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When Danny Ramirez looks back at the starting point of his acting career, it seems as if the universe, in its unique way, had chosen a football field to mark the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next.
“I always say the universe is the best writer, the most skilled writer,” says Ramirez.
He was a freshman in college, sitting on the bench because of a sprained ankle during practice, when a production assistant came up to him and asked if he wanted to be an extra in Mira Nair’s 2012 film “The Reluctant Fundamentalist”. Rice AhmedThe cast and crew were filming at a nearby football field,
Ramirez, 33, who is mexican And of Colombian descent, he immediately saw himself in the British Pakistani actor playing on the field.
As a young Latino, Ramirez thought so Hollywood Big budget feature films only had room for white heroes — until they saw Ahmed front and center.
“I knew the next thing I wanted to do in my life was craft-based, something I could put hours into and see my improvement and be able to achieve a goal,” he says.
Ramirez went to a bookstore the next day and bought as many acting books as he could. He worked as an extra to get comfortable on the set and transferred to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
“I just fell in love,” Ramirez said.
Today, the actor is known as Marvel’s new actor Falconin “Captain America: Brave New World” and “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”, and Lt. Mickey “Fanboy” Garcia in “Top Gun: Maverick”. This year alone, he’s played a memorable role in “The Last of Us,” recently wrapped shooting the upcoming “Avengers: Doomsday” and is working on the “Scarface” reboot and the Jean-Michel Basquiat biopic “Samo Lives,” earning him a spot on The Associated Press’ Breakthrough Entertainers of 2025. And he also previously served as co-host for the FIFA World Cup draw last week.
From ‘reluctant radical’ to enthusiastic actor
Seeing Ahmed on the football field was the cosmic validation he needed before going into it. Ramirez remembers admiring his fellow actor and NYU alumnus Danny Pino, who grew up in Miami, during high school, but felt he needed more proof that acting was possible. “The Reluctant Radical” was the green light.
“This is something that just doesn’t happen,” says Ramirez. “I needed to be able to see myself as that leader, as someone who has the responsibility and privilege to tell the story.”
Shortly after graduating from NYU, Ramirez booked roles on “Orange is the New Black” and “On My Block.” His first feature film was Sam Levinson’s “Assassination Nation”.
“It set the tone for how I would approach the next batch of work,” says Ramirez. “I just want to be fulfilled creatively.”
When he looks back at his career and what he has achieved this year, it feels like a dream. At one point during the press tour for the latest “Captain America,” he looked over to his tablemates: Harrison Ford and Anthony Mackie.
“Okay, I’m in it. I’m in it now,” he recalls thinking.
Ramirez is currently set to produce, write, direct and star in his film “Baton”. The project – about a football player who dreams of playing professionally – led Ramírez to realize that many of the roles he yearned for were not written with him in mind.
“I looked at myself in the mirror, and I thought, OK, I could easily complain about this and be angry that there’s no opportunity. And before I did that, I thought, OK, let me find out if I can, the same way I learned acting and this art, and approached her and attacked her like crazy,” Ramirez said.
Once again, he bought a ton of books on screenwriting, created a “baton”, and recently launched a production company, Pinstripes.
disciple becomes guide
Ramirez’s athletic background plays a role in his discipline to enhance his art and break down the barriers faced by Latino actors in Hollywood.
“We always have to work harder and be more thorough and go above and beyond what I think, it’s for me, like, OK, ‘I have to prove people wrong, that I’m going to go above and beyond, and I’m going to be better than their expectations, but also better than what they’re doing,'” he said.
This mentality is one he wants to pass on to those who look up to him and see themselves in him, the same way he saw himself in Ahmed all those years ago.
“I’ve seen people who are given a chance say, ‘You know what, I’m not ready for this.’ And then I see a lot of people who say, ‘Fuck it, I’m going to take the reins, and we’ll figure it out,'” he said. “I think there’s something to love about that leap of faith, that we’re all human, will make mistakes anyway, even if it’s not just you.”
Ahmed told the AP in an email that he was impressed when Ramirez approached him on a recent set.
Ahmed wrote, “Danny is a huge talent. I can’t take credit for his journey, but it’s a reminder of how even a small opportunity can change someone’s life. I’m sure Danny will continue to do so for many people in the years to come.”
A long list of mentors and collaborators, including Mackie, Ford and Tom Cruise, helped Ramirez pave his path.
He says Cruz in particular advised him to constantly keep two skills he was actively learning: “Whether it’s dancing or whether it’s a different craft or learning about a specific time period, there’s always something you can do, and I think having confidence that you’re going to learn is the other part that I find incredibly exciting.”
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For more information about AP’s Breakthrough Entertainers 2025 class, visit https://apnews.com/hub/ap-breakthrough-entertainers.