nena84

Freddy Rodriguez's Childhood Dream

http://www.nbcchicago.com/around_town/the_scene/Actor_visit_to_build_a_dream_to_a_future_Chicago.html

Freddy Rodriguez, made it to the list of the 50 most beautiful from the People Magazine en Español for this year 2009. Way to go Freddy. They list you in your work in Ugly Betty. Keep that up! We love you!! And you are so damn handsome!!! Please return back to the show!

Freddy Rodriguez as Gio Rossi, Ugly Betty (ABC)
Courtesy of nena84 

Article link: PEOPLE ESPANOL 2009

WGN Chicago's coverage of the Chicago premiere of Nothing Like the Holidays starring Freddy Rodriguez, Debra Messing, Elizabeth Pena, Alfred Molina, Luis Guzman, and John Leguizamo.

The premiere was held at the Music Box Theatre.

Five Attention-Getting Turns

Freddy Rodriguez, 'Nothing Like the Holidays'

IN “Nothing Like the Holidays” (Dec. 12), Alfredo de Villa’s tragicomedy of manners good and bad, the scattered members of a middle-class Puerto Rican family come together in Chicago for Christmas. Conflicted and voluble, they have their tensions — the father (Alfred Molina) has a secret that is wrecking his marriage, the stockbroker son (John Leguizamo) and his hedge-fund manager wife (Debra Messing) are in no hurry to have a baby, and the actress daughter (Vanessa Ferlito) frets over her not-quite-Hollywood career. But these eruptions pale before the silence of the youngest, Freddy Rodriguez’s Jesse, supposedly home for good after fighting in Iraq.

The upcoming episode (4rth episode of season 3) is called “Betty Suarez Land” and we know why: there were shot scenes in Coney Island. What are they doing there? No idea… but one thing is certain, the episode evolves in two main storylines: Daniel and his “potential” son Daniel Jr. and (ta-da!) the return of Giovanni Rossi!!! 

 

The Congress Theater’s lobby is steamy. Its classic movie-palace décor is way too regal for it to be a sauna, but it definitely feels like one. But somehow, Lincoln Park native Freddy Rodriguez stays cool. He looks cool, too.

Something about his poses for the photo shoot are way too natural. His stance is all b-boy with just a little extra suave flare. And although he switches it up every few seconds, each pose is just a head nod away from a “What up?” gesture you’d get on any Chicago street.

He asks a woman nearby, “You like reggae?” He turns the volume up and busts a move — slowly digging into the beat with his hips. “Yeahhh...” he says.

A few minutes later, after greeting everyone along with a few “thank yous,” Freddy sits on a couch in a studio around the corner from the Congress. The heat of the theater follows him, but still nothing squeezes a drop of sweat out of him.

How do you stay so cool?
[Seeming a bit surprised, he laughs] I don’t know, man. I just do.

You’re back in Chicago. What are you up to?
I bought a place here. So you know, I try to come back as often as possible. It’s usually around the summertime or winter break. But I’m just sorta living here right now.

Where exactly did you grow up?
I grew up right down the block from here, on Armitage and Western. I
moved to Bucktown in 1980. I was born in Lincoln Park.

What was it like for you?
Well, you know, we’re talking about the 80s. It was rough. It was the height of gang culture in Chicago — especially in Bucktown, which you know, borders Humboldt Park and Wicker Park. It wasn’t the greatest place to grow up in. There were drug dealers in every corner, and it was also the height of the crack era. It was a pretty rough place to grow up in. But, you know, it shaped who I am as a person. I survived it, and I appreciate it much more now.

Amidst all that, how did you get into acting?
I started when I was 13, about 20 years ago, because of the condition the area was in. There was an independent theater program that came in and offered the arts to my grammar school — Pulaski Fine Arts Academy. As we all know, whenever there are budget cuts in the school system, the first thing to go are always the arts and sports (programs). So, this independent theater company came in for that year. I had a fluke audition, and I got in. I was hooked ever since.

Is there something from your Chicago experience that you channel into your roles?
Growing up in that kind of environment shapes who you are as a person. No matter how much success you achieve or how much money you make, you always carry a little bit of that with you — always, throughout your whole life.

Someone told me that your first gig was dancing for a kids’ show. Is that true?
[Briefly trips on his words as he laughs] That’s the messed-up part about coming to Chicago, because you come across people that you know since you were 12 years old, and they always bring up old stuff. [Laughs] Yeah, I was involved in all aspects of the arts when I was younger. I used to dance, I used to do choreography, I used to rap... I was just a natural hustler. I was gonna do it no matter what — whether it was through dance or music or acting. The acting stuff hit first, so that’s what I went with.

Did you experience any challenges being a Latino actor?
Yeah, of course, you always face challenges being Latino because there’s always a certain box or category that they try to put you in because of your last name. My philosophy was always, “I came out of the theater, and in theater there is no ethnicity — you embody a role, you play a part, and that’s your job.” Early on in my career I refused a lot of work... Now we’re at a different time when Latinos are in power in Hollywood and are doing more mainstream commercial films — doing better work. I feel good that I didn’t succumb to some films back then.

Tell us about your new film.
“Nothing Like the Holidays” is the first film that I executive produced. I did it with my production partner, Bob Teitel, who is a half-Puerto Rican, half-Jewish guy, also from Chicago. I’ve known him since the early 90s. We always talked about putting together a film. But back then we were rookies, you know, we didn’t really have the power to do it. So for three years we kinda threw ideas around, and we had the rights to a couple different books, but he always had this idea to do “Nothing Like the Holidays.” And I thought the idea was great. I just said, “It’s great, but we just have to do it in a way, in a level of quality, where everybody will go see it. Not just Latinos, but also white people, black people... everybody. So that was our base for writing the script, creating the project and setting the tone. 
“Nothing Like the Holidays” is my love letter back to Chicago, saying, “Thank you. Now, I’m able to do this and bring a movie back home, and film it in the neighborhood where I frequented as a kid.” And it’s just sort of my thank you, my love letter back to Chicago.

What’s the story? Who is your character?
The story revolves around a family. The parents are empty-nesters, and all of their children have left the house. John Leguizamo’s character is this sort of uptight Wall Street lawyer who moved to New York and married a Jewish girl, played by Debra Messing. Vanessa Ferlito, who I did “Grindhouse” with, plays my sister. She plays this Hollywood actress who moved to L.A. And then I play this guy who joined the Marines and went to Iraq. The family hasn’t been together in three years. They decide to get together during Christmastime because I got hurt in Iraq and got honorably discharged. My character is coming home for Christmas, so that gives incentive for the family to get together. But we’re a dysfunctional family. So, you know, a dysfunctional family gets together around Christmastime and all the dysfunctionality ensues.

How involved was the Humboldt Park community?
Oh, man, the community of Humboldt Park... The people who live there were absolutely incredible to us, man. They were just incredibly hospitable. We would be filming in the neighborhood, and people would invite us into their houses. First of all, last winter was probably the coldest winter in, like, 20 years, and we shot about 75 percent of the film outside. So, people in the neighborhood were aware that we were freezing our butts off outside. (They) would open up their doors to us, allow us to come in. They would cook us meals.

On a personal level, I would have expected that, but because I was there as a professional, it was just shocking that people were that nice, because nine out of 10 times when we film in neighborhoods, people are not that nice. If anything it’s the opposite, and people are pissed off that we’re in their neighborhoods and we’re closing the streets.

You're a North-sider. You went to Lincoln Park High School. What were you like in high school?
[Chuckles] I don't know, man. The great thing about Lincoln Park was that it was an arts high school, so I majored in Drama. It was a bunch of art kids together, and it was a great time to be in high school. It was the early 90's. Hip-hop was great at that time. It was the golden era in hip-hop and in fashion... I mean, it was a great time to be in high school. I was barely there because I was always working or doing something, but I enjoyed high school a lot.

What do you do when you’re back in Chicago?
I love to just get out. There’s such an energy in the city. I’m like a sponge. Whenever I come to Chicago I always say that I come here to recharge my batteries. I just feel drained when I’m not here. I love to just get out, get by the lake. I like to bike a lot. I like to hit these little clubs around here in Chicago, go to Wicker Park and hang out in little clubs.

Quickly, what’s your favorite...

...place to eat at in Chicago?
Rumba. That food, that atmosphere... It’s just phenomenal, man. It’ll blow your mind.

...Puerto Rican dish?
Pasteles.

...Cubs or Sox?
[Without hesitation] The Cubs, man! Northwest Side all the way, baby! Yeah! The Cubs!

...Chicago slang word?
Ol’ girl. Ol’ boy. I still say that when I go back to L.A., and (people) say, “What? Ol’ girl? Ol’ boy?”

...Spanish word?
Chacho.

Lastly, you say that “Nothing Like the Holidays,” is your “love letter” to this city. What would your P.S. note on that letter say to Chicagoans?
Just that I’m continuing to produce projects. My goal is to continue to produce things and act in projects that I can bring back to Chicago because I love coming home and working back home. Now that I’m in a position where I can do it, I want to keep doing it.