Armando Riesco is a one of a kind man. He’s smart without being arrogant, good looking without being threatening, and talented beyond his age. His resumé is quite impressive. He played a police officer in Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center, a historic revolutionary soldier in Steven Soderbergh’s Che, a millionaire who invents silent velcro in Zach Braff’s Garden State, an FBI agent in the blockbuster National Treasure, and many roles in different TV shows like Fringe, Army Wives, Law & Order and Royal Pains, just to mention a few.  And at the end of the day, what is important to him are “the stories. I am not driven by working with directors, I always look for a good story.” When asked which have been the most challenging roles he had played, without hesitation he confesses: “Elliot and Rubia”, his most recent work.

He first played Elliot Ortiz in 2006 in “Elliot: A Soldier’s Fugue”, the play became a Pulitzer Prize finalist in the Drama Playwright Category. Written by Quiara Alegría Hudes, Elliot is an injured Puerto Rican marine coming back from Iraq suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder provoked by killing a stranger in war. He played the same character in the second part of the trilogy and Pulitzer Prize winner, “Water by the Spoonful”. “I’ve never been to war and I am not going to pretend that I’ve been, but I did a lot of research for this role about veterans and I know I have a more informed opinion about the topic.” Right now, he is still playing Elliot in the third part of the trilogy “The Happiest Song Plays Last”, opening March 3rd in Second Stage Theater. Looking back, he admits: “When we first started, we were doing this play in a basement and now, we are at 43 St. and 8th Ave. I am very thankful for Quiara, she could had cast a more famous actor and do it in Broadway, but she gave me the role.” He doesn’t get it. He brings such a complex performance to the role. He manages to make Elliot endearing, without victimizing him. Riesco’s performance allows the audience to laugh with him, not at him. His charm makes the character relatable without losing the perspective of his trauma. Thanks to Riesco, Elliot is no longer a character, but a real man.

Even more so, Riesco’s talent goes beyond gender. In the movie Adult World, now in theaters and Video on Demand, he plays Rubia, a transgender who helps the main character played by Emma Roberts figure out her life. “I went to the audition wearing high heels, make-up and a kimono.” I asked him how it feels like being a woman and he corrects me: “I am not a woman, my character feels like a woman in a man’s body. I would never know what it is like to feel like a woman, but I can tell you, this character was a lot of fun. I nailed walking in high heels in two hours. And I ended up being besties with the costume designer and make-up artist.” But jokes aside, he adds: “I did a lot of research. With this role I realized that fear is lack of knowledge […] When I look at myself on the screen, I am proud of my work.” Sharing credits with a well-renowned cast like John Cusack and Evan Peters, Riesco says jokingly: “I didn’t know who Evan Peters was. We would go down to Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse and all the servers were so excited he was there and I kept asking him ‘Who are you?’ He laughed a lot.” When speaking about the film, which opened to rave reviews at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, he says: “It’s a simple, sweet movie.”

The more I talk to Armando Riesco the more I realized he is like drinking a good cup of coffee. He’s very attentive, funny when he finds an open door for a joke, and serious when we argue about his craft.  He took me to that moment when he decided to become an actor, “When I was 17 years old, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be and, at school, Father Golden told me that I should be an actor.” And just like that, he was accepted in the Theater Department at Northwestern University. “The only prior experience I had was playing a lemon in a community theater in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.  I also did Sound of Music in high school, but I only did it because I had a crush with one girl who was in the play. They asked if somebody could play a Nazi and I raised my hand, just because I wanted to be close to her.” Those years are gone and today he is one of the most successful Puerto Rican actors in the US.

During college, Riesco played many different characters in classical theater, but that was not the biggest lesson he learned. “The theater program was not like a conservatory, so I studied a little bit of everything… astronomy, sociology. The school believed that the more you learn about other things that are not about acting, the better actor you became.” After graduating, he stayed in Chicago for two more years.  “I had an agent, a survival job as a personal trainer and I booked the main character in a play.” That same play brought him to New York City, where he’s been living ever since. “No one in the production wanted to cast me in New York and the director fought for me. I got the role.”

A year after 9/11, the same director asked him to do a small piece to commemorate the event. “He could have had any actor he wanted, but for some reason he chose me… and there I was next to Stanley Tucci.” He smirks knowing that it was a big deal for the rookie actor, but at the same time not letting the experience go to his head. Riesco is exactly like that. He won’t let a moment of pure stardom in his career affect the rest of his journey. His feet stand still on the ground, while his talent flies above.

Looking forward, I asked him what he wants to do next.  He thinks about it for a little while and after admitting his fascination with Argentinian cinema and actor Ricardo Darín, he meditates: “I would like to make a good, independent Puerto Rican movie.” I believe him because after our conversation, knowing his convictions and appreciating his enormous talent, Armando Riesco can play any role he wants, like a true star.

Adult World now in Theaters, Video On Demand and Digital.

The Happiest Song Plays Last continues Second Stage Theatre's 35th anniversary season with previews beginning February 11th; opening night is Monday, March 3 at Second Stage Theatre (305 West 43rd street). For ticket information, please call the Second Stage Box Office at 212-246-4422 or visit the website www.2ST.com.

Photo credit: Nina Duncan