybe you were just stuck in the grove of comfort?
Just know, your journey and your life are such beautiful things, and the best thing in the world is that it’s never too late for you to change your life around.
Fast forward to 2024, I got my teeth done and fixed, quit smoking and drinking, got healthy credit, dropped the weight, and here we are…
Thanks to the people who believed in me, this journey was not a lone-wolf story. It wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t happened for them, and you know who you are.
They gave me a good swift kick in the rear, and after I worked on myself first, I made my first voice-over demo, wrote my first book, and got Barnes & Noble to carry it.
That was the beginning of my new life.
Because I decided to give this life a whole new start and rewrite my new future.
Since my new life started, I’ve been honored and blessed to be on televised commercials, voice in anime, and video games, and if you know me personally, you know the one thing that’s hard for me to do is take credit because I’m also a realist.
This all happened, not just because of me, but for the companies who took a chance on me, for the people who believed in me, and God, who walked me through a path, that was frightening and filled with darkness reassuring me that if I kept walking there would be light at the end of the tunnel.
So, if you made it to the end of this, my message to you is this.
F#$% the hatters, because I’m proud of you and everything you’re building your life up to be.
Be your own superhero and ask yourself, what’s my dream life? And what steps I need to take to make it happen.
The rest is you and your big dream.
Live the life you want to live and not one someone else made for you.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This journey has been such a blessing, with some mental and physical challenges, but what beautiful journey isn’t? And how badly do you want it? That’s what you should be asking yourself.
I was always asking myself how I would get out of debt to afford voice-over equipment and was focusing on all the negative while, in reality, his journey was just STARTING.
A saying I laugh at a lot:
“Oh, you’re homeless? Just buy a house!”
Or
“You’re drowning? Just swim.”
It always makes me chuckle because, behind every exaggerated joke, there are always small portions of the truth.
This means I might have been in debt at the moment, but instead of putting my energy into the negative, why not redirect it to something positive, like finding ways to pay off my debt? That way, I can be financially free.
This applies to everything, location, maybe you aren’t where the hot studios are? Maybe you have a job that doesn’t pay you as much as you like?
Whatever it maybe I promise you if you focus on it hard enough, you really can change your whole life around.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe you can tell us more about your work next?
I’m an actor with a published author.
Known for my commercial on NBC, for “Solutions for Change,” as with anime such as, “Game World Reincarnation,” that just won a Telly award, ShowTime! and “Why the Nativity,” that aired on the History Channel.
More exciting projects are coming out soon, so stay tuned!
What sets me apart is my attitude.
I can’t make this up.
If a company wants you to audition, and it’s a dang good opportunity but they’re in another state, nobody needs to know what I do to get there, what matters to the studio is that I’m there.
So yeah, I’ve flown to other states for a possibility that may or may not happen, that’s the beauty of life… what if?
And a huge shout out to both:
Pretzel Logic Studios
Ascendant Animations
HTA Casting (Go Camie)
Thank you for taking a chance on me seriously in the acting world. I owe my success to them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rubenvoices.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rubenoneillii/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/actorrubenoneill/
- Twitter: https://x.com/rubenoneillii
Image Credits
Game World Reincarnation Show Time! Show Time! 2 Why the Nativity? Caressing my Hibernating Bear Fragile Heart Bloody Anniversary & More
