We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bryan Fernandez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Bryan, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I truly was a shy kid growing up. It took me a few beats to actually say something out loud. However, this all changed when I stepped foot into the theatre program at my school in 2016.

There was something so special and transcendent about being able to embody someone else’s emotions and project them out for the audience to see. Being able to participate in countless and countless plays, the introverted qualities I used to have, quickly flipped the coin and re-shaped me into a completely different person.

Around 2017, I was able to play the lead in a musical. It was the last performance of the show. I was just about to perform a song. I remember taking a deep breath, letting this moment penetrate my heart and I remember thinking at that split moment, I want to pursue this career professionally.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Im an up and coming Latino actor from San Juan, Puerto Rico!

I started out in love with performing Theatre, After a while the passion to launch the pursuit of a tv/film career grew tremendously that in 2017, I enrolled in a local acting studio named Fort worth actors studio and had to split my time being a student in public school while also expanding my knowledge as a growing actor at the acting school.

It was a daunting task, however an extremely fulfilling one. After a few years studying immensely under FWAS’S wings, the opportunity to apply for my first ever agent came in during that time. In 2019, I signed with my first ever local agent that helped me get in the door to some local opportunities and projects. This gave me the stepping stone on what it was like to work on film sets and projects. However, being a junior in a public high school and pursuing a career in film/tv was getting to become a hard thing to balance. I had to take the risk to leave my public school and enroll in a homeschooling program to continue this pursuit of my one true passion. Leaving a familiar atmosphere was not an easy task by any means, However it gave me the full flexible green light to grow and pursue this career.

We now fast forward to 2021, I receive the news that my local agent had passed away due to stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Just when things were looking up, I was completely devastated. During this time I was training in John D’Aquino’s acting school in Los Angeles. I reached out to my acting teacher which he knew my agent closely. He had an idea of putting me in a Virtual showcase that the school hosts. For people who don’t know what a showcase is, It’s basically a performance that you do in front of many casting directors, directors, Agents and ,managers.

I gave this performance everything I could. A miracle took place and I was discovered and offered representation from 4 los Angeles agencies on the spot. I couldn’t believe it. I owe where I am to those two acting schools that gave me the foundation I have today.

Now we are here! 2024, After that moment in the showcase, I began getting opportunities to audition for huge projects and productions. Im very grateful and blessed.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

With the pandemic and Actors strike being relatively close to one another. It felt like it was back to back events. That created a huge amount of resilience for me. Even so, that I discovered a brand new passion of mine. Screenwriting!

I hit a moment in my life where I began to contemplate what are other abilities I can form that will water the seed of my career as an actor. One day while I was on vacation, I stumble across a bookstore. And on display at the front window (I kid you not) there was a book that said “How to screenwrite “. It felt so movie like what took place. I took it as a complete sign!. I embraced my main character moment in real life! and so I bought the book.

I began to read the book and studied it like if I was going to receive a final exam on the material in it. I downloaded a screenwriting software on my laptop and simply Began…Writing. Writing random scenes or events to sharpen my story telling abilities on paper instead of projecting it on screen as an actor, But being very descriptive on a page. Making sure the audience can “See” the script, not only read it.

Screenwriting for me unlocked and strengthened my resilience in story telling. Around the same time last year during the actors strike, I began writing a variety of different short films. Stories that felt reflective of our society. Until one stuck with me, That script would eventually turn into my most recent project that I have just wrapped filming for that we are currently in post-production on.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

If I was given a dollar every time someone told me that I was “Too young” to do something, I would be extremely wealthy. There were times in my life where Ive had to make tough choices alone in order to see the fruit produce in my life. My family considers me the “Pastor” of the family because of the maturity i’ve developed at such a rapid pace. And they often seek me for advice! I love my family deeply with all my heart and their support always means the world.

I turned 21 last week and everything i’ve been able to share with you has happened way before. I started pursing this dream since I was 12 years old. I want people of all ages to read this story and become inspired to know age is JUST a number. You are not too young nor you are too old, you are just the right age. What ever passion has bloomed inside of you, I truly to believe that it bloomed inside of you at the perfect time! Just continue to hone the gift and work your way up the ladder, God will do the rest.

I most certainly had to unlearn that other peoples limitations over you do not determine the final result. you can get things done at any age. As long as you have the grit and perseverance to go for it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: bryanfernandez_32
• Other: IMDB page: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm10947364?s=d8c89775-ce83-3d54-11ab-41dc81b011a0&site_preference=normal

Image Credits

For the Photos of:

Blue shirt,Grey sweater, White tank-top with jean jacket touching ear and the Grey shirt with Maroon background (personal photo), The photographer is : Jordan Fraker

For the photos of:

street lamp, beige button up shirt and the legs crossed photo: the photographer is: Ana v. Carrion