The “Rings of Power” fame Ismael Cruz Cordova has been subjected to racist messages after his appearance in the show. However, this did not stop him from rising to fame and strengthening his position in the hearts of his fans. His appearance motivated him to make a significant impact with his work.
Who is Ismael Cruz Cordova?
Ismael Cruz Cordova is an actor hailing from Puerto Rico who is currently based in New York. He was born and brought up in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico. When he was fifteen, he enrolled in the drama club of his school. Later, he started appearing in local commercials and slowly made his way into TV shows and films, but for small appearances only.
He understood that he was born to act, and then he started dreaming about becoming a big actor. Therefore, in 2006, he decided to move forward with his dream of becoming a successful actor, and thus he moved to New York City.
On reaching New York, he began his studies at the Tisch School of Arts, NYC. Starting from small roles in multiple Hollywood films, Ismael Cruz Cordova has now made his way to the mainstream media on the big screen as well as the OTT platforms.
His Career Highlights
Ismael Cruz Cordova began his career with the 2003 movie “Stray Bullet,” in which he played the role of Gatillo. Other movies and TV series done by him include-
- The Good Wife (2011)
- White Alligator (2012)
- Chaser (2013)
- In the Blood (2014)
- Simple Little Lives (2015)
- Exposed (2016)
- Divorce(2016)
- Mary Queen of Scots (2018)
- Berlin Station (2018)
- Miss Bala (2019)
- The Undoing (2020)
- Settlers (2021)
- The Rings of Power (2022)
In New York, many critics and Hollywood personalities acclaimed Ismael Cruz Cordova for his work. The Latino Leaders magazine named him one of the “25 Leaders of the Future.”
He was also awarded by Ford Motors, with an award “VOCES de Ford,” which is given to exemplary individuals who make a mark in the media and entertainment industry.
For the 2023 Critics Choice Award, he has also been nominated for the award of “Best Supporting Actor” for the TV series- “The Rings of Power.”
Some Facts About Ismael Cruz Cordova
- Ismael Cruz Cordova belongs to Puerto Rico.
- His love for acting began when he joined his school drama club.
- He studied experimental theatre at NYU.
- Ismael wanted to be a part of the “Tolkein world” as an elf when he was just 14! (he played the same role in his recent TV series “The Rings of Power.”
- After receiving the role of Arondir, he receives a lot of hate speech from the public on his social media handles. However, he continued working hard for the role.
- In 2006, he played the role of Jimmy Patrick in the TV series “The Good Wife.” While the role was originally meant to be one day’s work, the role was stretched to five episodes.
- Ismael has already been booked for multiple upcoming projects, such as “Simple Little Lives,” Finestkind,” etc.
- Apart from acting, Ismael has a love for and talent for playing music and doing visual art.
- He is quite active on all his social handles and accounts, including Instagram, and has around 200,000 followers there.
- He has a huge crush on Oprah Winfrey.
- Ismael is a national champion in swimming and was awarded a scholarship based on his talent in swimming when he was in school.
Ismael is quite vocal about his preferences and responds to the haters in the best ways. He wants to become an aspiration for the kids around him, especially his nephew, whom he loves from the core of his heart.
After almost every role, he has been subject to a lot of hate messages from haters on his social media accounts. However, he has always held his head high and given strengthened responses to bullies.
The Struggle and Issues He Faced
Since the beginning of his career, Ismael has been defying all odds that went against him. He could not afford the Tisch School of the Arts, but he worked hard to pay for the school and enroll in it. Also, he was the first Latino ever to play the least role on the main stages of Tisch.
Most recently, when he went for the audition for the role of Silvan, the elf in The Rings of Power, he got rejected twice. However, he didn’t give up and worked hard for the role. He went to give the audition for the third time when finally, he was selected for the role.
Even after getting the role, the problems didn’t end for him. He started getting racist messages on his social media handles, saying that he was not eligible to play such a big character as he was Afro-Latin. However, he defied the haters and played the role beautifully, just to get a lot of acclamation from the fans and the critics.
How Does He Deal With All the Hate?
In a recent interview, Ismael said that the bad times he faced were nothing new, as he has been a victim of discrimination since a younger age. This helped him understand the state of the world, and he realized that he could make a mark in the industry and shut the haters’ mouths only with splendid performances.
This has always inspired him to work hard and give phenomenal performances back-to-back. While he has faced a lot of discrimination in the industry as well, some of his co-actors have supported him throughout his journey. One such person was the Australian actor- Charlie Vickers, who worked with him in The Rings of Power.
Playing the role of Elf in The Tolkien trilogy has been his dream since childhood. He says Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the trilogy was in his childhood, and he fell in love with the character instantly.
This encouraged him to come out of poverty, train as an actor, and hone his craft and talent. The moment he got the role was the best moment of his life, for which he had been preparing since childhood.
Final Words
Ismael Cruz Cordova is a great example of a person who has broken the shackles of poverty and racism to become a successful actor, just like Jocko Sims. While he still gets hate from a lot of people, there is also no limit to the number of people who love and admire his work.
He is an inspiration for people from multiple backgrounds, who wish to come forward and make a mark in their respective industries, and the world.
