Upon graduating from my acting program at The Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts in Santa Maria, CA, I went to my first tap audition. It was for the 1st national equity tour of '42nd Street.'
Vincent Rodriguez III
I don't believe in rituals that produce luck. I believe that a good preparation can raise my chances for a callback. With that, I know what I need to do, so I go in there and do my best.
Both my parents were born in the Philippines. My dad is full Filipino, but my mom looks a little mixed, and her mom's name is Estelita Coquico.
Gene Kelly has meant so much to me through the years. I used to dance in my living room in socks and a tee-shirt, no idea what I was doing, but wanting to dance like Gene.
Theater is an amazing outlet.
It's a bummer interracial love is still such a big deal. To me, it's quite normal. I grew up seeing couples that were interracial. Who cares if it's a black guy and white girl, or an Asian guy and white girl, etc.? Odds are, every combo exists out there somewhere so why not put it on the screen? Shouldn't art imitate life?
I think the best thing you can do for an audition is to just do your work, be creative. It's OK to be spontaneous.
I basically learned hip-hop from *NSYNC. And then while I was touring in theater shows, and I couldn't take classes in hip-hop but I wanted to, I just watched Justin Timberlake concerts.
I didn't even drink until I was in college. While other people were out partying, I'd be home watching the Tony Awards and Bob Fosse movies... I so badly wanted to be part of the club.
My dad wanted me to be a businessman, but I felt that wasn't for me.
I think this is the most exciting time to be alive right now. We have a black president. There are transgender movies and media out there now. Gay characters are playing non-stereotypical versions of themselves. I feel like as a society, or in television at least, we're rising up. Even in society we're rising up.
I booked my first national tour of a Broadway show right out of college. It was the tap show, '42nd Street.' I had only been tap dancing for three years when I booked that show.
Acting takes a lot of practice, but so does auditioning.
We need to encourage the presence of more Asian writers and executive producers so they can fight for normalizing the casting of Asians in traditional American roles.
I grew up accepting that my nationality was not depicted on TV or film. To be honest, it was something I didn't acknowledge as a kid. But once I realized my love for acting and the possibility of pursuing a career in it, I quickly noticed the absence of Asians in general and thought, 'Well, I'm gonna try to change that.'
After a performance, I met the man who would later be my acting coach who helped me get into my acting conservatory. It was apparent to me that there were many others who were in support of me becoming an actor and making a name for myself. I am forever grateful to those teachers and mentors who instead of saying, 'Why you?' said, 'Why not you?'
I was raised in a dominantly Filipino family. I didn't know I was 'mixed' until I got older and started asking questions about my grandparents, the origins of our middle and last names. We were kind of textbook Pinoys. A lot of the Filipino stereotypes that were joked about by me and my friends rang very true with my family.
I was crazy into performing when I was younger. I was obsessed with the craft of acting, and theatre, and stage. You know the term 'theatre geek?' I am the extreme theatre geek.
I can play multiple instruments. I love a cappella. I love barbershop. I love magic.
I wanted a Broadway credit, but 'Crazy Ex' came along, and it blessed me.
The life of an actor is not filled with limousines and talk-show interviews. I've moved crates of beer; I've been a bartender, personal assistant, butler. But all those skills have helped me in the business aspect of what I do.
It's so easy to make an Asian person the doctor, the lawyer, the smart kid in school. What's harder is challenging the norm and hiring Asian actors to play your Average Joe.
Where are the Asian leading men? Well, we're being kicked to the ground; we're not being supported. We're not considered sexy or masculine, this or that. When you start hearing something enough, you start to believe it. But our world is changing, and I think we're starting to see that that's not the end-all be-all.
New York reminds me of what my career was like when I lived here, so when I walk through the streets, I remember when I had ten bucks in my pocket and all I could eat is Chipotle.
I definitely have had my down times and also have had my times of being very, very unemployed.
Many times, you have to sacrifice the paycheck for doing what you love.
I felt like I wasn't considered for minority or Caucasian male lead roles. There aren't really a lot of roles written for me, and I mean me and who I am in real life.
I am ambitious, and I'm excited for my career to grow, and I do want to represent the Asian community and the Filipino community.
I remember, after getting my very first CD player for a birthday, I immediately purchased the soundtrack to the movie 'Grease.'
I knew in my heart I wanted to do musical theater professionally. I just didn't know how to go about it or how to communicate that to my parents.
I count my blessings every day for getting to play Josh in 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.'
Filipino food is not common when compared to your local Chinese food options.
Times are changing, and it's catching on that the roles on TV and film need to reflect its diverse viewers.
There is no doubt that diversity is a problem in show business and that this fight has been going on for a long time.
I was singing R&B songs, listening to Boyz II Men, and I wanted to take dance classes, but I waited until my senior year of high school to take my very first dance class.
Trust your instincts, and the best way to trust them is to practice them.
Between acting jobs, I'd go visit my hometown and college town to see family and friends. But I would also teach acting, dance, singing, and audition techniques in high schools and colleges. I take great pride in all the survival jobs I worked, because I learned so much from them.
From what I've experienced so far, I'd say the traffic in L.A. is frustrating. You spend a lot of time driving your car for an audition that could last just three minutes.
Rejection doesn't always mean I'm not good enough.
For me, acting is not a hobby. It is a career that I have chosen and was not willing to let go of so easily after seven years of hard work.
It's the best gift any teacher could possibly get, to go back to where you came from and offer knowledge and camaraderie.
Each of us has our own crazy on the show. The show's called 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,' but we're going to explore the craziness of everyone on the show... That's one of the attributes of the show I love so much.
