Diego Medellin was born in a small town in Mexico called Torreon. He started acting at a young age, landing his first role in theatre production for a Christmas story aged 6. After a few more small roles, he trained as a theater actor. It wasn’t until his early 20´s that he decided he wanted to pursue this career full time. He moved to LA and got a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Acting for Film. Since then, he has performed in over 20 plays, 15 short films, and two features, winning several awards and festivals. We had the opportunity to speak to him about his career.
Thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Please tell us more about how you got into acting.
I’ve always been a sensitive person. Also, I do have a talent for manipulation, which sounds horrible but my parents gave me a strong education and because of it, I’ve always used this for my craft and not for taking advantage of people. I have cero shyness in me, talking in public fuels me and I’ve always been a very honest and open man. All these talents made me a natural actor. When I was a kid, my teachers and family would ask me to tell jokes and they would all laugh, maybe the jokes weren’t that good but the fact that a small child would just stand up grab a mic and start talking was enough to create laughter. While all my friends played sports in high school, I was the only boy in the theatre program. I was so fearless on stage that instead of being bullied I got their respect, I guess I was lucky that way. My parents always supported me to become an actor because they saw I had talent, and not only them, people around me started to notice from a young age.
It wasn’t until your 20s you decided to pursue this full time. What encouraged you to make this final decision?
It was my first year of college, my school was casting for their next big play: “The Man of La Mancha”. With no experience, just my instincts, I auditioned and I got the second-best role there was, I was Sancho Panza. My school had a surprise though, they invited a very famous Mexican actor to be Don Quixote and I said “This is my time to demonstrate that I can perform at his level”. After the play was over, the great Gonzalo Vega went straight to my teachers and said “That kid is a diamond in the rough” This was the moment when I said… I can and I HAVE to do this for the rest of my life. I was very chubby and I know how shallow this business can be sometimes, so determined to follow my dream, I lost 70 pounds and moved to LA to start my career.
You moved to LA and got a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Acting for Film. What did you learn from this experience and how far would you say it prepared you for your future success?
This is a great question because it always sparks a debate… Do you need classes to be an actor? The answer is YES! You can have the personality, the instincts, the drive, and everything but classes give you TECHNIQUE. It’s a tool belt that you create by listening to great teachers. Now I’m lucky to say that I’ve had incredibly talented teachers (Cathy Giannone, George Russo, David Robinette, George McGrath) All of them very successful in their careers. You need to stay fresh, acting is a muscle, if you don’t use it, you lose it. So, I encourage everyone to always stay in acting class, stay on your feet. My master degree gave me all the tools I need to attack any challenge coming my way, but I didn’t learn everything, you never learn everything in this business, you think you know everything? If this is your case then I’m sorry to tell you that you are in the wrong business.
After 20 plays, 15 short films, and two features what do you prefer- Theater or film?
It’s a completely different animal. Theater is the purest form of acting. It’s raw and personal. Theater gives you the opportunity to completely live the life of the character. If you have the good fortune of working with a great writer then you can live the character´s full arch in 2 hours and that is priceless. The toolbelt that I mentioned earlier comes in handy when you are doing film or TV. The level of concentration, self-knowledge, and control is key for a successful career in film. There’s a great quote that I always use to describe acting: “Acting is the ability to be private in public” and film is exactly that. Whatever works for you to be “in the zone” this business is “hurry up and wait” it means that you need to be always on time but wait until the director needs you. And you can wait hours but, your job as a film actor is that you need to be mentally ready to give what the character and the film need and be prepared to deliver the same level of acting in 3, 7, or 15 takes. I would say that your soul and talent are key to theater. Preparation, technique, and endurance are key for film.
You have been involved in award-winning projects and featured in several festivals. To date, what would you say is your most rewarding achievement, and why?
I had the privilege to do David Auburn´s “Proof”. It’s a story about a genius mathematician that loses his mind. It was such a hard challenge, mentally and physically took a toll on me. Took me months to understand the mind of this complex character and it is by far the best project I’ve ever been a part of. Aside from that, I was also cast in the multi-award-winning short film “Departure”, playing the conscience of a prisoner in death´s row was very satisfying and hard. I would say those are the most rewarding experiences in my career so far.
You’re about to shoot the feature film “Tomorrow”. Please tell us more about the film, your role, and what we can expect?
This is going to be a huge movie. Kellen Gibbs is the director and mark my words, this man is going to be nominated for Academy Awards in the not so far away future. Is the story about a young troubled girl, she is having trouble understanding life. She goes to bed; she wakes up and finds herself in someone else´s body. I don’t want to give it away but every time she goes to sleep, she wakes up as a different person. There’s something that this girl needs to learn and for some reason, the knowledge she needs will become apparent through all these people she embodies. I’m playing Mateo. He is the first person the little girl turns into. It’s a magnificent journey through the eyes of Harper (The little girl) It’s a very mysterious and complex story that will leave you wanting for more.
Please tell us more about your other talents as a musician (a professional drummer and composer) and sports analyst/ commentator?
Before I moved to LA, I had multiple jobs. I’ve always been fascinated by music and from a young age. I decided I wanted to take drums lessons. I got good very fast and my first big break as a musician was when I found musical theatre. I’ve been a part of different orchestras in different plays including Mamma Mia, Legally Blonde, Little Shop of Horrors, Jesus Christ Superstar, and many more. It was because of musical theatre that I fell in love with acting, and the drums took me there. After I graduated, I had to save money. There was an opening at my local tv station for a sports anchor and I said “why not? I love sports and this can be a great combination of my love of the camera and sports” I got the job and after a few years I became the official soccer commentator for the local professional soccer team “Santos Laguna”. My rewards were several national appearances, 4 national finals, and 2 Superbowl’s. It’s a part of my life that not many people know but that I remember fondly
Where can our readers find out more about you?
You can find a taste of my work at www.diegomedellin.com. My most used social media platforms are
Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter: @diegomedellinr
Photos Joanna Degenneres (portraits) Chupacabra by Daniel Bribiesca
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