We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Andrés Torres. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Andrés below.

Andrés , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

So it’s the year 2000, in the spring time. I was a 3 year old only child. Usually on weekends, my parents and I would watch tv shows together in the living room. On one day, we started watching Baywatch! One of the most popular television shows in the world at the time; I had absolutely loved it! I think at the time, specifically the scenes where someone was drowning and gasping for air to be rescued, had this almost… I would’ve called “over the top” dramatic element to it that I was drawn to. Drawn enough to reenact the scene. So I started to mimic the things I saw, and would lay on the living room floor pretending I was drowning in the water, and I would stay committed to the “bit” until one of my parents had “rescued” me. My parents found it hilarious and would always play along whenever I would unexpectedly started screaming and calling for help because I was drowning. After that, I just really enjoyed watching films and television shows. I think it was pretty cool because it caused my parents and I to have conversations, as well as just having a lens on what it meant to be human and to have a story. I guess I caught the acting bug like that, and it stayed with me ever since!

Andrés , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I first started by participating in my school’s play productions throughout middle school, especially around the holidays. My first production was A Christmas Carol, where I played the role of past Scrooge. It wasn’t until I entered LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts, where I majored in Drama and received my first formal way of training in the craft. I participated in lots of productions where scene work, plays, and musicals were performed. Some of these include “Motherfucker with the Hat”, “Much Ado About Nothing”, “The Laramie Project”. My first professional experience was doing an off off broadway play called “Breaking 100” that I did when I was 18. However now…when it came to college, I was in a weird space where I didn’t feel confident in myself as an actor that I didn’t think it would be worth trying to audition for BFA programs, so I chose a safety net path. What I mean by that, is that I just said “well, let’s just get a degree in something so that we can be marketable still, while going after the dream of being a signed-working actor”. So I went to BMCC and got my associates in communication studies, while then going to Baruch right after and got my bachelors degree in digital communications with a double minor in Theatre and Broadcast Journalism. All while being in school full time, I still continued with training, I guess I felt lucky being born and raised in NYC because I could get a backup degree and still get training at schools and studios that people from out of state move and travel for. So I had went to Stella Adler, Matt Newton Acting Studio, Mel Mack Acting Studio and a few other workshops and seminars that I took. As well as in college, I had performed scene performances from The Glass Menagerie and Angels in America. Once I got my degrees, I hit the ground running doing background work, short films, and student films, It was summer hustle during 2o19 and I was finally free from school and could focus on building up my resume and networking to get an agent/manager. And then CVOID happened and shortly two years later in 2022 the writers strike happened. Since then I came back to acting and started working on my marketing materials such as my reels and getting new headshots.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I originally tried out for the drama program at LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts twice. I didn’t get in the first time, so I ended up going to a Catholic high school for my freshmen year. But I was informed at the time that you get another shot and a final shot at that to enter as an incoming sophomore. I got new monologues to audition with, got a callback and ended up being offered a spot as a drama major. I am someone who is persistent and will work on my craft and improve myself in order to be recognized and given future opportunities. I don’t give up and I refuse to let a rejection bring me down. I just breathe and reboot and then take on the next day with grace and continue to believe in myself. Sometimes you’re your only advocate and you need to push through the fear and doubt, and remind yourself you deserve another chance. You just need to revisit and find another way to bring yourself to your fullest potential.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

At the moment, my goal is to get signed with an agent or manager or both?! It’s been a long journey without one so it’s time that I transition into that sector on this journey. Long term, I want to be acting in films or television/streaming.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: andres_torress
• Other: TikTok: isthatandress

Image Credits

Jovani Demetrie, Travis Chantar, Greg Scaffidi, Rayelle Gardner