“Before I joined the Marines, I used to perform in high school...

“Before I joined the Marines, I used to perform in high school musicals and sing Doo Wop on the subways— it was the Boyz II Men era, so that was ‘in.’ When I came back from Iraq about ten years ago, I was really depressed and almost homeless. I was too afraid to go out and socialize so I met my wife on Match dot com. I went through the Police Academy and became a cop, but I always remembered how much I loved performing, and wondered what it would have been like to have pursued that life. So during my time off, I started trying to be an actor. I’ve been to hundreds of auditions over the last eight years. I did some Off Broadway. Some Off Off Broadway. I got a lot of ‘Under Five’ roles—- that’s what they call roles that have less than five lines. But then recently I auditioned for a recurring role as Detective Alvarez on the show Gotham. I was in Puerto Rico, celebrating my 39th birthday, when I got a call from my manager. She said: ‘I need you to sit down.’ I said: ‘What’s going on?’ She said: ‘Are you ready for this, Detective Alvarez?’ I said: ‘What are you talking about?’ She said: ‘YOU’RE DETECTIVE FUCKING ALVAREZ.’ I just started crying and hugging my kids and thanking my wife for never giving up on me. With this role, I might not have to be a cop much longer.”