Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruben Caballero.
Hi Ruben, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Beginnings
My focus was always on writing music. I wanted to be a composer but I also loved to sing. I had a voice coach that got me singing broadway tunes and I loved it. Only ever in a private space, but Lucy Hargis encouraged me to go try it for real at an audition. It was for Big River at the Queensbury Theater in Houston. The singing part of the audition went surprisingly well, but the dance portion was excruciating, so I let that one go. A week later I got the call, sitting in my car at the airport waiting for my fiancé. I booked it and I couldn’t believe it.
I played The Young Fool as well as three other characters with a solo and everything. I was so in awe of everyone in that play. From the actors to the stage hands, the dedication and love and collaboration was mesmerizing to me. We did five shows a week for at least a month and when I wasn’t on stage, I was watching in the wings. This was the most fun I’d ever had. My experience on that production immediately shifted my focus from music to acting, and I never looked back.
Stage First
I found my first acting coach in Austin, Texas. Carol Hickey showed me a deeper and more fulfilling understanding of the art form. Rooted in imagination, play, and working your ass off, Carol opened up a whole new world of what I could experience as an actor and human. I ended my first year with her doing my first leading role in a play as Daniel Reed in The Waverly Gallery by Kenneth Lonergan at the Alchemy Theatre Company in Austin.
I got to perform alongside the other acting coaches at the studio which was intimidating but my director, Michael Cooper, showed me the way. I remember calling Michael in a panic one night during rehearsals telling him that he made a big mistake and he should find another Daniel. That I was unworthy of being on the stage with actors that I looked up to, and I didn’t think I could measure up. But Michael didn’t flinch. He showed me such incredible patience and care and believed in me so deeply that I couldn’t help but trust him. That performance led to Jesse Griffith of Broadway World calling my performance “sensational”, and a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama for the B.Iden Payne Awards.
This led to acting representation, which got me lots of commercial work to pay the bills (thank the lord) and introduced me to opportunities on the big screen.
To the Screen
I loved being on stage, but theatre work was scarce in Austin, so I started exploring Film and TV. I worked on many short films in Austin, including leading roles in a few thesis films with grad students at the University of Texas like The Third Bedroom by Kathryn Van Buren, Ursus by Tori McCarthy, and Parked by Atli Sigurjónsson. Experience on set with filmmakers like these introduced me to a whole new aspect of what was possible with the art form. There was a passion and a joy in filmmaking that shifted my perspective.
I worked on many other short films before eventually landing my first role in a feature film for Passionflix called Tangled, directed by Traci Hays. This took me out of Texas to Atlanta for a month of filming and then I was hooked. Being away from home was tough but it was like a summer camp where I was surrounded by extremely talented professionals. Making a living as an actor is almost like winning the lottery. Very few actors are afforded the opportunities to make this a viable vocation. Being on this set gave me the motivation and encouragement to keep going.
After Tangled I landed a few other supporting roles in film and TV including Dru in CW’s Walker with Jared Padalecki, Branden Chestnut in NBC’s Law & Order:SVU, and Robert Rodriguez’s Hypnotic alongside Ben Affleck and Alice Braga. I learned a lot from each of those sets. TV sets were run like well oiled machines and the catering was amazing. And working with Robert Rodriguez was a dream. He created with such a sense of curiosity and play. It like watching a kid who got millions of dollars to have fun with, and it was A BLAST.
It was during that time that I met Russell Reed. To this day Russell is still one of the most talented filmmakers I’ve ever met. He and his producing partner/writer Chiderah Uzowulu invited me to be a part of their film Hierarchy. A low budget action thriller made on nothing but talent and love for the art. They took this passion project and turned it into a #1 streaming hit on Starz. Meeting Russell sparked in me a new curiosity. I don’t have to wait for an audition, or to be “accepted” to act. I can build it myself.
NYC and Terry Knickerbocker
Texas is my home but I wanted an adventure and to challenge myself as an actor. I met with a few agencies that encouraged me to try living in NYC for a while, and that was enough for me to make the move. But immediately after arriving, SAG went on strike, so I couldn’t work if I wanted to. It was too late to turn back, so I considered an acting class to stay busy. After trying out a few different studios, I found Terry Knickerbocker. Terry didn’t offer sitting in on a class to “try it out” but he did meet with me. That one meeting did more for me than all the other classes I had taken in New York.
Terry runs a Meisner program in Brooklyn which is a two year conservatory. Much more of a commitment than I was looking for, but the shoe fit. Surrounded by dedication and amazing talent, I was quickly humbled. Acting class twice a week with Terry and John Gutierrez, Voice with Matthew Dudley, Movement with Natalie Shinnick, Kana Sato, Mackian Bauman, and Nate Flower, Clown with Justin Cimino, Alexander Technique with Belinda Mello, Chekov with Bethany Caputo, Mask with Shelley Wyant… I could write a book on everything I learned during those two years, but suffice to say, it changed my life.
I was able to explore parts of myself and capacity as a human and actor to a degree that still moves me to tears. I’ve never worked harder or felt so much.
After graduating, and since I was in NYC, I jumped back on stage as Larry in The Victory Gardens by Tara Meddaugh, directed by Nathan Flower, Jules in Hello, I Must Be Going by Albi Gorn, Directed by Robin Joseph. And most recently as Billy in Cracked Open written and directed by Gail Kriegel at Theatre Row “Turning in a standout performance in one of the most likable and heartwarming roles… filled with kindness and empathy under the most challenging of circumstances…” and “…a standout offering a particularly nuanced portrayal…” not to mention “…charming…” and a “…dreamboat…”.
I’m incredibly fortunate to have been given those roles, but the highs are high and the lows are very low. And when the phone stops ringing, you can wait around or you can make the calls yourself.
The Cavalry isn’t Coming…
Haunted and inspired by Mark Duplass’ speech at SXSW (highly recommend) about how no one is waiting for you, no one is coming to save you, and if you want something you gotta go out and get it. And with some incredible encouragement from my extremely talented and wonderful friend, Adam Roberts; I started to write. I wrote a short, then another, then a feature, then a pilot for an eight episode limited series called Sierra Estrella. I pitched that pilot to the best filmmaker I knew, Russell Reed. A few months later we were filming a proof of concept in Terlingua, Texas. And there it was. Acting is still the goal, but being a part of the creation, building the imaginary worlds and bringing together all of my favorite people for a common goal is intoxicating.
Sierra Estrella is a western, and we are taking great care to make it the best we know how which takes a little time and money. Meanwhile, there are other ways to keep feeding the imagination.
In acting school I met Finn Haney, a tremendous talent, brilliant writer, and the funniest and best friend anyone could ask for. We created Lonely Slender Productions (a name which was born out of a dream Finn had about a monster that needs to be fed or it will throw people off a cliff). We took inspiration from filmmakers like Duplass and Pete Ohs who are examples of fantastic films that aren’t dependent on big budgets, and can be made with just what you have available. Together we’ve made six short films, Where is John?, The Dream, and Demon Baby(all available on vimeo). And All Good, Spontaneity, and Between Waves (all currently on their festival run).
Short films are fun, and great for developing, but we had our eyes set on bigger projects. Something we could sink our teeth into for an extended period of time. So we decided to take a stab at our first feature, Murder Trip. A fully improvised comedy built with a crew of three, six actors, and a Skoolie (converted school bus RV). Filmed in two weeks on the road traveling from Gloucester, Massachusetts to New Orleans, Louisiana. Murder Trip is in post production set to release in 2027 and I can’t wait for people to see it.
BUT THATS ONLY THE BEGINNING. We are currently in pre production for Scream Test, a feature length comedy slasher. And we have three more feature scripts in development.
The work is hard, the road is long, and the chances of “success”, in whatever way you want to define the word, are slim. But the process, the act of creating, and the people I get to meet along the way are worth every second.
“It’s not true that if you try hard enough you’ll prevail in the end. Because so many people try so hard, and they don’t prevail. But they keep trying. They keep struggling. And they love each other so much; it makes you think it must be worth a lot to be alive.” – Kenneth Lonergan, The Waverly Gallery
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Looking back, the road actually seems fairly smooth. But while I’m on it, the road feels like a rollercoaster gone off the tracks.
The biggest struggle as an artist has been learning how to thrive and stay focussed in a gig-to-gig lifestyle. Sometimes I’ll go months without getting hired for any acting roles. It’s easy in those times to let doubt and fear take hold. But I’ve learned to take those times as opportunities to create my own work and think outside the box. So, depending on how you look at it, those scary times were necessary to drive me to making my own films which I count as a win.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an actor, writer, director, and photographer. I first and foremost consider myself an actor, and everything else I’ve done has been in support of that.
Photography has helped pay the bills during slow times, and has also been a key factor in developing my eye for visual storytelling.
Writing, directing, and producing comes from a desire to act more. I can write the roles I want to play, and create the movies I want to act in. This eliminates having to ever wait on anyone, and motivates me to collaborate with so many wonderful people.
I’m most proud of having not given up, and taking big risks. There were so many times where I was tempted to get a more reliable job, but I took the risk of letting my bank account dwindle so that I could focus my energy on what I was most passionate about.
I think what sets me apart from others is my curiosity and ability to focus. I firmly believe that what you focus on is your future but also that control is an illusion. My focus is driven by curiosity which keeps me flexible and not tied to an outcome. This helps drive me forward and eliminates any thought of an “ideal future” which I think can be restricting and dangerous.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
My advice to those who are just starting out, and what I wish I knew when I was starting out is to enjoy the process! The rejections will far outweigh the acceptances. But if you’re always in process, the rejections don’t matter because that is a part of the game. Every win and loss is an opportunity for growth and to ask yourself “what else?”.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://RubenJCaballero.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rubenjaviercaballero/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLonelySlender
