 Think Tech Hawaii, civil engagement lives here. And bienvenido to his Spanish Hawaii and Richard Concepcion. Today's guest is Luis Espinosa. He retired from the Army after 30 years of service. And today he's a professional actor, and he's here to share with us his personal experience and also to motivate you how you can become an actor. Luis, bienvenido al programa. Gracias por estar con nosotros. Welcome. Muchas gracias. Bueno, Luis, let's start by telling me a little bit about yourself. Tell me about your military career. And also tell me about your transition from being in the military to the civilian life. Luis, dime un poco acerca de tu persona, de tu familia, de tus amigos. Háblame un poco acerca de tu carrera militar. Y la transición que hiciste de military a un actor profesional. Muy bien. First of all, I was born in Monterrey, Mexico. That's like the largest city of Mexico in the north. I mostly grew up in Dallas, Texas. That was through my elementary, middle school, high school. Graduated there. And then from there, I joined the military. Just as you mentioned, I did 30 years in the military. I'm very proud of that. If I could have done 40, 50 years, I would have done all that. But there's a limit to everything. So along the way, I deployed like seven combat deployment missions. That was pretty tough. And there's a lot of learning I did with that. My transition into civilian life on the military, it took some adjustment mainly because of my combat missions. Just being in the army is no problem. But the combat missions takes a toll on you. I've had good counselors, good training. So the training was OK. It was good. Kind of seamless. Financially, that's a big question a lot of people's mind. How am I going to make it out in the world, especially in Hawaii? How am I going to be able to pay my bills? And it's there right here in Hawaii. It's there in Hawaii. A lot of people. How did you do it? Well, I did 30 years, Richard. And the reason I mentioned 30 years is that allowed me 75% of my pension, of my base pay as my pension, which it's kind of nice. It kind of helps me out a lot. Kind of helps me stay in Hawaii. I can stay in Hawaii. And I really don't have to look for the job. And McDonald's right away. Yeah, that's true. So anyway, disabilities throughout the army. It's all financial stuff. And it kind of set a platform where I'm comfortable. So what do you miss so much about the military? The number one thing is my soldiers. And it's like losing your kids. I even get an emotional talking about that. Because they're not with me every day. I was so coming out in formation and talking to my soldiers, like, what's going on in their lives? I wanted to hear their problems so I can help them. Now I find myself doing that through social media. That's the only way. A whole different game. I can't go to the house anymore. They can't come to my house. So we get by. And once in a while, I get a call. But they still ask me questions like if they were my kids. And that really hits me in the heart. Well, that's good to know that you're still there for them. But I want to know what motivated you to become an actor. And what I want to know, what motivated you to become a professional actor and why? First of all, I have to tell you that I didn't have ambitions to be an actor. That was not even in my focus. I have to thank a friend of mine. His name is Jeff Parker. My life consisted of going to the gym. After the gym, I was at the Schofield Barracks, of course. I don't have to pay any kind of membership. So after the gym, I would go and eat at the snack bar, at the food court there at the Schofield Barracks. And one day, he saw me sitting there like, man, you're not doing anything. What are you doing with your life? Are you working anywhere? I see you here a lot. So he told me he gave me an opportunity to just like, I know one of the casting directors on the island, and I can get you in Godzilla. Would you like to do Godzilla? I'm like, Jeff, I'm not an actor, man. What am I going to do in Godzilla? So anyway, he said, you're going to be an actor. Don't worry about it. Like, if I'm going to stand on this long line, and they're going to tell me, no, thank you, bubba. I don't want to part of it. But anyway, to make it long story short, he got me in. I did my extra work. I was a Filipino coal miner, and I did a great job breaking rocks. He brought the rock. My son even got in the movie. He got both of us in there. So that was great. I was done with it. But I don't want to carry it all too long, but I got to mention this. Things you mentioned about into acting. I was on break, because there's a lot of breaks. There's a long movie. Yeah, it is. So we were tired of breaking rocks. So I'm hanging out. And then I get a call from Hawaii 5.0, one of the cast of the show. The casting director. The casting director and the associate called me. So I thought it was a joke. So they were asking me, would I come in and audition for Hawaii 5.0? I said, well, first of all, I'm not an actor. I'm going to tell you that up front. He's like, no, no, we like your look. We pull your file. Like, what file? I didn't even know anything about this. So we pull your file, then you fit a certain character. So that kind of catapult me forward into acting. There's a lot more details to it, but that's what got me started in this industry. Wow, that is good to know. But it takes a lot of work and dedication. Yes, it was not as easy as that first thing. It was not that easy. No, let me ask you. From your point of view, what do you require to become an actor? Is there any requirement? ¿Cuál es su requisito para una persona que se convierta en un actor profesional como tú? I have to tell you that, in my personal opinion, in my experiences, there's three things that it's like the cornerstones. I know they're supposed to be four, but there's three. Personally, it pillars. The first one is you have got to find whatever method it is. Maybe elementary teacher taught you, your dad taught you something like that about keeping your nerves in check. Think about you're taking a test. You go in front of the promotion board and the army and the Marines and whatever promotion order is, you have to learn how to keep your nerves in check. Once you keep your nerves in check, you've already checked out one of the most important things of acting. If you don't control those nerves, you're never going to score any type of opportunity for auditions because you're the nervous type, and they don't want a nervous person in front of the camera. Unless there's a character like that. It would show immediately. Yeah, you're done. They're going to cut. The second thing is you need to find a technique to memorize lines. It could be three words. It could be a paragraph. It depends on what the director has for you, but you have to find your technique on learning and memorizing those lines. The reason I mention that is because a lot of people say, well, I'm a newscaster. I can be really telling Proctor and be saying my lines is not about that. It's about the acting. Once you learn how to memorize your lines, that's not in your mind anymore. Now you can concentrate on your facial features. You can concentrate on your mannerisms, how the character you're portraying, and the memorization about your script, your sides, your lines, where you want to call them. It's automatic. You know when to spit it out. The last, the third one, is you need to have a positive attitude. You need to portray someone that's confident. And that goes along with nervousness and all that, but you need to be there likeable. Once you have those three things, in my opinion, that's work for me, you're going to be successful. Well, you did a good job. What about school? A lot of people recommend go to school and take classes. Do you think that is important as well? I think it's important, but it depends on the individual. And again, the reason that I am associated in everything I'm saying of my experience. And I'm going to tell you, and I'm going to be honest with you, I have not taken one single acting class. I've been to a couple of workshops, but that's only a couple of hours, one day, and all that. You get a feel of certain things in acting. My school, personally, is watching. And there's a couple of actors that I can name. Alex O'Glogan, McGarrett, and Hawaii 5.0. He's been my teacher. He doesn't know it, but he's been my teacher. Just watch how you do it. Watch how you do it. Trying to imitate your portraying. Because in acting, it's all about the eyes. It's not about your wailing your arms and nothing about anything else. It's in the face, and it's in the eyes. The act is in the eyes. And the other one is Edward Norton. He was the first one, but Alex O'Glogan has been the main one that's been my teacher, OK? If certain people respond better with instruction, with hands-on, or whatever it takes, it depends on the individual. But those have been my successful. That's a great point. A lot of people don't realize that being an actor is a business. You've got to promote yourself. And you've got to work on your skill. Because when you get the opportunity to go to an audition, it all depends on what you're capable to do in an audition. Wow, that is so great. And thank you so much for the advice. I want to talk about your personal experience. Talk to me about your first audition. Talk to me when you got the opportunity to meet the casting director. I want to know. Talk to me about that. Well, I kind of smile, and it kind of brings joy to me because during that time, I got to tell you, I didn't know what I was doing. And I made everyone know that I am not an actor. I want them to know that. Because if I fall on my face, it's not my fault. I already told you guys, I'm not an actor. So I walk in there. And naturally, I have to credit the Army. The Army taught me about keeping my nerves in check. Have confidence. Have confidence. Combat missions, you're leading soldiers. They can't see you get nervous because then they're going to be like, oh, if my sergeant, if my leader is nervous, are we going to succeed here? Are we going to accomplish a mission? So anyway, I have to thank the Army because in my first audition, I went in there. And I looked at it as it's another mission. Not one nerve in my body that showed. The memorization part, that came with schooling and all that. But it was not a problem with me. Mind you, I was learning that. I didn't know the things I needed to do to become a successful actor. So I learned my lines. I was calm. I went in there with a positive attitude. And I'm going to tell you. I don't know if you know this, but it was my first time walking right out of the streets into an audition. And I scored a principal part on season four for White 5.0, season premiere. Premier. And I went to something on the beach. I was on the red carpet, man, straight out of the streets. And here's this guy. All of a sudden, I'm walking with Allison Glogan and Daniel J. Kim. And waving at people like, I'm thinking, like, what am I doing here, man? You're drinking true, right? All of a sudden, from 0 to 100. So that was my takeoff. And then after you perform and you got that great experience and everything like you go up and down. And then you just kind of realize what just happened to you. What happened after that? What happened after you had the opportunity to go and participate and work on a White 5.0? After you had the excitement of being so excited and happy to participate, everything got calm. What did you feel after that? What I felt was proud of what I did. I was, I wanted to pat myself on the back, man. I'm like, I did this. It gave me the energy to continue? Yes, yes. But what happened to me was that I thought that because they gave me the opportunity to do that and I got the principle of role and I met on TV my first time I'm thinking, you know, I'm going to be successful with whatever I put my hand on. That's not the case. That's not the case. It takes a lot of work and a lot of dedication. So I just had to go back and rethink. That is true, Luis. So we are going to take a quick break. We're going to bring some special message for the community. We want to come by and continue to talk about the story. And thank you so much for sharing all the spirits very well in Korea. All right, we'll be right back. So caught up in the confusion, nothing is making sense. This guy looks familiar. He calls himself the ultra fan. But that doesn't explain all this. What? He planned this party, planned the snacks, even planned to coordinate colored shirts. But he didn't plan to have a good time. Now you wouldn't do this in your own house, so don't do it in your team's house. Know your limits and plan ahead so that everyone can have a good time. I'm working about to Spain, Hawaii. And here with Luis Espinosa, a professional actor will talk his story about his personal experience and also his, even as some tips, how we can become an actor just like him. So Luis, let's talk about those different movies that you participated in, a TV show you had, Camino, a Wi-Fi over snatch, Break on the Ground, so many triple frontier that you just finished working on that. Let's talk about each and every one of them and the role that you play. Vamos a hablar un poco de todas las películas y programa de televisión que tú ha participado, como a Wi-Fi or Camino, a snatch, Break on the Ground, and triple frontier que termina de trabajar en eso. Y háblame de tu experiencia en cada una y también el papel que participarte en eso. So let's bring Camino and let's talk about the Camino first. OK, Camino. There's a casting director that gave me a call and said, Luis, I want to offer you a role in a particular movie. And that was straight out of the deal in the Hawaii 5.0. So anyway, it took a little while to finally when I'd received that call, you don't get any prior notice. So they call me and then ask me would I like to go audition in front of the director, not with her and not with her with a video camera in front of the director. So I'm all for it. Let's do this. That's the first time being in front of the director. So just to give you a little insight of that particular one, I auditioned at a picnic table over right next to the zoo in that little park area. The park in Waikiki, right? Yeah, by that gazebo they have it there in the middle. That experience, right? Right there, yeah. So it was right there in the picnic table, right? No, and I'm thinking like, wait a minute. It gave me the directions like, OK, where's the building at? No, it was outside talking with him. So it was the director and the producer. They were both sitting side by side. And I auditioned for that. It was about me being a mean guy, OK? That was in South America, right? It was in South America, yeah. So they had me say some really mean things and then kind of do it on my own, right? Matter of fact, he said, let's say that you're attacking my family and you're going to torture my kids one at a time. That's exactly what he said. And then you say whatever you got to say. He was in my own words, you know? In his own words, OK. He said, make me hate you and make me be afraid of you, OK? Ready? What was the reason for that? He wanted to see what kind of a menacing person I could be. Oh, wow. How mean I could be and how, you know, I mean, without saying any kind of bad words. But you did well because you participated in the movie. And I got it and I got the part. So I was mean enough. So anyway, that was Camino. Let's talk about the other one, the underground. Underground, OK? Underground, the director on that same thing. It wasn't a casting director. The director, through information from friends, offered it to me to go and audition for that. They sent me the script, the sides. I did the memorization, the nervousness part, the confidence was already there. I already had it. What was the movie all about? The movie is about controlling society, like let's say a city, and controlling all of the people and literally take them underground, like in a subway-type environment, right? Oh, wow. So I am the leader. I have to keep these people from reading about what's above ground. They don't need to know that. So anyway, as me controlling society, keeping books away from them, books is the worst thing. That's contraband down there, because I'm controlling it. So that was the title of Underground. That's why it was underground. Can we show the poster, the underground? And this is the poster. You are right there on the left-hand side. Yes. The young man in the middle, he sees the... We're both leads, he's the good guy. The good guy. And I'm controlling everyone in that picture. And then from that, you went to the next movie, Snatch. Snatch. It's not to me about Snatch. Snatch, you know, I've been a mean guy all this time. And all of a sudden, now I'm going to be a taxi driver, OK? I didn't start off as a taxi driver. As far as like in the acting world, I auditioned for four of the different parts. I didn't audition for a taxi driver, OK? When I was offered the part, they said, OK, so we want to hire you as a taxi driver. I was like, OK, so when did that audition take place? You know, I'm trying to match one for one. No, no, no, they said, we're going to send you the sides. We need you to do your not a mean actor, but a depressed actor. A depressed driver. Who's driving a famous actor, right? Yeah, right, yeah, yeah. So I have to be a depressed because that's my life. Down in Columbia, I'm a taxi driver. And I have to show that this is my life. I have nothing to give but to just drive you from point A to point B. OK, let's see some pictures. It's nice right here, if you're a taxi driver. And those are my passengers, yeah? Amy Schumer and Goldie Hahn. And that's you, right? And that is me right there. All right, so let's move on to the next one. How will I file? A Y50. OK, so my teacher, Alice O'Glogan, you know, I played a terrorist, you know, which was my first gig ever. Being a terrorist was natural to me because I had to handle weapons, you know. I did 30 years in the army. 30 years in the army. I deployed seven times. I know how to handle weapons. Give me the weapon. Yeah, let me know where do you want me to go? So the director said, Louise, go down the hallway, take care of this. Go find, you know, whoever you're going to take care of. That's my part. Now, after that, you know, I played a Navy SEAL, also with weapons. I played a sniper, you know. I was a sniper at the Blaisdell Arena, you know. So it was like a boxing match. It was, I think it was season six, episode 10. So, you know. That's how I file. How I file. All the way file. See if we can show that right here, how I file for you. That's my idol there. That's my teacher. Yeah, that's the teacher. He is my teacher. Perfect. And then after that, you did a triple frontier, and that's just finished. Talk to me without giving anything away. Hablame un poco de triple frontier sin decir mucho que ha pasado porque la película va a salir en el 2019. Sí, sí, cierto. Yo soy uno de los trabajadores. I'm in charge of all the guards. I have to protect my number one guy, you know, in the movie. My number one guy is just, he's not a very likable person with the community, with, and I'm going to say, maybe the United States, the rest of the world, because he's well-known. I'm his number one guy. So I do some pretty mean things, and I have to portray that with directors, what casting directors see at me, you know, right now I'm smiling, but when I'm in front of the camera auditioning. Oh, change. Yeah, yeah. That's just a serious face. So who is the cast member? Can you mention a few of those actors? In the movie? Yes. Yeah. The lead is Ben Affleck. He's the lead actor. You have Oscar Isaac, you know. He's the owner of BB-8, and the latest Star Wars movie that came out, Pedro Pascal and Game of Thrones, Charlie Hanham from, yeah, he, I think he wrote a motorcycle in, what's the name of that show? It's very popular. Is it from? No, Pedro Pascal is Game of Thrones, he's a son of anarchy. Is it? Yeah. Oh, wow. So a lot of professional actors within that movie, too. Another one is Garrett Hunlin from Mudbound. Mudbound. Yeah. There's so many actors in this movie. It's very exciting. Well, let's talk about one more. We got right here the outbreak. Yeah. Wow, the outbreak. Okay. Outbreak. I have to tell you that that is not a motion picture. That is the interactive play, okay? It's a Halloween-based interactive play. It, you know, it comes, like I said, it comes on during the Halloween season. And you, you know, you pay for your tickets, you come over there, and then I am the lead actor, and I take you through certain corridors. We always find a huge house, a mansion, or something, and we're going to scare it. We're going to scare the fans out of you. How often, how often you do that? Only once a year? That's the once a year thing. Okay. So are you going to be on it next year? I think, I think we're going to do a movie, too, about that. Okay. So I'm looking forward to that. All right. Just let me know. But I became, you know, I became a play actor, too, so I had to learn that part of it because you have audiences, you know. You're doing a great job. You've done so many movies, a TV show. Let me ask you, let me ask you what is the most difficult part and what is the best part for being an actor? ¿Cuál era la parte más difícil de hacer un actor y cuál es la parte que más te gusta? I really have to tell you that the most difficult part is, you know, learning your lines, you know, yeah, learning your lines, it's really difficult. Get into that point where you nail down your lines. The gratifying thing is once you see yourself in the screen, man, you know, once you see yourself on there, you're like, I did it, you know, I did it, I don't know how I did it, but I'm there. So I'm enjoying myself. Well, you know, that is great. What is your recommendation for future actors that want to do the things that are you doing? What do you recommend it? What do you recommend to do to start it? ¿Cuáles son las recomendaciones que tú le quieres dar a la audiencia aquello que a lo mejor quieran ser actor, igual que tú? Make sure that that has to be your passion. You have to want to do it. It can't be something you do on the side because you're not going to succeed. You've got to give 100%. Think about those three things that I mentioned before, nerves, learn your lines and have a positive attitude. You know those three things, you're going to be successful. And only because you don't get called or you don't get selected for a certain audition for a certain part. It doesn't mean that you didn't do the best acting you could. All that means that maybe you don't have to look at the director light, you know. There's been auditions where I won the audition, but my look wasn't what the director was looking for. All right. So what is your future plan? Any production is coming up? There's plenty in Hawaii and it's a very exciting place to be for acting because we're going to get overloaded with a lot of different productions with Hawaii 5.0 with the Magnum PI. You know, now you've got Midway, Battle of the Midway, you've got Kong versus Godzilla coming around. And there's a lot more behind that. I think it's your manji, too, is coming up, too. That's also coming up. Yeah. And then the Pirate movie? Yeah, the Pirate Caribbean. Pirate Caribbean. That's coming up. So it's being stacked up. If you're looking to become an actor, or if you're already kind of halfway there, you need to hurry up and you need to practice practice. Practice skills. Yeah. Get those nerves down, learn your lines, and be positive, okay? You come into the audition room, go and shake the director's hand. Like if you know him already, don't go in there and timidate like you don't want to see him. And you know, I've seen actors that just, they lose it. Act like you've been there before. Even if it's your first time. Thank you, Luis. We have run out of time. We want to say thank you so much for coming to Hispanic Hawaii, and we do all these recommendations. And we want to say thank you for watching Hispanic Hawaii. Don't forget that you can re-watch this program at thinktechhawaii.com and any other programs that is available. Gracias. Y hasta luego.