An unmistakable face, a gift for humor, and a broad range to play in both auteur cinema and Hollywood blockbusters, make Guatemalan-American actor Tony Revolori one of the most exciting Latino talents working in entertainment today. Not many can say they had a big role in one of Wes Anderson’s most successful films. Revolori’s peculiar charisma and promising career have caught the attention of NALIP (National Association of Latino Independent Producers), which will present him with the Lupe Award, named after renowned actress Lupe Ontiveros, at this year’s Media Summit (June 22-25).
Revolori started out in small TV parts and short films as Anthony Quiñonez, his birth name, and eventually found wide visibility after playing Zero Moustafa in the Academy Award-winning comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel alongside Ralph Fiennes, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, and Saoirse Ronan. The actor would return to more indie moviemaking with Rick Famuyiwa’s Dope, a film about young people of color in Los Angeles who are trying to escape their circumstances via music and the pursuit of higher education. More recently, Revolori starred in the East-LA-set drama Lowriders opposite Oscar-nominee Demián Bichir. It’s always encouraging to see actors of color playing characters of color.
In the near future, and with his Lupe Award in hand, the rising performer will be seen in Spider-Man: Homecoming, the newest film reinvention of the popular comic book character, as well as well as Hannah Fidell’s new project The Long Dumb Road. Reaffirming that the craft and not the size of the canvas is what matters, Revolori continues to work on short films and smaller projects in unison with his larger ventures.
In some ways, the Lupe award has become a vehicle for people to realize, “Oh, that actor is Latino.” Last year the recipient was young, sassy, and uncompromising actress Aubrey Plaza, who is half-Puerto Rican. Both Revolori and Plaza have bypassed stereotypes, taking their acting onto exciting new shores and into the mainstream. Check back next year to find out who else is Latino out there in Hollywood.
For more information on the NALIP Media Summit, please visit www.nalipmediasummit.com