BEYOND THE ONIROS FILM AWARDS®
VIP Interview with Emanuel Ramirez, writer, producer and lead actor of the short film ‘Same Page’
by Alice Lussiana Parente
Today we present Emanuel Ramirez, the actor, writer, and producer of the short film Same Page. In this interview we talk about the challenges of not only starring in the leading role but also writing and producing your own film during the pandemic, about what brought Emanuel into acting and what’s next for such a talented artist. Enjoy!
1. Hi Emanuel! What brought you to acting? When did you first realize you wanted to work in the entertainment industry?
I fell into acting completely by accident. I was working one day at a full time job I had and it was just another day. I was looking on YouTube for motivational videos as I tend to do from time to time (trying to pass time as most of us do while we’re working) and I ran into this clip by a man who was being interviewed on a late night tv show. The host asked him “Why he downgraded acting as a profession” and this other man went on to describe how we are all, in a sense, acting all the time. There are certain things we will say or not say depending on who we are with and the circumstance we’re in. Then he went on to describe how the host was acting at this very moment (making sure his guests were having a good time, keeping the mood light, trying to be funny) and it filled me with curiosity how he knew all of this information without personally knowing the host. Some people have told me that, at that moment, I awakened my curiosity for acting. I didn’t know it then, but the guest’s name was Marlon Brando. After that, acting filled my mind. The craft, and I began looking for a school to learn.
2. I see from your bio that you studied at the William Esper Studio. Can you tell us more about the school and what aspects you liked the most about the technique?
Studying at the William Esper Studio was a blessing for me. I had been to two schools before I got there, but just didn’t feel like I had a skill or something that I could rely on technically when it came to acting until I arrived there. They taught me how to be an artist, how to express myself, good or bad you let it happen, work off the other person and as Martha Graham would say in her letter to Agnes De Mille “Keep the channel open”. They taught me artistic freedom. To not be afraid to take risks artistically. When you walked through the hallways there you could feel the emotions in the air. You feel that you have permission to express yourself.
3. We know that you not only starred in Same Page but also wrote the script and producer the movie. How was this experience for you? What aspect did you love the most and which one you found more challenging?
The experience of starring, producing, and writing the film “Same Page” has been the most rewarding experience I’ve had to this point in my journey of being an artist. I loved every second of it, and believe it made me a better human being. I always go into things with 100% belief that I can do it. I visualize it, see it, feel it, and then execute it. The aspect that I loved the most was that I got to give these artists that I worked with, not only the actors but the crew, and everyone involved an opportunity. An opportunity to be compensated for doing something they love. It filled me with joy to see that. What I found challenging I would say was that no matter how hard you prepare (and we rehearsed plenty before we actually shot the film) until you’re there with the people involved ready to do it, it’s a different thing. We rehearsed through zoom because of Covid, we couldn’t get together until the week of shooting. That led to a lot of things we had to figure out as we were shooting the film so as a producer it added challenges. I made sure that I had rehearsed my parts well enough that I could deal with distractions on set and unexpected things without it getting in the way of my performance and that’s all I could do. Focus only on what I could control and be in the moment.
4. It’s challenging to maintain a high and consistent energy and good timing in a scene with five actors. How did you work on these scenes?
The scenes with multiple people we worked on constantly even while we were shooting to make sure we all hit our marks. First we went over those scenes through zoom before we met up, to begin to get an idea of moments, relationships, and meanings. We were able to do a rehearsal in person we’re we focused more on the blocking of it, and got to see what came up as we did them in person. But it was still revealing itself even as we were shooting it, the moment tends to show you things that you may not have thought of while writing it or even in rehearsal.
Emanuel Ramirez, lead actor in the short film ‘Same Page’ – samepagemovie.com
5. Which directors inspire you the most?
Acting will always be my number one obsession, but I do find myself studying from great directors more and more. I think it’s all combined. I don’t separate them in my mind for some reason. Acting, directing, writing, to me they all come from that same source. Creativity, that we all have. The directors that inspire me the most are Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Spike Lee, Francis Ford Coppola, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Christopher Nolan, Michael Bay, The Russo Brothers, I mean I could keep going on, I’m just a fan of movies period. Every time I get to see anything these masters have made it is a privilege.
6. I think the soundtrack of a movie plays a huge role in the storytelling. How did you choose it? Is there a composer involved in the project?
Music is definitely one of those things that can serve a film in so many different ways. The way we went about choosing the soundtrack of the film was myself, my cinematographer and his team sat down and went moment by moment choosing the music that made sense for certain moments. They provided me with plenty of options, and we repeated that process until we felt we got it right. For my next film I will definitely be working with a composer and work on original scores that is something I am very much looking forward to.
7. How did you choose your actors? Did you have a specific idea in mind, or did you see them for the first time coming to life during the audition process?
As I was writing the film I had an idea on who I would like to play each role. I was fortunate enough to go to school with great actors and most importantly great people. Alex Mikoilianitch who plays “Will”, Elise Wilkess who plays “Jennifer”, Alexander Spears who plays “Charlie”, and also the director Stephen Bond, we all went to the same school and had worked on different material while we were there. Roberto Ragone who plays “Davidson”, Carrey Charlesworth who plays “Christine”, Natalie Nielsen Ruiz who plays “Candace”, and Jose Vaughn who plays “Hammer”, they all sent in an audition and I could not be more happy with the cast we ended up with. They were fun, committed, extremely talented, and a blessing to work with.
8. What’s your most challenging role to date?
I love Shakespeare. I study Shakespeare a lot on my own time. I’ll grab roles or monologues from it and work them out just to feel the language. There is something about it that moves me and speaks to me. So I’ll dive into characters like Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, Romeo, Anthony, Cassius, King Henry IV-V, Richard III, just to challenge myself and see if I can find their truth. But as far as my most challenging role to play, it would have had to be this one of “Jason” because of everything that went into it. It wasn’t just me going to set and making sure I had my performance ready, it was that, plus everything involved with the cast and crew of the film.
9. Considering the recent events, what do you think is the role of cinema in a world post-pandemic?
It’s interesting, I recently just finished watching the new film on Netflix called “Don’t Look Up” with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, and I was impacted by the message in this film. It is clearly painting a picture of where the world is right now and where we could go. That’s always been the role of Cinema and the theater to paint a picture of society. To show us what we are and what we could be, whether positively or negatively, these films hold up that mirror for us to look at and see within ourselves what we’re becoming or where we are as a society at that moment. The reason I fell in love with movies as a kid was when we would put on a movie at my house no matter what was going on around us good, bad, or indifferent, for those two hours or however long the film lasted, I felt like I got lost in this new world. I would be around my family and we would all just be watching these movies and get lost in them. That’s powerful. Film and theater still have that power today. To touch us, remind us we’re alive, to unite or divide us, to teach.
Emanuel Ramirez, lead actor in the short film ‘Same Page’ – samepagemovie.com
10. Producers and casting directors require more and more a strong social media presence and a certain number of followers on Instagram. Do you think this has changed the way we perceive actors? As an artist, what do you think about this new trend?
Yes it definitely would change the way we perceive actors or artists because with that way of thinking, it would become more about the online presence of the actors as opposed to their actual performances or are they well versed in the craft. There is something I always enjoyed about certain actors who you never see or hear from when they’re not coming out with a movie Daniel Day Lewis comes to mind, Denzel Washington that makes you miss them more and want to see them in the next role. Social media does take away from that a little bit because it’s about getting more personal with people and them seeing you on your journey as it’s happening, but I’m not against it. To each his own, it’s a tool, it can help you promote things and get the word out there on the things you are up to.
11. What type of role do you see yourself playing in the future?
In terms of roles for the future I’ve always been attracted to complex characters and personalities. It gets my curiosity going, and once I’m curious I begin to start the process of finding out the information about the character in order to play it. I will always keep challenging myself to play different roles, take risks, never get comfortable with a certain part just because I know I can do it. It’s about stretching yourself, expressing yourself, keep creating, allowing yourself to go to places you didn’t think you could but you do because this is your art, your love, your passion. Find the truth of the character’s essence, point of view, and be in the moment.
12. Anything in works that you can talk about? Any exciting new projects?
Right now my main focus is this movie “Same Page”, finishing this festival run with it. I’m very thankful for how it’s done so far. We’ve gotten a lot of nominations, awards, and I couldn’t be anything but proud. After that is done we will figure out the best way to put it out so the world can see it. As of now I’ve been auditioning a lot for other people’s projects, very grateful for the opportunities. I have some ideas in my head about the next film I will be writing and starring in, so I’m looking very much forward to that after we’re done putting this film out properly.
