Ecuadorean actor Paul Guerra gained national acclaim in his country for TV shows like Combate, Prende la Tele and El Club de la Mañana. After graduating from Law School at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, he graduated at the Stella Adler Academy of Acting & Theatre, where actors like Mark Ruffalo & Benicio del Toro are also alumni. Since last December, he’s been hosting his own YouTube show & Podcast called CineDharma, where he talks about personal development, acting, film, and interviews fellow actors including American Gods star Ernesto Reyes and comedian Francis Cronin. Currently based in Los Angeles, we had the opportunity to catch up with Paul to talk about his career.
Hi Paul, Thank you for granting the interview. Congratulations on your career so far.
Hey guys, thank you for having me! I’m excited about this interview.
You’ve worked on several projects, including the Youtube/Comedy Central show enchufe.tv. Please share your experience of working on set.
It was like a dream come true to me. I watched the show as a teenager, and I remember always saying how much I wanted to be part of their sketches. I was still young with zero credits and experience under my belt, and I remember sending their production company an email to see if I could be on their show. That didn’t go well obviously; I didn’t even get a response (haha) Their comedy and creativity are unique; that’s why they have won so many awards internationally like the Streamy Award, which is the equivalent of an Academy Award for online content. Hence, being on set with them is a unique experience because you are surrounded by an ensemble of really funny comedians, and they all write and direct their projects. So, it’s people with a ton of experience that create really funny scripts and bits, and you’d have to be a terrible performer to make one of their jokes not funny. I was in 2 episodes of their show, and both of them were directed by Jorge Ulloa, who is one of the most prominent filmmakers we have in Latin America. He is a great director because he knows exactly what he wants on every shot, and since he also acts, he really knows how to communicate with actors to bring out the best of every take. I loved his approach to comedy and the fact that he’s open to improv during scenes, which I did for some takes. Actually, some of those moments made it to the final cut, which was really cool.
You had notable success in Ecuador for TV appearances in Combate, Prende la Tele, and El Club de la Mañana before moving to California. What are the similarities and differences of working in Los Angeles?
For starters, Ecuador has a very small industry with limited resources. So, when you work on set in LA for the first time, it can be really overwhelming to realize the difference in budgets and the size of production. Also, things are taken more seriously in the US, starting from the fact that we have a union (SAG-AFTRA) that takes care of us performers. That is nonexistent in my country, which leads to low wages and not the best conditions to work around. However, in Ecuador, we have a very strong work ethic, so it’s part of our DNA to bring it all to our jobs. That was so helpful to me and my career because I consider that no matter where you are working as an actor, the work ethic is pretty much the same. You have to be a complete professional, who is dependable and always willing to go the extra mile on set.
The entertainment industry has long working hours on set, and that will happen in Ecuador, in the United States, or wherever you’re shooting a project. So you need to be always ready to bring your A-game to the table and not be waiting to be spoonfed by your director or producers. Ecuador was my school, where I learned to be confident in front of a camera and have enough experience to come to Los Angeles and further my career.
You worked on Caracol Cruzando, the animated film directed by Pamela Chavez. This was an official selection from the PBS Online Film Festival & the Ottawa International Film Festival. Please share your experience working on this project.
I love that film! Pamela is such a fierce artist with a unique voice and a strong desire to tell stories about people like me, immigrants who leave their families behind to pursue a dream, and also to help them to have a better future. Voice over is so much fun and is definitely a different animal than on camera or stage acting. Every ADR session is unique and you can play around with your voice, give different colors and layers to every take that it makes working on the recording studio a very fun and collaborative experience.
You also worked on Gabriel, a Cannes Film Festival official selection short film directed by Mexican actor and director Mariana Flores. Has your experience of working with Marina Flores encouraged you to explore directing?
It was such a wonderful experience working with her because we know each other from our time at Stella Adler while studying Theatre. She’s super talented, and the fact that such a renowned film festival like Cannes welcomed the film was proof of her skills and very humbling to our cast and crew. It definitely showed me another layer of storytelling that is fascinating, although I have to say it brings way more stress and responsibilities to the table.
As an actor, yes, you have to build a character from scratch and give your 100% onset, but once you’re wrapped, you already did your job, and everything else is out of your control. As a director, you’re calling the shots on everything, and sometimes that pressure could be overwhelming.
Since last December, you’ve hosted your YouTube show & Podcast called CineDharma, where you explore personal development and interview people in the industry. There’s an obvious need to motivate and empower those working in what is a highly competitive and tough environment, but how did this project originate and please tell our readers more about what they can expect tuning into CineDharma?
It came from my own experience trying to get useful information to help me navigate this industry and realizing there’s not much out there. When I started out, I’d loved to connect with a platform that allowed me to get first-hand tools, film suggestions to further my cinema knowledge and tips from people who are actually working in the industry. So I’m trying to fill that gap and also bring honest experiences from fellow artists because it’s hard out there, and not everything you see on social media is true; not everyone has a perfect life and perfect careers. We all have struggled in the beginning and still are. You can expect that on CineDharma, information to improve your odds of having longevity in the industry as well as an honest approach to what it is to get into Hollywood, and the ebbs and flows that come with this career.
So where can we keep up to date with your activities?
I’m always engaging with my audience on social media and putting up content to add value to them.
You can find me on Instagram http://instagram.com/paulguerratv, Facebook http://facebook.com/paulgrra, and Twitter http://twitter.com/paulgrra
We wish Paul continued success!
Photo credits:
Hosting CineDharma (Fabian Miranda)
Facebook User Types (Enchufe.tv – Comedy Central)
Caracol Cruzando (Pamela Chavez – PBS)
Alongside actress Maria Karla Gomez (Fabian Miranda)
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