IN CONVERSATION WITH RYAN GUZMAN

interview by JANA LETONJA

A former MMA fighter and black belt who once planned on a career in baseball, Ryan Guzman pivoted to modeling and eventually to acting, where he quickly proved himself a dynamic, disciplined performer. Today, he stars as fan-favorite firefighter Eddie Diaz on ABC’s hit drama ‘9-1-1’. With the show in its ninth season, Ryan continues to anchor one of television’s most beloved ensembles. Upcoming, he will star in the thriller ‘Midnight’ alongside Rosario Dawson, Milla Jovovich, and Alexandra Shipp. Off-screen, he remains a proud advocate for the Latino community, earning the Horizon Award from the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts and even having 15th May declared “Ryan Guzman Day” in Sacramento.

knit vest REPRESENT
blazer and trousers H&M X GLENN MARTENS

You earned your black belt by age 10 and later fought MMA in Sacramento. How did martial arts shape your discipline and mindset as an actor?

Martial arts at an early age shaped my discipline because it's all about discipline. It's literally learning and performing. And the practice of martial arts requires patience and determination, to be honest, to get things right and have them be effective in a real life scenario. So for three years, I did TaeKwonDo before earning my black belt, and it did shape part of my process, I guess, in acting in a way where I just continuously work at something until I achieve the goal. And then once I achieve the goal, it's now what else do I work on? How else can I improve? And that's the discipline I got from martial arts. 

But as far as MMA goes, MMA was a completely different journey. It was actually based out of fear, to be honest. I was afraid to fight. I was afraid of getting beat up in Sacramento by just different individuals. And I just wanted to overcome that fear. And I thought, what better way to do that than throw myself right in the middle of it and take it head on. As I started to do it, I started to gain self-confidence and reassurance about myself that alleviated this necessity at that point in time to walk with my chest out and feel like I could take everybody on. But it actually gave me some sense of security, so it allowed me to just kind of live in who I am without having to portray something tough. And that kind of offers itself to acting as well, where if it's something that makes me afraid, if the role makes me afraid, I want to jump into it.

knit vest REPRESENT
blazer and trousers H&M X GLENN MARTENS

Before acting, you were also a standout baseball pitcher. How did the injury that ended that dream change the trajectory of your life?

That injury in the end of my baseball career was very difficult. I had wrapped my head around being a professional baseball player for the longest time, and I had some short-term success with some big league teams looking at me. When I had to pivot and find something else, I went to the next love of mine, which was fighting. And fighting led to, again, so many different understandings of myself. But overall, had I not ended baseball, I would've probably tried to still be like the rest of the people that I played with, which is going to the league and maybe be on some traveling team. But because it ended, it allowed for something so much different to come into my life, which was moving to LA and starting acting. I like to think that because I was a pitcher in baseball, it kind of navigated itself in the same parallel as acting, because all eyes are on you as soon as that camera's on. So I felt a sense of comfort in front of the camera, which I thought was interesting.

Coming from Texas and Sacramento, what aspects of your upbringing feel most present in the person you are today?

I can't really speak too much on Texas because I was there for maybe two, three years on an Air Force base, so I don't really remember too much. But Sacramento has left its imprint on me for so many reasons. The good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly, it's shaped who I am. And I love the fact that Sacramento just has so much diversity. We have farmland, we have hoods, we have everything in between. And now we have a booming downtown area with so much money that's been invested into it. It's really come a long way. 

But Sacramento, it gave me a tough exterior. And at the same time, I got so much love from the people around me, in my close proximity, that it also gave me such an empathetic heart and an open mind. I was blessed to have so many different variations of life and to be tested as much as I was in Sacramento. I owe a lot to Sacramento.

leather jacket and trousers SAINT LAURENT

When you first started auditioning professionally, what was the moment you realized, “I belong here”?

I'm just kind of coming to that moment this last year. So, it took 14, 15 years to get there. I have had imposter syndrome since the day I started acting and never really thought that I was an actual actor. I thought I was just fooling everybody to think that I was an actor. And by getting the jobs, I was kind of proving to them that I belong. That train of thought has transitioned since then and now I feel very much the actor. I do feel very solidified in my choices and my work, and I can look back in more recent episodes now and feel really good about my performance, let alone where I believe my career is going to be headed.

‘Step Up Revolution’ was a major breakout. What did leading such a beloved franchise mean for your career?

For my career, it's been incredible. It's amazing that that was done 15 years ago. And to this day, I still have people coming up to me and saying “I loved you in that movie”. I had no clue at the time what it was going to be. I knew it was a big franchise, but I didn't know that it was going to stick with me throughout my entire career, and that it was going to make such an impact on people, which I'm just so proud about. At the time, I was so new, that was my very first acting job ever, so I did not know anything about the business. I didn't know anything about acting, and I was just trying to learn how to dance enough for the movie.

I distinctly remember this one time actually in a scene. I'm hanging out with all the extras and just having a good conversation and everybody's asking like “Do you guys know who the lead actor is?” And I'm just staying quiet and just continue the conversation. We move past that question and after like 15, 20 minutes of just enjoying the atmosphere, they finally say “All right, Ryan, you got to get to set”. And I'm like “Okay, see you guys later”. And then I go to the set and as they're filming me, I kind of look over and I see the extras looking at me, like “We were talking to the lead the whole time”.It was kind of a thing where I'm just so entranced by what's happening that there were no boundaries, there were no expectations. I was just really enthralled by the experience itself.

wool coat and trousers ENTIRE STUDIOS

Eddie Diaz has become one of the most beloved characters on ‘9-1-1’. What initially drew you to him?

I would say the military aspect drew me in. Being a firefighter obviously is incredible. And to be fully transparent, I had just got the news that I was going to have my first child, and I needed a job, so that was a driving force. And this just happened to be one of the best jobs ever. I couldn't have asked for a bigger blessing, especially at that time, but the background of Eddie, being from the military and going into firefighting, it just seemed right up my alley. I'd played military type of characters in my past, and I've always kind of held a close relation to military forces. One of my cousins served for six tours and as a young kid, I was always reading Frogman books, Navy Seal Books, Richard Marchenko books, so I was captivated by the military mindset and the type of individual it takes to get through that training and get through war. And I still am. So, that was a big aspect of it, and I just kind of leaned into what could I offer to this character. And over the past couple years, I feel like it's been an unfolding, both personally and professionally, of the character. I like where he's finally going and that there's been such an evolution in Eddie.

The series has a passionate fanbase. How do you feel the show, and Eddie, have evolved since joining the cast?

Immensely? I feel like both have evolved in so many different ways. To get to true evolution, I think there needs to be some sense of destruction first. And we've seen plenty of that in ‘9-1-1’, especially losing a main character like Bobby Nash. The big question this season is how can ‘9-1-1’ continue without Bobby and will it be the same show. I think we've proven that to be true, that we are the same show and we are remorseful for the loss, but at the same time, we move on just like in real life. And now we've kind of incorporated these characters to get a sense of what the audience was feeling, and so the audience can live through the characters themselves. 

Specifically for Eddie, destruction has been a reoccurring theme for him, whether he's been losing friends, family members, people that he's held so closely to his life or he's lost himself. Now here we are, where coming off last season, he finally found a bit of himself back and now he is truly stepping towards that individual every single episode. And I think one of the last episodes, the ‘Los Muertos’ episode, kind of showcased that, which I thought was beautiful. That grief was handled differently this time and he didn't implode, he didn't go out on other people, and just kind of externalize his emotions in a unhealthy way. He really was grounded during the whole process and it shows that he has growth.

vintage knit sweater STYLIST’S OWN

What can the fans expect from the upcoming episodes this season?

They can expect Eddie having to use some of his past to deal with some present emergencies. They can also expect a new bond, a new form of relationship, coming into certain characters' lives. There's going to be an opportunity for Eddie to connect with somebody via emergencies and also allow his past to influence somebody else's present in a very healthy way.

You’ll also be starring in ‘Midnight’ opposite Rosario Dawson, Milla Jovovich, and Alexandra Shipp. What can you tease about this film?

I would say it's a primarily Alexandra Shipp and Milla Jovovich film, and Rosario is sprinkled in throughout the movie. The story is about two sisters, essentially one who has to deal with the sins of the other, and how that comes back to haunt her life and how she handles that is through an action packed, very eventful couple days and nights.

In 2017, you received the Horizon Award for your advocacy for the Latino community. What does that recognition mean to you?

That was a moment I'll forever remember. Talking about imposter syndrome prior, and with my acting, I felt that as well as being Latino. Growing up is very different for biracial children. You're full on ethnicity, so you're not fully accepted. I would grow up most of my life talking to other Latin people and other Mexicans specifically, and they'd always have the same thing of like “Oh, you're Mexican. I thought you were white”. That can form a personality and thinking that you see yourself in a certain way. But I've always tried my absolute hardest to maintain that. I advocate for Mexican culture specifically, and Latin people in general, because I have had this happen to me in my life, where others would talk poorly about Latin people or Mexicans in front of me thinking that I was a white person, and I would have to stand up. You can't say that stuff and you can't act a certain way around me because those are my people and they'll forever be. 

That award specifically was an outer body experience. I was being accepted by my own people. I don't know how to be anything other than Mexican American, and my version of Mexican American, I hope, enlightens the world, let alone America, that we are a variation of people and that it doesn't come in the stereotypical way all the time. I plan on playing many different characters and portraying Latin people in such a very good and positive light.

wool coat and trousers ENTIRE STUDIOS

Sacramento declared May 15th “Ryan Guzman Day.” What was that moment like for you and your family?

Another moment that just doesn't seem real. I've had so many of those now and I think the best thing apart from receiving the award, actually better than receiving the award or receiving any kind of key to the city, is sharing that moment with my loved ones and to see the look on their faces, to see what it means for them. I had cousins there, I had my mom, my dad, friends there, and it was just a joyous moment. And it was kind of looking at each other, being like “How did this happen?”

Even to this day, some of my co-stars still jokingly make fun that I have a day dedicated to me. I'm not one to celebrate myself, so for others to celebrate me is just so incredible. I'm just grateful for that experience and those that offered me that experience, and the opportunity to show my mom and my dad that all the hard work and everything that I've been doing has come to fruition to this moment.

What keeps you grounded during intense filming schedules?

I think experience has kept me grounded, but also having great people around me. And it's not a lot, but a select few that keep me grounded. I would start off with my kids, then a couple of my friends and my family members. But the experiences that I've had, good and bad, have evolved just as much as the characters, the shows and everything that we've talked about previously. And I always kind of keep a thought process about myself that I never want to leave the ground too far, that I am blessed in this situation to be provided the job that I have, and to be provided the financial stability that I have, but what can I do with it, and how can I impact the people around me in a positive light, in a positive way? So that becomes my primary goal. 

And when it comes to work and specifically character work, it's how do I empathize for a character in a way that allows the audience to connect and find themselves in that character so that they too can join the journey and maybe learn something about themselves and being offered a new opportunity to solve some issues in their life. So, it becomes almost therapeutic. And it's all about connectivity at the end of the day, connecting with people close to me and connecting with those that view the show.

What can you share with us about your other upcoming projects?

It's all kind of hearsay right now. It's the life of an actor. Once you're busy, everybody's offering you a job, but as soon as you're done, no one's there. There is plenty of opportunities, and I have been handed quite a few scripts that I'm still reading, but I want to find the right script for my next adventure. And I do want to step back into the leading man role, so I feel that the next couple of movies that I'll be choosing, is getting back into the leading man role and working towards becoming those kind of like iconic characters. 

The next couple things is probably going to be me producing as well. Again, I'm very grateful to be in the position I am and to financially be secure enough in a moment where in our industry, not many are getting that opportunity. So hopefully, I can create jobs that create jobs, and at the same time live in my dreams as a creator.

suit RALPH LAUREN
t-shirt TOM FORD

wool coat and trousers ENTIRE STUDIOS

TEAM CREDITS:

talent RYAN GUZMAN
photography BENJO ARWAS
styling SHALEV LAVÀN at The Visionaries Agency
grooming SOPHIA PORTER at Exclusive Artists using UNITE Haircare
photography assistant MAXINE BALCHUS
styling assistant ANA ISABEL CHANG
studio LENUR STUDIO
editor TIMOTEJ LETONJA
editorial director and interview JANA LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN