By Elia Esparza
We are always keeping an eye out for impressive young actors who have ventured into Hollywood with the dream of an acting career. The obstacles faced are many– having to work waiting tables or other jobs where flexible schedules will allow them to take off for auditions at a moment’s notice. Being a “starving actor” is the biggest challenge to overcome, unless of course you come with a trust fund or have the backing of a wealthy family. But for most, that is not their reality. However, if they are passionate, persistent, serious, and always training at their craft, well there are no building blocks that can’t be overcome.
Meet Christian Torres Villalobos, an actor born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. He is 100% Boricua!
Four years ago, Christian moved to Hollywood, CA, and since then has starred in several television dramas: Deadly Devotions, The War Within, (2014), as the revenge-seeking militia leader Issac Ngugi; Red Dot, (2014-2015), where he portrayed the corrupt mayor of Newark, New Jersey Andre Rojas; and Street Justice: The Bronx, (2017); Runaways, 2018), among several other dramas.
Currently, Christian co-stars in the UrbanFlix, Pump as Maxwell, a comedy directed by Corey Grant, (2020).
His first leading role in a film is as Enzo in The Trouble, (2018), an award-winning film directed by Zef Cota (Alphabet City Films) that is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Other film credits include: I Got The Hook Up 2, (2018); Can You Hear The Lamb, (2020). Christian is currently in pre-production in the action, crime, thriller, Serpentine, as Tony Martinez playing opposite Rodney Rowland, Jamie Gomez, Raymond Cruz, Stephen Huszar, and Janine Kasper.
When we caught up with Christian, we learned that his father Jose Torres aka Ñeco, 55, had tragically succumbed to COVID19 a couple of weeks earlier. We understood if he would want to reschedule our phone interview, but no, a true professional, canceling was not an option for him.
LatinHeat: First, thank you so much for talking with us. Please accept our sincere condolences for the loss of your father. How are you doing?
Christian Torres Villalobos: I have some good days and some bad days. Before everything happened with COVID and my father, we were all just trying to do all that we were supposed to do to keep us safe. My dad kept busy working around the house. But when it hit home, that’s when things really spiraled. My father is the patriarch of our entire family, he was our everything. I like to say that my father checked all the boxes about what a great father is– an amazing role model, husband, father to three sons, me being the youngest. He was our hero. As a kid, he saved me from drowning. When people talk about Superman, he literally was our superhero. He prepared us to step in should something ever happen to him. The last conversation was when my father went into the hospital, and all I could say was ‘Papi, you’re my superhero.’ The biggest gift he instilled in us was his expression of love towards my brothers and me. Even though we were boys, he wanted to make sure that his sons grew up being loving, kind, compassionate, and generous men.
LH: COVID19 is so unpredictable, no one really knows anything about this deadly virus.
CTV: My dad was fighting it for a week self-quarantining and he didn’t know he had it. Every day we were getting better news that he was feeling better, then on April 10th– he’s doing well and the hospital is preparing to release him when the unthinkable happened. My father was only 55 or was about to turn 55 and he was so enthused about life and looking forward to the future. When it came to acting, he was one of my biggest motivators. He always supported my dreams even though he never understood them in the beginning. Me leaving Jersey and going across the country to pursue my dream was not easy but we were always checking in with each other. One of the phrases I will always remember is him saying to me, ‘yo voy a ti‘ which means, ‘I’m for you.’
LH: We’re very sorry. Tell us about how you like living in California.
CTV: At first it was hard because I kept comparing it to my hometown and just across the bridge in Manhattan, I mean, there is always so much going on. And, in California, it’s more laid back. I had to get used to that. But eventually what helped me is simply not compare them. California is California.
LH: Can you tell us about your new series Pump?
CTV: I’m having so much fun working on Pump— such a great cast, all of us– Ray J, Jennifer Freeman, McKinley Freeman, Cynthia Rodriguez, Redaric Williams and myself– are having a blast. It’s a comedy that centers around a popular TV fitness guru Sean Ford (Ray J), who after a scandal tears down his health supplements empire, is forced to return to the modest L.A. (Inglewood) gym where he began, to start all over.
LH: Tell us about your character, Maxwell.
CTV: Maxwell is described as the one who loves everyone and all love him back. That he’s sexually ambiguous. He’s very vocal and physical about how much he loves people– he’s the one that will hug and kiss you. Very physical, a passionate Latino. His spin classes are extremely popular and always packed. At the Pump gym, there isn’t a member who doesn’t love him. I’m having so much fun playing Maxwell. Actually, how I portray Maxwell was created by stories that my father would tell me from growing up in El Caserio, Puerto Rico. I was inspired to portray Maxwell after one of my father’s friends from his youth named Sammy. My father would share stories of how Sammy always wore super short shorts and no shirt showing off. Maxwell’s shorts and mannerisms come from stories that came from my dad.
LH: So when you auditioned for the role of Maxwell, you already had an idea of how you envisioned him?
CTV: Yes. I studied the script and Maxwell’s character carefully. I contacted the show’s director and creator and shared with them how I wanted to play Maxwell in the audition and they said, ‘Bring it!’ I did and they loved it!
LH: Wow, they basically gave you creative freedom?
CTV: Yes. I took a chance and it worked! It was just how I was feeling Maxwell. I made him super Latino… salsa music playing in the background… and the audition scene was of Maxwell teaching a spin class. I consider myself a transformational actor, where I totally become the character is the reason why Maxwell is the way he is. And, another thing, my real person and Maxwell are polar opposites. Even the way he walks, or how he grabs a towel, there is nothing even remotely close to how I move. As an actor, I always like to challenge myself. I dig deep into the diversity and range of these characters.
LH: Maxwell is an original! I believe many will say that they know someone like Maxwell. Congratulations.
CTV: Bottom line: The show is mostly about hilarious dysfunctional relationships.
LH: What led you to want to become an actor?
CTV: There has never been a moment in my life that I hadn’t wanted to be an actor. My father was a huge movie buff… we’d go to Blockbuster and pick out movies for the weekend. He loved action and comedies and I found myself watching with him, and once the movie was over, we’d talk about it. I’ve always wanted to act in movies and television.
LH: One more question, about your father. His name is Jose Torres. Why did they call him Ñeco?
CTV: [Chuckles] There is a loving story behind it. When my dad grew up in Puerto Rico, and from a very young age he was called muñeco, which means ‘doll’. In time, his family shortened it to Ñeco.
Christian Torres Villalobos is currently seen on UrbanFlix’s new series, Pump, which Season 1 premiered on May 1st, and is a New Breed Entertainment production, and distributed by Urbalflix TV.