Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Victor Del Rio. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Victor, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project that I’ve ever worked on has to be my film “Ed”. Primarily because it is the first project that I ever wrote, directed, produced and starred in. I was engaged in every step of the process and I am just finally being able to take my foot off the gas with it as we await our first festival premiere.

The backstory to “Ed” started a little over a year ago. With the writers & actors strike well underway, I found myself working as a live-in property manger in NYC while still searching for the little work that was out there.

It’s safe to say, that the acting jobs weren’t coming in and I felt myself getting further away from what it was that I truly wanted to do as an artist and closer towards a very demanding, high stress, on-call job for which I had no true interest in.

So, as a way of fueling my creative needs in the interim, I decided to write a screenplay. At that point I had never written anything of my own and was honestly quite intimidated by the whole process. The whole thing seemed so much greater than me and I really had no idea where to begin.

I started to think back to situations in my life that had a great affect on me and the one thing that kept coming to the forefront was a very damaging relationship I had with myself and internet pornography during my college years. It was a part of me that I kept private for a very long time in fear of being shamed by others. But I thought, “Just write it for practice and see what happens”. So I started writing and even though it sounds cliche to say this, the story just poured out of me and within a week I had my first draft of “Ed”.

I shared the screenplay with a couple of colleagues of mine from grad school whose opinions I had high regard for and who I knew wouldn’t lie to me if it sucked. To my surprise, they gave me positive feedback and encouraged me to get it produced.

Long story short, the snowball effect for the project continued to grow and grow until 6 months later, we’re in Salt Lake City, fully funded, insured and set out for three days of production to shoot “Ed”.

It’s such an important project for me because not only was it the most vulnerable thing I’ve ever done, it was also the first time in my artistic career where I felt like I was actually doing what I set out to do. Which was to create meaningful stories, surround myself with great artists and be able to create opportunities not only for myself but for others around me.

It is an experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world and I look forward to creating more experiences like it in the future.

Victor, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got into acting as I was exiting high school. I never really had any desire to become an actor or a filmmaker up to that point but knew that I loved to pretend and make people laugh, especially through impersonating.

Anybody that has spent significant time with me will tell you that I can not help but begin to impersonate the people around me. Whether it was co-workers, football coaches, friends and family, I always found a way to embody other people and use it to create joy and laughter for others. I never thought that it could ever be considered as “acting” as it was something I just did without really thinking about it.

It wasn’t until I sustained a career ending concussion my first year playing college football at Salisbury University where I was left not knowing what to do, and decided to take a visit to the theater department.

They took me in with open arms and before I knew it, I was in one of their main stage productions. As soon as I stepped foot on the stage, I knew I had found my thing. It brought all the excitement and thrill that I had felt as an athlete and required the same amount of discipline/ preparation that was embedded within me from a lifetime of playing team sports. And not to mention, it was much safer.

I moved back to New Jersey and attended Rutgers University where I dove head first into the world of theater & film and graduated with a degree in Theater Arts. However, even with the degree from Rutgers, I knew that I wanted to continue to develop my skills as an actor. So I decided to try my hand at grad schools, I was accepted into the prestigious MFA program of The Actors Studio at Pace University.

For 3 years there I worked each day developing my craft. I was always memorizing multiple scripts a week, auditioning, creating connections with fellow peers/mentors and was determined to walk out of that program not just ready to compete as a professional actor, but truly stand out and make a name for myself.

What I would like for others to know about me, is that when I say I’m going to do something, I truly mean it. I am a believer in the power of our words and when I make a promise to myself or others I do not take it lightly and will work tirelessly in order to make them a reality. For the past 5 years, every day of my life has started with the constant goal of getting better each day. Not just physically, but mentally, spiritual and emotionally. I feel a great amount of privilege to be able to pursue my dream and I do not take that privilege for granted. Every day I get to pursue this thing is a great day, sure it has it’s ups ands downs at times. But I’m going to make the most of it either way and continue to spread encouragement & kindness wherever I go.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I’ve had conversations with many people about being an actor, and a lot of the time during these conversations people ask me things like “Theres got to be a lot of uncertainty in that, right?” or “How are you going to make money?” or “What’s your next job?”.

These are all extremely valid questions and most of the time the answer is “I don’t know.”

But what I do know, is that I feel extremely lucky to have the chance to do what I’m doing. And even though at this point, in the beginning stages of my career, I may only work a solid 2-3 weeks in a year, those weeks where I am on set or in a production are often times the happiest moments of my entire year and hence give me the fuel to keep it going for another one.

I know that to a lot of people that might not be enough and I don’t blame them, sometimes it’s really hard to be optimistic.

But every day that I wake up, I know that today could be the day where something extraordinary happens and I think that it’s healthy to have that range of possibility in your life. Because it gives you purpose, keeps you hopeful and forces you to appreciate all the tiny victories that you get in the process. Whether it’s booking a feature film, getting a callback, an audition or just getting the opportunity to act in a class, there are so many things that can turn our days from “okay” to “great” in a moments notice and in those moments I know I’m right where I need to be.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The people you meet along the way and being a part of a team.

I grew up playing team sports and when I think back to those days it’s usually never the touchdowns I scored, or the great plays that stick with me. But rather, the bus ride home after a great win, or the jokes we’d share at practice or the support you’d feel in the middle of games.

It’s the same thing when being an actor or a filmmaker. You’re always apart of a bigger picture and you’re always working towards the same goal. The bonds that I’ve created with other actors, directors, cinematographers, crew, producers etc. on set have been invaluable and I always find I walk out of projects with new lessons learned, new sensibilities and most importantly, new friends. That makes the job that much more worth it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.victor-delrio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victordelrio5/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victor-del-rio-0a931a191?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3B8dyYUROuSmusCf6mFzYwpg%3D%3D
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@victordelrio805
• Other: “Ed” (Press Kit Link)

  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BHuoXZKVZ9Wiyp9uGMz36U0eU39vQ3QD/view?usp=sharing

Image Credits

Rob Anthony
Oscar Ignacio Jimenez
Genji Li
Ty Anderson