ISMAEL CRUZ CORDOVA
Interview by Juan Marco Torres
Edited by Allie King
Ismael Cruz Cordova is a Puerto Rican actor who plays the enigmatic role of Fernando Alves in HBO’s latest show: “The Undoing.” Ismael is a multifaceted artist who is clearly not afraid to bare his soul on the screen. He delivers a raw and ferocious performance that takes us on a wildly emotive ride. The actor, who plays opposite Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, was kind enough to talk to ContentsMan about how he keeps elevating his craft, and how his career has set up the stage for him to have a voice that advocates for underrepresented groups.
JMT: This year has been a crazy year, to say the least. How have you been navigating these past months?
ICC: It has been so many things for everyone. For me, it was starting the biggest job of my life to date. It was pausing, being away from family. It was the most forced introspective time that I’ve had. It has been one of those years of growth and transformation into a whole new aspect of myself.
JMT: Tell me about where you are from and how you started acting.
ICC: I am from Puerto Rico, from a town in the mountains called Aguas Buenas, which translates to “good waters.” It is very rural. There is a very high level of illiteracy, so it is certainly not a place where you find professionals, but workers — people that perhaps had a high school education, if any. My mom did not graduate from high school, and that is kind of the population over there. My parents were doing the best they could to inspire me to get a proper education. I thought I was going to be a pediatrician, which led me to look for the opportunity to get good schooling. I started swimming, and that got me into a pretty nice high school. There, at 14, I saw the drama club for the first time and it changed the course of everything I had planned. That is when I knew I wanted to become an actor.
JMT: How was it growing up in Puerto Rico and having the inspiration of becoming an artist?
ICC: It was very uphill. The industry is very small. Everything that we did was on a very tight budget and very low pay, but with a lot of heart. I was introduced to the craft, and not so much to any type of glamour or illusion. We have an outstanding amount of talent in Puerto Rico with extremely artistic people. Our struggles have developed a strong breed of artists. It was beautiful to do but there was no ejection to the future to make a living out of it as a profession. On top of that, I was trying to reach new heights and new outlets because I wanted to bring a global voice to our people that we are underrepresented in the media.
JMT: Eventually you ended up moving to New York and got into NYU on your first audition. How did you achieve that?
ICC: I applied to thirteen schools that year, but they all required me to attend an in-person audition, which I couldn’t afford. So that first try, I got thirteen rejection letters. For the next year, I won an award for TV artists and the prize was a round-trip ticket to anywhere in the United States plus two thousand dollars. That’s what I used to apply next year and I only applied to NYU. The competition is even bigger because I applied as a transfer student and they only reserve whatever spots are left to those. But I got in. I did that thing.
JMT: Do you remember your first role?
ICC: One of the most important ones was when I portrayed this boxer in a TV show with Ray Donovan. That role was very demanding but opened a lot of doors. It required me to bare my soul on the screen. Over the span of ten episodes, I learned a range of skills. That role made me a better actor and pushed my career forward.
JMT: I have read that you are also a musician and visual artist. Why did you choose acting as your main craft?
ICC: I still love music and visual arts, and both things are completely achievable with what I am doing now. Backtracking a bit, it was a bit of a coin flip for me to choose between film or acting school. In film school, it encompasses all those things (music, visuals, etc.), but I decided to follow the more performative aspect of it because I was more concerned about my presentation. I still have the aspiration of being a filmmaker and doing musical projects. I’m working on some music with friends. It’s still there. My acting career just took its own direction. But there is always this burning desire to do music still. I do a lot of photography and I just did a little movement film recently.
JMT: Do you see yourself diving into these other art forms in the future?
ICC: I definitely see myself working on those as well. The time to be a multidisciplinary artist is now. I think we are undergoing a new renaissance with all these platforms, new technology, and needs for expression. There is a new openness to express and continue to explore.
JMT: You play the mysterious character of Fernando Alves in “The Undoing.” How did you prepare for this role?
ICC: It is amazingly well-written, so the soul of the character is already in the script. With every character, there is always a familiarity and understanding that you have. Sometimes you have a shallow understanding. Sometimes you have a deeper connection to the role, which is what happened to me. The magic is completed when you are surrounded by an amazing team. I worked with an outstanding director that guided me and helped me reach the best and most well-rounded parts of myself.
JMT: It seems as if you roam around at the beginning of the series and then you finally show up in this very intensely emotional scene opposite Nicole Kidman. What was that like?
ICC: It was an outstanding moment. She is an amazing scene partner, especially with the power and the support she gave me. She is committed to her performance and stays open. I was very nervous going into it, but it all faded away as soon as we started going.
JMT: “The Undoing” has us running a hundred emotions at a time, and it touches upon different issues of fatherhood. What perspective has it given you?
ICC: In terms of fatherhood: I saw an aspect of fatherhood that doesn’t get touched upon a lot and that attracted me to the role. The ferocious father that you know will protect the children no matter what. It makes them volatile and intense. I think it is a great portrayal of a father because I often think only mother figures get portrayed that way. The storyline of the father figure stays archetypal usually.
JMT: What was it like working alongside such a stellar cast?
ICC: It was inspiring. I leveled up thanks to the level of expertise these people have. The generosity and the respect they show you act as an anchor. It raises your game for sure.
JMT: What can we expect from you in the future?
ICC: I will be playing around with my friends making art and music. I have been writing and taking photos. I’ve been waiting for that time to break free and do what I have to do and am passionate about. This year, 2020, has given me a voice. It was muted for a while due to the survival mode and hustle that I have been on. I think you can expect a lot of creativity and getting glimpses into the different aspects of myself.
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