By Nick Smith
Believe in yourself. Those are the three words Esteban Arellano uses to describe his story. He is an up-and-coming actor who has performed in feature films and in theatre, as well as getting involved with other aspects of movie production.
Arellano’s credits include Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter and Ian Samuels’ The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, as well as Gunned Down, All My Life, 22K and The Babe Magnet. This semester he’s on target to complete his Bachelor’s Degree at the University of South Alabama, majoring in theatre with a minor in film. ‘I love what I do,’ he says, ‘my dad owns a painting company so I help him when I’m not in school.’ Eventually he plans to move to Atlanta, where the movie industry has been in full swing for well over a decade now.
Even though he’s relatively new to the filmmaking game, Arellano has already gained a lot of experience in acting classes at school and with coach Gary Grubbs, who appeared in JFK, Glory Road and many other movies and TV shows. The path Arellano has chosen – watching, learning, improving – is tougher than you might think.
‘When was in high school, I used to watch a lot of films,’ he recalls. ‘Always my curiosity was, “how do they do that”?’ Arellano innately knew he could act, thinking of different ways a part could be played. After he dropped out of high school in Junior Year, it took me 3 to 4 years to realize he wanted to act. He went back to school, got his GED, and from that point till now he hasn’t stopped pursuing what I want to do for the rest of my life.
The choice has taken him in interesting directions, from extra work to short films to stand-in work. This role involves standing in for a lead actor until the lights and movie camera are set up. It’s an invaluable way to get a ringside seat to directing, cinematography and how scenes are put together. On his last shoot the Assistant Director told the other stand-Ins to, ‘stick with Esteban!’ While they’d wandered off, Arellano stayed motivated and focused. ‘I’ve been a stand in for Oscar Isaac, Al Madrigal, Mario Cantone… Hugh jackman was in one scene, Dakota Johnson was I another…. I never thought I’d be shaking hands with a famous actor.’
Arellano stays humble and grounded, partly because of the support from his acting buddies and also his family. ‘I’m from Mexico City,’ he says, ‘I arrived here when I was 12. All my family’s here. I have a kid and fiancée. They all support me 100%.’ His family see his drive and willingness to work and study to build an acting career. His self-belief encourages them to support him.
Arellano’s advice to emerging actors is to, listen to your heart, pursue theatre, if you like it go ahead, do what you want to do and what you think you can do.’ He emphasizes how important it is to stay motivated, be willing to work hard and believe in yourself.
The path may be steep and frustrating sometimes but to Esteban Arellano, an actor on the rise, it’s worthwhile.
