WORDS BY IRVIN RIVERA

Light-eyed Puerto Rican, ISMAEL CRUZ CÓRDOVA is probably one of the most dynamic actors to watch right now. He is a thespian, singer, dancer and very articulate.

Ismael is currently starring as Lino Esparza opposite of Gina Rodriguez in the action thriller film, Miss Bala in theaters February 1, 2019.

From Sesame Street, to Ray Donovan, to Mary Queen of Scots and now Miss Bala, the well-rounded actor has been setting the stage for his spotlight since he was about 14, when he started to embark on his acting journey.

Ismael used to be an athlete but his love for the Arts took him to New York. From our brief interview, he mentioned that he is really into the Creative Arts. For him, art provides “Voicefulness to Voicelesness .”

Starring in Miss Bala is his first time as a lead in a studio film.

What made it extra special is that the production is

“95% latino representation in front and behind the camera.”

CÓRDOVA plays Lino, a hustler with layers of complex personality that makes him a very polarizing character.

“Yes he made some questionable choices that lead his path astray but what attracted me to this role is that it’s not clean cut.

“Is this a good guy? Or a bad guy?” said CÓRDOVA.

Miss Bala is an action film that I never expected to surprise me. An action film with guns and explosions can easily fall into the pitfalls of clichés under the genre but Miss Bala delivers. Gina Rodriguez played a compelling Gloria, a make-up artist turned gun-wielding badass and Ismael Cruz Córdova effectively embodied the persona of Lino, a person trying to survive in a system that is corrupt and broken.

The film is an examination and a

“deeper look into the complexities of humans. How we behave and the choices that we make.”

See Ismael Cruz Cordova as the leading man opposite of Gina Rodriguez in Miss Bala!