Actor of the month: Teen actor, Marcel Ruiz rises to fame
Marcel Ruiz’s acting career is rising. One of his most recent films, “Breakthrough” can be seen on Hulu, Amazon Prime and HBO Now.
April 14, 2020
With long hour film days and late-night trailer study sessions, actor Marcel Ruiz does not lead the normal teenage life.
“I started acting because my parents are filmmakers,” Ruiz said in an email interview. “Since I was little being on a set felt normal/natural.”
Beginning his career at the age of three, Ruiz has come a long way from his commercial debut. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, he moved to Los Angeles when he was nine-years-old and continued to act in commercials.
After landing the role of Alex Alvarez in Netflix’s reboot of “One Day At A Time,” opportunities began to open up for the young star. After the show got canceled on Netflix at just three seasons, it got picked up once again for a fourth season on PopTV, which premiered on March 24.
“What made me keep going with this career was honestly all the opportunities it kept giving me,” Ruiz said. “Once I got my first role in a tv series, I knew it was more serious now and not just a hobby.”
Balancing schoolwork and acting isn’t an easy task, constantly having to work online and manage to catch up on class assignments only shows how dedicated Ruiz is to his studies. In hopes of attending a good college after high school, he also anticipates exploring new positions in the industry.
“On set, I have a tutor and after rehearsing. When everyone is on break, I’m doing school,” Ruiz said. “My future plans after high school are to… take on business and also roles behind the camera such as directing or producing.”
Since landing his first TV role, Ruiz has also starred in the 2019 film “Breakthrough” acting alongside Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actress Chrissy Metz. The film is based on a true story which focuses on 14-year-old John Smith, played by Marcel Ruiz, recovering after falling through the ice of a frozen lake.
Along with acting, some of his other passions include sports and fashion. Without a doubt, it is clear that this teen is extremely talented and has a bright future ahead of himself.
“Never give up,” Ruiz said in an interview with Everly Mag. “There’s a lot of competition in this industry. Just, really be yourself – and you’ll get a role.”
