Wilmer Valderrama: ‘We Forget That We’re All Immigrants’

Before he became a household name, Wilmer Valderrama briefly considered going by something else, potentially adopting “Juan Gonzalez” or “Jose Ramirez” as his stage name. The goal, if it’s not clear, was to make him sound “more Hispanic.” As Valderrama told Yahoo Celebrity, “There [were] a few casting directors at the beginning of my career, back in ‘96-‘97, [they said] ‘You may come across some obstacles if your name is not Latino enough.'”

At the time, the aspiring actor seriously considered it: “I thought about it. I thought, ‘Does that make sense?’ and ultimately I said, ‘No, that’s my name.’ I come from Venezuela and there [are] so many Wilmers and so many Valderramas… How is that not Latino enough?”

Valderrama, 36, says that sticking with his birth name was “the best thing I ever did.” The NCIS actor recently teamed up with Johnnie Walker for their “Keep Walking America” campaign, which celebrates our country’s diversity.

And during an election year where “immigrant” has become a dirty word for some people in the U.S., Valderrama thinks the opposite. “For me, the word ‘immigrant’ is a gift,” he shared. “It’s a fearless individual who never forgets their roots but allows themselves to evolve wherever they go next. I think we’ve forgotten where everyone comes from. We forget that we’re all immigrants.”