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

Rafael, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Well, funny thing is although sports were always in the forefront, I always knew I wanted to entertain. I always knew I wanted to be in movies. I’d say “I wanna be like The Rock”, we’d see him on Smackdown one night, and then Scorpion King the next. That was my vision. A professional football/baseball player who starred in movies. It was that way until I hung up my cleats. That’s when I’m stumbled into my first acting class, and I’ll never forget one night in class we were performing a scene, and it was an argument between partners. Mid scene, I don’t know what led me to do it, but I’m glad I did. I just screamed out “I LOVE YOU!” And I just heard everyone’s reaction. A big gasp is what I remember most, and in that moment I KNEW I could fly. No one could tell me otherwise. That’s when I knew this is what I had to do for the rest of my life. There were no other options. I needed to fly again. It was my super power.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Rafael Castillo, and I’m an Afro-Latino actor, writer, and creative in general. I come from a Dominican family and am a first generation American. A solid mix of Dominican Republic, Atlanta, and Miami, if you will. Lol I’ve appeared in projects like “BMF”, “Black Lightning”, “Mo” and most recently “New Amsterdam” on NBC. I pride myself in being able to represent people like me on screen, and as I grow I hope to be more influential behind the scenes as well. Ultimately, I want to paint pictures that mean something to me. Tell stories about the people who usually see themselves in the background. We all have a life, we all have a dope story.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

My brother once said “Before you leave a room, make sure you leave it in better condition than when you walked in.” I always strive to bring a sense of peace, comfort, and joy with my presence. As an actor, I am an entertainer, and what I create (along with many others) allows many people to escape… Escape from their problems, you know? A world where they don’t have to worry, or stress for 30mins or 2hrs. When you sit down, and binge a show or go to the theater to watch a movie you can for a moment just forget, and enjoy yourself. You have the freedom to get lost in this peace of art. You can just live in that moment with the people around you, and subsequently share that memory for the rest of your life. The ability to do that for people is a reward beyond measure.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

As I grow, I want to be a part of, and help tell the stories of people who typically only get to see themselves in the background. We all lives full lives, and we all have a dope ass story to tell, and we all deserve to see ourselves in said stories. I want to be someone who makes that happen. I want to be apart of the reason “leading man” and “leading lady” aren’t “types” but instead just a label to the HUMAN the story is centered around. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but I just want everyone to be able to see themselves on screen. People deserve it, and representation means so much. We all deserve to be seen.

Contact Info:

• Website: IMDb.me/rafaelcastillo
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/rafisodope?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Twitter: @RafaelCOfficial
• Other: Bts Photography Page https://instagram.com/viewsfromset?igshid=NzNkNDdiOGI=

Image Credits
Yetti Rice