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Latin Forum
Film and TV
Psych out
By Kiko Martinez
Don’t let his name fool you. There’s more to up-and-coming actor James Roday than
meets the eye.
It was an exciting albeit chaotic final year for James Rodriguez as he anticipated graduating from New York University with a degree in fine arts and starting his career as an actor. When he was offered his first paying gig even before the school year ended, Rodriguez had a lot of difficult choices to make. With another James Rodriguez already registered as a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild (Rule No. 15 of the organization’s regulations states that no member may use a professional name that is the same as, or closely resembles, the name of any other member), his first decision was whether he should add a middle initial or suffix to his moniker to make it unique.
Instead, he opted to take the recommendation of a television executive, who advised him the best thing to do would be to Americanize his name and change it completely.
Overnight, James Rodriguez became James Roday, currently the star of the USA Network TV series Psych, which began its third season on July 18. It’s a choice, he says, that he probably would not make again if given the chance.
“For a 22-year-old kid who is thinking he was going to be bartending and scraping pennies together to buy a burrito and maybe do some theater, having a television executive say you should change your name made enough sense to me,” says Roday, 32. “There was a lot of stuff going on all at once, and I had about 48 hours to make a decision.”
Although he might rethink it today, Roday can’t deny the choice he made has led to a successful nine-year career in the television and film industry and continues to pay dividends. It becomes a game of “what if” when he thinks about where he would be now if he had chosen to keep his surname.
Picture this flashing on the TV screen during a commercial break: Psych starring James Rodriguez. Could that have actually worked in an industry where Latino leading men are few and far between?
“It’s a slippery slope,” says Roday. “I would love to say that it could have worked out the same way, but I think there is more evidence that suggest that it wouldn’t have than there is that it would have.”
It’s not common knowledge that Roday is half Mexican. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Psych’s leading man attended Taft High School where he dropped all his extra extracurricular activities to devote his full attention to the theater department. In discovering his natural talent on stage, Roday knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.
“He was a remarkable actor,” said his high school drama teacher James Buchanan. “He’s always had terrific charisma and an energy that was very unique. Whenever we would take him to any contest he was always noticed as being one of the best.”
When high school ended, Roday sat down with Buchanan to talk seriously about what he should do with his life. Without hesitation, Buchanan looked at his young student and said, “New York.”
“There are not many students that I would tell they should give up everything to pursue a career in acting,” Buchanan says. “But he was one of them. I told him that if he really wanted to give everything up, it would be a great career for him because he has a special gift.”
That fall, Roday began attending classes at New York University. It was a mind-blowing experience, he says, that introduced him to endless opportunities.
“In New York City as an 18-year-old, you really feel like anything can happen,” Roday says. “On the flip side of that coin, you are in a program with at least 200 kids that want to do the same exact thing that you do. It really sank in for me. For the first time I saw just how little the odds were that a kid from Texas was going to be able to make things happen for himself.”
Although they started slowly, things did begin happening for Roday. After three short-lived TV series and a few small film roles, Roday was offered the lead in the USA Network TV show Psych. In it, Roday plays Shawn Spencer, a private investigator who pretends to have psychic abilities so he can help the police solve crimes.
“I was actually ready to take a break from TV when they offered me Psych,” Roday says. “I had tried three different shows for three different reasons and watched them all fail. I wasn’t really feeling like I was doing anything that mattered or was justifying why I was doing this.”
Roday’s validation came after the show’s first season when Psych was named the highest-rated U.S. basic cable TV premiere of 2006. With that, a second season followed, and now a third.
“My work has only just begun because now we have to do everything better than the first two seasons,” Roday says. “There is no better motivational tool than knowing people are watching you. We were given the opportunity to grow organically into a show that people could appreciate. Now, there is an obligation to really deliver to our fans who are hanging out with us every week.”
In His Own Words
On being named one of People magazine’s 100 Sexiest in 2007:
“It was definitely a little surreal. Dressing up and trying to look beautiful for a photo shoot is not necessary what I would call my comfort zone. It was flattering and it was good publicity for the show, but a little awkward. I think I got more phone calls and e-mails and text messages for that issue when it hit the stands than for anything else I have done in my career.”
On attending the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) conference this past March:
“It was an eye-opener. The level of awareness and interest wasn’t very high. It was sort of a smack in the face. It definitely led me to being a lot more aware of where [Latinos] are in the industry. In a way it was something I never paid a whole lot of attention to before, but now I am.”
On landing the first Latino role of his career as a groom named
Carlos on one episode of NBC’s new 2008 shows Fear Itself:
“It’s part of why I did it to be honest. The director is a friend of mine and he was like, ‘Do you want to do this? What would make it interesting to you? What would make it appetizing?’
I asked if we could make him Latino. He said absolutely.”
On whether or not he would like to pursue more Latino roles in the future:
“If it makes sense and it’s good for the project, I would love to jump in and play more Latino characters. I don’t look like I’m Latino, though. When directors and producers are writing Latino roles and thinking about who they want to be in their movies, I’m not the prototype that comes to mind.”
On writing the 2007 horror film Skinwalkers and then getting muscled out by the studio during production:
“For a young writer, while I wouldn’t wish it for anybody, it’s actually the most valuable lesson you could learn early in your career. You can know how the machine works and what can happen and how little control you actually have, so you’re not walking around with a false idea of what you are getting yourself into. We learned it the hard way. It was a really valuable lesson to be greeted by the industry that way.”
On the future of Psych:
“Psych, based on its premise, is not the kind of show that I think can run for 10 years. There is going to come a point to where it’s not cool to watch a guy in his mid to late 30s running around like Peter Pan. I feel like we have a finite window to deliver the absolute best product we can. We can’t stop and we can’t rest and we can’t let our foot off the gas until it’s over.”
IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
REY VALENTIN
By Millie Acebal Rousseau
You may recognize his handsome face from stints on Law and Order, Numb3rs and CSI: NY, and ongoing roles on Bedford Diaries and One Tree Hill.
Actor Rey Valentin, born in Connecticut of Puerto Rican descent, is on the fast track to stardom. He just starred in the new HBO miniseries Generation Kill in July, and appears with Harrison Ford and Sean Penn on the big screen in Crossing Over, out this month. In preparation for an acting career, the striking actor trained at the SUNY Purchase Acting Conservatory and then joined the New York City theater community after graduating. Hispanic spoke with Valentin to dish on his start, his A-list costars and his challenges.
HISPANIC MAGAZINE: How did you get into acting?
REY VALENTIN: I was plucked [at age 14] while playing basketball at arts camp. ... My first gig outside of school was a FedEx Kinko’s commercial. I played a regular office guy coming in to ship a package. It was one second.
HM: Generation Kill tells the true story of the first Marines to cross enemy lines into Iraq in 2003. Describe your role, and why some people are calling the miniseries controversial.
RV: I play Corporal Gabriel Garza. He’s a Mexican soldier, a gunner—the first lead weapon. He protects the whole platoon from oncoming fire. The controversy ... it really shows not everyone in America is for the war, including some that are fighting. Other films focus on patriotism, [in this one you] see doubt ... how lives are in the hands of people not close to the war.
HM: Tell us about Crossing Over, and what it was like working with Harrison Ford.
RV: It’s an immigration drama set in L.A. It follows the stories of different cultural characters, all intertwined together, like Crash. I play a guy that makes fake IDs. I’m having an affair with a woman; her background and culture makes it controversial. I have a scene with Harrison Ford. He’s awesome to be around, a living legend in the film world. He’s calm and very nice.
HM: What would you say is your greatest accomplishment thus far?
RV: Being able to go after exactly what I want without the help of a male father figure. My dad left when I was 5 and my mom struggled. I was the oldest out of three brothers.
ONE TO WATCH: Pamela Silva
You have to get up pretty early in the morning to keep up with four-time Emmy Award winning journalist Pamela Silva, who is taking yet another step forward by becoming a co-anchor on
Al Amanecer, Univision’s morning newscast in Miami.
Silva, who started at Univision in 2003, joins Eileen Cardet and Iván Donoso, who already host the 5-to-7 a.m. news show, whose name translates as “At Sunrise.” Silva will present the weather segment and work on special features and investigative reports.
Born in Lima, Peru, Silva graduated with honors from Florida International University’s journalism program. She joined the WLTV news team as an entertainment anchor and reporter in 2005. Prior to that she hosted Noticias en Noventa, TeleFutura 69’s first local news product, and also served as the producer and reporter for Univision 23’s public affairs show, Miami Ahora. She also has contributed to various Univision Network programs.
“News is her passion, and this will put her in it every morning,” says Emilio Marrero, Univision 23’s news director. For her part, Silva says that despite the early hours she is thrilled with her new assignment and looks forward to “contributing to the goal of journalistic excellence while informing and serving the South Florida community.” H
Screen Shots
Whether in theaters, on TV or arriving in your mailbox on DVD, these screen gems coming out this month burst through any screen, big or small.
 La Misma Luna/Under the Same Moon
Kate del Castillo stars as a woman who goes to work in the U.S. to give her son in Mexico a better life. But when her son young Carlitos decides to make the trek across the border alone, he must find his way to her or be lost. Along the way he meets an unlikely cast of characters who help him on his travels.
 The Judge and the General
The PBS series P.O.V. presents this film tracing the trial of Chile’s ex-dictator General Augusto Pinochet by Judge Juan Guzman, a former Pinochet supporter who when faced with the realities of Pinochet’s iron rule must also come to terms with his own role in the country’s tragedy. Check local PBS listings.
 The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants The sequel catches up with the film’s four heroines, including America Ferrera and Alexis Bledel, three years later when each must take their first steps on their own as they prepare for college and come together again during the summer after. Just as in the first film, this film follows each on their path to self-discovery.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Woody Allen’s latest romantic flick is set against the enchanting city of Barcelona. Prim Vicky and the free-spirited Cristina are two Americans who summer in Spain and get lured into the world of an artist played by Javier Bardem and his odd wife played by Penelope Cruz.
 The Perfect Game
Based on a true story, the film tells the story of a motley team of boys led by their priest, played by Cheech Marin. All from Monterrey, Mexico they become unlikely heroes in 1957 when they become the first foreign team to win the Little League World Series.
Death Race
Out this month, this action flick is set in a post-industrial apocalypse where prison wardens have designed an ultra-violent game, Death Race, for a thrill seeking audience. When one player is framed for murder, he finds he is at the warden’s mercy and must play his way to exoneration.
Swing Vote
When a national election comes down to one vote, that of lazy Bud Johnson, played by Kevin Costner, the world stands at attention and Johnson finds himself at the center of the political and media worlds. George Lopez co-stars as a TV producer who is intent on getting the story.
Elegy
Sir Ben Kingsley stars as Professor David Kepesh who becomes intoxicated by the beauty of his student Consuela, played by Penelope Cruz. But as the lust becomes obsession, Kepesh looses control of himself and his world until she disappears. Destroyed by loss he must piece his life back together until one day she reappears.
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