Angelo Diaz, Actor WRITE ME HOME
I want us as a society to use acting to teach empathy and self-awareness to our youth at an early age on a widespread scale. – angelo diaz
He was her favorite student. She taught him how to be a great storyteller as much as she did how the mental demons could drive you to places that you do not always want to go. But what Angelo Diaz learned: from moving from neighborhood to neighborhood and the incredible experiences, stories, and people he was introduced to; made him what he is today. And that teacher, his mother (Mi Mama, as he affectionally refers to her), was his guiding light. Before he served in the military, before he decided to give acting a try, and before he immediately landed on his feet under the bright lights, Diaz grew up in the kaleidoscope world that is Miami and South Beach. Moving from Little Havana to Overtown, Little Haiti, South Beach, Carol City, and repeat, he and his mother lived a financially strapped life, searching for the good and stability where they could. “I learned so much. I developed a crazy skill to be able to connect with all different types of people from different walks of life. I learned how to assess my constantly changing surroundings. I learned how to be present and be aware at any cost.” The streets became a classroom, with his mother leading the class. A literary genius and connoisseur of the arts, La Chína taught creative writing and journalism in college at certain points during Diaz’s childhood. As long as he can remember, Diaz would be instructed to write articles, essays, and short stories. By the time he was 10, he had written articles about Marcus Garvey, the Spanish Inquisitions, Mark Twain and Phantom of the Opera. He did countless book and gallery reviews of Malcolm X, The Moors, and others. “She was a very, very harsh critic. My childhood pretty much built me for acting and storytelling. But I’m thankful, because ultimately she was preparing me for whatever I would go on to do.” The road ahead came fast and hard. After a stint in the military as a Marine medic, he started acting in Atlanta in 2016. Immersing himself in acting classes, group studies, writing groups, whatever he could invest his energy into, his intent was to strike it big quickly. He had read all of the statistics that said an actor has, on average, seven years to land something big.
some stability. “The ratings are cool, but honestly, my favorite part is the chance to portray a strong example of a black man wearing the badge. Coming from the Florida projects, and given the political tension between police and the marginalized black community, this is an important opportunity for me.” The role and the future set out in front of Diaz is just the beginning of the story the longtime storyteller wants to continue sharing. He is currently wrapping up Florida Man, the Fashion Film , a story about an international criminal he wrote and directed. “I’m going to use storytelling to change the world. Through my example, I want marginalized people to feel freer to chase their dreams harder than they ever have before. I want us as a society to use acting to teach empathy and self- awareness to our youth at an early age on a widespread scale. It is my goal to get acting exercises embodied into middle school and junior high curriculums. This will change how young people can approach and solve the problems we’ve left behind for them.” As for the next road to conquer? “The world, Chico, and everything in it.”
Angelo Diaz
Photo by The Walter Mitty Co.
After finding work in pieces here and there, he landed the role as real life homicide detective David Quinn in TVOne’s ATL Homicide . Quinn’s reputation as a detective who has helped solve scores of high-profile cases over the past 15 years, making his work a fixture on shows like The First 48 , America’s Most Wanted , CNN, and others. “The man is a legend—a real walking piece of Atlanta history. He and his partner, Vince Velasquez, are some of the best detectives in the country—authentic, genuine dudes. I get recognized and stopped all the time by people who want to share their stories. Real tears have been cried right in front of me by community leaders, parents, sons and daughters.” After riding some personal ups and downs for a stretch, the ATL Homicide role helped give him
www.angelodiaz.com | @cubagawd
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