Cristina Miralles / Staff Writer
Taking risks and imitating Jim Carrey in the “The Mask” were two of the many things that helped Alex Hernandez develop his career as an actor.
Hernandez, a senior who studies journalism at the University, plays the role of Sebastian Aragon in the Spanish soap opera, “Relaciones Peligrosas” which plays on the Telemundo channel.
From the initial 600 applicants, only 120 were selected. Then the eliminations went from 120 to 40 to 23, and then to the final 11.
“It was two months of intense preparation. Monday through Friday four hours non-stop. It was all worth it,” said Hernandez.
The most difficult challenge for Hernandez to be part of the soap opera was to get used to the cameras, the lighting and to get over his nerves.
“As time went on, I got used to it and I was able to surpass that,” he said.
School is the number one priority for Hernandez, but he does not lose his focus on his career.
Before he got the role in “Relaciones Peligrosas,” he was working on two independent projects playing the role of David in the hip-hop soap opera “Da Block” and the role of Erik in another Spanish show titled “La Cima del Cielo.” He was also in two commercials for the Spanish award show “Premios Juventud,” another for the company Callaway Golf and two for the World Cup in Spanish.
He wants to remain in the Spanish market in Miami for right now because there are more opportunities. Eventually, he wants to crossover to the English market.
“I first realized I wanted to act when I was a kid, but I did not pursue it at a young age because I was too shy I and worried about what everyone would think of me,” said Hernandez. “I started taking classes and preparing myself when I was 21 years old.”
When Hernandez is not in class or acting, he works as a trainer at a gym and prepares himself for the music industry.
His final goal is to become an actor in Hollywood, so he wants to take vocal lessons and learn how to play the piano, acoustic guitar and refine his dancing skills.
“Things don’t come overnight, got to work hard.” he said. “Prepare yourselves as much as possible, find yourselves a good agency/manager and when your number gets called, be ready.”
Hernandez took the advice from one of his journalism professors, Allan Richards who is also the associate dean for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, to always take risks, since opportunities don’t come around too often.
“When one door closes, don’t give up. Others will open up and eventually your opportunity will arrive,” he said. “It’s a dream of many, but not all make it because most people give up.”
His dream is to become an actor, but he wants to be able to fulfill his dreams while going to school.
“In this industry you never know when an opportunity will come that’s why having a degree is very important because no matter what, you’ll always have something to fall back to.”
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