FRANKIE J. ALVAREZ

When you're auditioning for commercials, they're looking for a Latin guy in his 20s, and you'll show up, and it's a bunch of people who look just like you, and it's a little weird. More often than not, they're way better-looking. They're taller. They have way more abs than you do.

You put a lot of yourself into a character, so even though he's not you, in a sense it is you.

My dad was very religious growing up and a little bit closed minded, and I think me being in the theater, two of my three sisters are dancers, so being in the arts world has changed and opened him up in a lot of ways.

My grandma was actually a pretty well-known opera singer in Cuba, and then my mom was a ballerina. Two of my three sisters are dancers, so we grew up in the arts.

I can't point to my work and say, 'This is my work.' My work lives in me, so when people criticize my work, they're also criticizing me. It's really hard to sort of divorce that sensitivity.

One of my first jobs was doing children's theater. I did it to get my union card.

My grandma was actually a pretty well-known opera singer in Cuba, and then my mom was a ballerina. Two of my three sisters are dancers, so we grew up in the arts.

My dad was very religious growing up and a little bit closed minded, and I think me being in the theater, two of my three sisters are dancers, so being in the arts world has changed and opened him up in a lot of ways.

I can't point to my work and say, 'This is my work.' My work lives in me, so when people criticize my work, they're also criticizing me. It's really hard to sort of divorce that sensitivity.

When you're auditioning for commercials, they're looking for a Latin guy in his 20s, and you'll show up, and it's a bunch of people who look just like you, and it's a little weird. More often than not, they're way better-looking. They're taller. They have way more abs than you do.

You put a lot of yourself into a character, so even though he's not you, in a sense it is you.

One of my first jobs was doing children's theater. I did it to get my union card.