Ismael Cruz Córdova Is Hollywood’s Newest Heartthrob--—and It All Started With Sesame Street
There are certain actors whose on-screen presence feels electric. Sure, some of it can be chalked up to pure handsomeness. But there are others who simply have that thing, that certain Humphrey Bogart-Denzel Washington-Leonardo Dicaprio je ne sais quoi that pierces through the big screen and leaves viewers walking out of a theater feeling like they don’t just know a character-they’re in love with them.
That’s the type of reaction many moviegoers had with the release of Miss Bala. Though the action film features Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez as the ingenue-turned-badass main character, Gloria, it's rising star Ismael Cruz Córdova who’s capturing hearts.
Part of the allure is thanks to the smoldering blue-green eyes and shirtless scenes he lends to his cartel leader character, Lido. But there's something deeper within Córdova that offers up a dose of tenderness to his on-screen villain, soft edges that allow you to actually root for Lido, despite his horrific crimes.
“Some people could argue that I was typecast, as a Latino playing a member of the cartel,” Córdova says. “But I will never turn down playing a ‘stereotype’ as long as the character is a real person with layers-and isn’t the butt of the joke. Yes, Lido is a villain, but he’s also a human, a person with hopes, dreams, and a story that lead him to where he is. So I took this role and rocked it, because what’s most important is we’re telling our people’s stories.”
While this may be Córdova’s major introduction to Hollywood, he’s no stranger to audiences. It's just that he might be more familiar to a slightly different demographic. Córdova’s big break happened in America’s most well-known neighborhood: Sesame Street, where he played a Puerto Rican writer who used catchy lyrics to teach viewers Spanish. Córdova calls it his full-circle moment; the native of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico, learned English by watching the show on a small black-and-white television. His love of music and TV let him know early on that entertainment was his calling, and at 19, he headed to New York University to study theater.
In 2013, after hearing about Sesame Street's first-ever open casting call for a Latino character, he snagged the role by auditioning with a Spanglish version of the show's viral hit song "I Love My Hair." After two years-during which Córdova says he walked alongside the Count so often, he'd forget he wasn't a real person-he was ready to switch from puppet co-stars to the big leagues.
“The experience was beautiful,” he says, “but it just felt time to say goodbye. Getting recognized by little kids never got old, though!” Soon after, he landed a small part in director Ang Lee’s war movie Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. It was a dream gig, so it was a surprise when after the movie wrapped, Córdova found himself on a friends couch with no money, once again living the struggling actor cliché he thought he escaped thanks to Sesame Street.
“That was one of those life moments where everything is going perfectly. I mean, I worked with Ang Lee in a major studio film-and then when opportunity stopped knocking, it was like Wait, what happened?'” Córdova says. “You think that magically things are going to align, and for some people they do. But for most, they don’t always.”
Córdova emphasizes that it was a dark time for him: “It was winter in New York, and I was broke and depressed.” But he says that focusing on being grateful for what he did have-family, and the type of support system that would let him stay for free in their living room-is what helped.
Oh, and a little confidence.
“I learned that sometimes, even in your darkest times, you have to take a moment to take stock of what you have done, and how powerful you are, and enter the room with that knowledge,” he says. “I learned to walk into auditions with my head up high. And when I didn’t get what I wanted, I’d mentally say ‘That’s their loss, because I know I’m a treasure.’ It is not a bad thing to know your worth, and to let that keep you going.”
That faith in himself kept Córdova holding on until he landed a 10-episode arc as Hector Campos on Showtime’s Ray Donovan. Scoring the part of a boxing champion with a sister-played by Lisa Bonet-who’s also his lover turned out to be the moment when things “magically aligned.”
Next came a slew of increasingly big-name roles: First, as an army vet and CIA agent in the third season of Epix’s spy thriller series Berlin Station. Then, a part opposite Margot Robbie last year in the feature film Mary, Queen of Scots as the Queen’s musician and secretary David Rizzio.
“That role felt like a revolution for me. Here I am, an Afro-Puerto Rican man from the island playing an Italian renaissance violinist courtier and right hand to the queen in the 1500s,” Córdova says. “And he’s also queer! So there were two barriers right there that I broke down. And the best part was audiences weren’t like, 'Why is this Puerto Rican guy playing this role?’ Instead, people came up to me to talk about his journey, his soul, and what he represents.”
Now, there’s the newly released Miss Bala, a project Córdova feels he manifested for himself from the moment he got the script and heard both Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke and Rodriguez were attached. He remembers holding the script and saying: “This is mine.” Based on a 2011 Spanish-language movie of the same name, Miss Bala is making history this year as the first major studio action film starring Latina and Afro-Latino leads.
That accolade, however, has been overshadowed by a bit of controversy surrounding Rodriguez, who found herself in the middle of a Twitter firestorm in December when she was accused of being “anti-Black” after she disputed the differences in pay gaps for Black and Latina women. Users pointed out that many Latinas are Black, and began to resurface many of Rodriguez’s past comments, claiming this wasn't the first time she attempted to pit Latinas against Black women.
Last month, during a Sway's Universe interview, Rodriguez defended herself, calling the backlash “devastating.”
For his part, Córdova says he just wants to celebrate anyone who chooses to go see Miss Bala-because not only are they championing Afro-Latinidad by supporting the first major studio film starring an Afro-Latino, they’re also backing one brought to life by a 95 percent Latino cast and crew in an industry that still lacks representation for Latinos. (In 2016, 54 of the top 100 films in the country had no Latino speaking characters, according to a USC Annenberg report.)
“I think what’s important here is seeing our communities come out to support moments like this, because the more we show the world this is possible, the more we can continue to help Latinos be seen,” he says. “So I will never stop being a visible Puerto Rican out here representing and telling our stories and asking our community to do the same.”
Despite some negative reviews (thanks to some of the film’s hard-to-believe plot lines) and Twitterstorms aside, Miss Bala has earned Córdova a league of new fans. He says he laughs daily at the hundreds of Instagram followers who tag him in the photos of his face they've saved as their iPhone screensavers. Now 31, the actor is getting more and more calls for future projects, including one that he “signed a strict confidentiality agreement about and can’t talk about-but it’s good.” And there is one more he hopes to manifest for himself:
“West Side Story!” he shouts. “You hear that, universe?! I’m putting it out there. How perfect would that be?”
Finally, following years of starts and stops, Córdova says he can say that he does indeed feel like his career is on the precipice of something major. He’s optimistic-if only cautiously so.
“In entertainment, you have got to fall in love with a project to give it your all-if you’re only halfway into it, it shows during your audition,” he says. “It’s like love in that way. If you’ve gotten your heart broken, you don’t want to risk falling in love, because you could end up feeling that pain.”
And then, with those twinkling eyes, Córdova smiles.
“But then again, you could open your heart up, fall head over heels in love, and it will be the best risk you have ever taken in your entire life...”
Spoken like a true heartthrob.
Photography: Kathryn Wirsing; Grooming: Nina Soriano
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