“I’m a delusional optimist,” actor Julio César Ruiz joked about his humble beginnings in Laredo.
His grandparents and four tios helped raise him while his mother worked two, sometimes three, jobs. He likened his tios to older brothers possessed of their own superpowers and talents in business, music, and art. He said his family was always artistic — his grandfather played in Nuevo Laredo’s Los Hermanos Ruiz, and his tios wrote and played music. “I can carry a tune,” Ruiz said, noting that music had always been a part of his life, but so was a yen for a career in acting since the age of six.
“I was a dramatic kid,” he said, recalling watching telenovelas with his mother and grandmother. “The tío who worked at a video rental store used to call home to see what movies I wanted to watch. At a young age, I connected with actors and characters,” he continued.
Ruiz attributed much of his early success to his coaches at J.C. Martin Elementary, Christen Middle, and Martin High School. Throughout football, shotput and discus, and powerlifting, Ruiz wanted to act in plays, but didn’t have time.
“I don’t like letting people down,” he said, “and One Act Plays were commitments.”
He said, “Everything happens for a reason,” as he recalled a particular career day when a makeup artist spoke to his class about working on Titanic – one of Ruiz’s childhood favorites. “Afterward, I wondered, “If he can do it, why can’t I?”
His big push forward toward acting, however, was an injury.
At a powerlifting meet, his knee popped during wrapping. He lifted his personal best, but once the wraps came off, it became obvious that torn ligaments had ended his season. Around that time, the One Act Play’s director approached a dejected Ruiz about playing a sheriff in an upcoming production.
Ruiz thought memorizing lines would be easy, but quickly learned differently. He lamented letting his team down, but he loved being on stage.
He moved to San Antonio to pursue teaching or journalism and took acting classes. His first audition was for the film Home Sweet Hell. To his amazement, he got the part.
Today, Ruiz has acting credits for Bookie, Blue Bloods, Preacher, SWAT, Vice Principals, and Zoo. His longest television run was as Tex on Mayans M.C. In film, he’s acted in Thoughts and Prayers, an Amy Poehler short; 80 For Brady with legendary actors Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Sally Field, and Rita Moreno; and The Suicide Squad with a cadre of stars like Margot Robbie, John Cena, and Idris Elba.
Ruiz considers his roles “master classes” in acting. He said trusting his instincts has been an important lesson. In The Suicide Squad, Ruiz, who was cast as Milton — a regular guy thrust into an adventure with superhumans — felt out of his element among so many stars.
After one take in particular, director James Gunn quickly declared, “Great! Let’s move on!” Accustomed to TV acting with many directions, Ruiz worried he was so bad that Gunn just wanted to move on rather than go again. He realized, however, that Gunn’s words were a validation. Ruiz said he has “unwavering confidence in his abilities since then.”
He is proud of his work in Blue Bloods, in particular of a long interrogation scene “in which nothing was cut.” He recalled that working with J.J. Abrams on the Duster pilot pre-reshoots was surreal. He said that his run on Mayans M.C. evidenced his acting range with some scenes as a menacing tough guy, and others making silly jokes “like an excited 12-year-old.”
Whether it’s sharing scenes with Walter Goggins, reciting Diary of a Mad Black Woman monologues with Shemar Moore, or being directed by Gunn, Ruiz cherishes his time on set.
Of late, he has taken on the role of an acting coach for students in first through eighth grades. The job, which began as a semester-long endeavor, is going on its second year. “The kids are magic,” he said, noting their productions of The Wizard of Oz, Beauty & the Beast, Newsies Jr., and (soon) Sing for big crowds.
He said he likes inspiring people, not just through coaching but also in community outreach.
Though his family has migrated up I-35, he still speaks at Laredo schools. He said he wants Laredo’s youth to know “they control what they do about their dreams. Don’t let failure shelve them. Be passionate. Continue even if you’re not an overnight success, and most of all, remember that it’s not only the big moments that matter.”
Ruiz said the best advice for aspiring young actors are embodied in the words of Russell Crowe’s 2001 acceptance speech for the Oscar for Best Actor:
“When you grow up in the suburbs of Sydney… or the suburbs of anywhere… a dream like this seems kind of vaguely ludicrous and completely unattainable. But this moment is directly connected to those childhood imaginings. And for anybody who’s on the down side of advantage and relying purely on courage, it’s possible.”
“I tell them ‘I believe this to be true, because I was just a kid from Laredo, just like you’ ” Ruiz concluded.
