McDonald’s Spotlight Dorado short film contest has the purpose of empowering and amplifying Latino voices by providing three finalists with the platform, financing ($75,000 will be awarded to three finalists), and distribution to produce their films. Along the way, they’ll receive mentorship from Latinos that have already achieved the success in the industry that these new storytellers are striving for, as they look to establish their voices as filmmakers.

Collider recently got the opportunity to chat 1-on-1 with Anthony Ramos (In the Heights, Hamilton) about why he wanted to get involved as one of the mentors, the drive and hunger that you feel from the next generation of potential filmmakers, why making movies is a business of service, the advice he would give to those who are striving for success that they haven’t yet achieved, his desire to grow the number of Latinos who are able to tell their stories, the dream of being in a big movie franchise with Transformers and a Marvel TV series (Ironheart for Disney+) that he never even knew he could dream, and the blessing of inspiring others. He also talked about the experience of making Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, acting with giant robots that aren’t there, and bringing a bit of himself to the role.
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Collider: McDonald’s Spotlight Dorado is such an interesting project because it’s cool anytime new voices get a chance to express themselves in this industry. Why do you think a contest like this is important? Why did you, personally, want to associate yourself with it? What do you think makes something like this important?

ANTHONY RAMOS: I’m excited to be involved in this project because it’s for Latino filmmakers, you know. I’m Puerto Rican, from New York, and it’s amazing to be able to be a part of this program and mentor future filmmakers, who are people doing it, people coming up in the game, and get inspired. I’m inspired by them. I’m a mentor, but I’m getting inspired by the mentees. This program is important because the numbers are low in the industry, as we all know, for Latino directors, actors, and producers. I love that Spotlight Dorado is really doing something about that. With their partner McDonald’s, they really are doing their due diligence to push the needle, in that regard.

Image via Paramount Pictures

You probably have a list of well-known filmmakers that you’d love to work with, but there are always new filmmakers entering the industry and you could be working with any of these storytellers, who potentially are the next generation looking to be filmmakers. Is there a different kind of excitement that comes with the possibility of working with a filmmaker who hasn’t gotten any recognition yet, compared to working with someone who is well-established?

RAMOS: One hundred percent. It’s that hunger. You see it and you feel it. It’s that drive. Anyone who can sustain a career has that drive. Anyone who’s been doing it for a long time knows that it requires that tenacity and that passion and that dedication, but there’s something special to meeting someone who’s like, “Yo, this could be my last chance.” Every chance could really realistically be our last chance. When you’ve had a few chances, you think that less and less, as opposed to somebody where this is their first time and it could be their last, so they have to make the most of the experience. There’s something inspiring about that. Being inspired by that attitude, that’s why I love working with students. I work with programs in New York too, with students in the public school system, with Opening Act and Epic, that bring theater and stage readings of plays with actors who’ve been on Broadway to the public schools, and doing Q&As with the students. You just get inspired. You can feel that hunger.

As someone who has fought for your own representation and who advocates for representation, when you do meet with young filmmakers, or just young people, who need somebody to empower them or inspire them, in a way that maybe they haven’t had yet, how do you encourage them?

RAMOS: I just saw a young man who played my cousin in a movie I did, called Monsters and Men, and now he’s a grown adult. I didn’t even recognize him. And his mom said to me, “Thank you for continuing to inspire my son. Thank you.” She just kept thanking me, and I got emotional because that’s what it’s all about. That’s the point. What we do is serve people. This is the business of service. We’re making movies, but whether you’re making music or you’re painting, or you work at a restaurant, or whatever it is, we serve. When you can, and when you have the opportunity to do that, on the rare occasions when you see the impact that that’s had on someone’s life, that’s what makes it special.

Especially for someone like you, who has been through it yourself, what advice would you give, when it comes to holding onto your dreams at the toughest and the lowest times. I would imagine it’s especially difficult for aspiring young filmmakers that don’t know how to get into this industry because it can just seem so overwhelming and like everything is against you. So, as somebody who’s had success in this business, what would you tell people who just don’t know what to do when it gets to its toughest or lowest moments?

RAMOS: If you still love it, it’s worth getting up and doing it. If you wake up and you’re like, “I can’t live without this, I can’t live without doing this, this is my life,” then that’s enough reason for you to get up and do it. That’s enough of a reason to get up and fail, again and again, and that’s enough of a reason for you to be grateful for your wins. That’s the thing I would encourage people to do. If you still wake up saying, “I cannot live without doing this,” then it’s worth fighting for that and working for that. Be encouraged because as long as you still have that passion and that fire, it’s alive.

Image via Warner Bros.

We hear the statistics that despite Latinos making up 20% of the US population and nearly 25% of all movie goers, only about 1% of their stories are told. That’s not a good look, and even when things improve, they never seem to improve fast enough. Does it surprise you that things haven’t progressed further than that yet? Do you try to stay optimistic about the direction things are headed? Are you realistic about how things are progressing?

RAMOS: I’m realistic, in the fact that it’s still difficult, especially now. There’s something special about connecting with people in person. After COVID in 2020, and we’re still in it, but we’ve retracted to this virtual world where now everybody’s sending in tapes and there are less chances to have that kind of face to face, for people to actually feel your energy. There’s something different about somebody feeling you in the room. So, I will say that it’s still hard to change those numbers, but I do feel optimistic about those numbers changing. I do see progress with shows being greenlit, like Lopez vs. Lopez. Gentefied and On My Block were short-lived, but these shows were greenlit. And In the Heights happened. Being able to do In the Heights gave me an opportunity to actually play a leading role in a movie. Those opportunities are few and far between, but I’m thankful to Quiara [Alegría Hudes] and Lin[-Manuel Miranda], and the team for creating an opportunity to do that. Now, that’s expanded to Transformers, a franchise that’s been around for years. So, I do see an opening. Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera are really killing it and doing their thing. We’re moving up, but obviously, there’s still way more room for growth.

You’re an actor and a singer. You’ve worked on stage, and in film and TV. When you first decided to pursue all of this, what did success look like for you? Did it look like big summer franchise movies and Marvel TV shows (he’s in the upcoming Disney+ series Ironheart), or did you never dream that big?

RAMOS: Nah. I’d be lying to you, if I said, “Oh, my gosh, I saw myself in Marvel.” I didn’t. When I started acting, that was one of the goals. I’d make jokes, even when I was working out. I’d be shooting Transformers and be like, “Oh, come on Marvel, please call.” And they called for real. That’s powerful. The first step is actually seeing yourself do it. You actually have to believe that you can do that. I know that’s cliche and that might be a little cheesy, but you have to actually believe that you can do that. That’s the first step to achieving anything. When I was a kid, I didn’t have any examples of Marvel characters, or Transformers characters, or any superheroes on TV, for that matter, or not any that I knew were Latino. There was just this thing where I was like, “If I’m acting and I’m in the game, I have a shot. I have a chance.” I’m not gonna allow the numbers to stop me from believing that I can do this. Someone’s gotta open the door. Somebody’s gotta do it. Lin-Manuel had a mixed cast of people playing dead presidents (in Hamilton). Spike Lee has been doing it for years, breaking barriers with movies, like Do the Right Thing and She’s Gotta Have It. You’ve gotta believe that you can do it. I’m just grateful that I believe. I hope that more people can believe as well, especially more Latino filmmakers and creatives and producers. That’s how we can assemble like the Avengers and get our stories made. People tell stories about the things that they know, so we’ve just gotta assemble. That’s how we’ll get these stories made.

How do you think this new Transformers film, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, compares to the other ones? Is it bigger? How do you ever go bigger than the previous films?

RAMOS: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who’s one of our lead producers on the movie, came up to me [at SXSW] and said, “How are you feeling about the movie, man?” I was like, “I don’t know, I haven’t seen it.” And he was like, “No, how do you feel about it?” And I was like, “Bro, I’m excited. I’m excited to be at the dance. I’m excited to be here.” He was like, “It’s rivaling right there with the first one.” I was like, “Wow!” That movie was the introduction of the franchise, so it almost feels like an introduction into a new franchise. It feels like the beginning of a new thing, which feels amazing. Steven Caple Jr., our director, is amazing. Dominique Fishback, Pete Davidson, and the cast is insane. I’m just grateful to be there.

Image via Paramount Pictures

Is there anything that can fully prepare you for doing Transformers acting, and by that I mean doing scenes, remembering your lines, hitting your marks, doing all of that, including doing stunts, all while remembering where you should be looking and where your eye line should be directed at because of the Transformers not really being there?

RAMOS: It’s wild, I promise you. The only thing I can compare it to is like, I don’t know if you ever danced in front of the mirror when you were a kid, or you did skits by yourself, or you sang in the shower, not everyone has, but it’s the same thing. They bring the tennis ball and they’re like, “All right, let’s do a couple rehearsals. Look at that tennis ball. Remember where you were looking. Can we take the tennis ball out?” And I’m like, “Yeah, sure. Take it out. Go ahead. Let’s roll the dice and see what happens.” And they’re like “Great, just remember your eye line.” And then, you’ve just gotta put yourself in that situation. You’ve gotta be a kid again and use your imagination. It’s a different type of acting, but it’s fun. I got to really tap into that little kid in me and explore that. You’re just making choices to nothing. There’s nothing coming at you. It’s all coming from your imagination and what you’re feeling inside and how you think this robot would look. In that way, it’s fun. I had to really use my imagination and be a kid. There are very few times in your life where you can say you got to go to work and play and be a kid.

I was going to ask you what you’re most excited for audiences to see with Transformers, but I think I should be asking you what you’re most excited to see for yourself?

RAMOS: I’m excited to see those scenes, especially in Peru. I’m excited to see New York City and Brooklyn in Transformers. I’m excited to see African Americans and Latinos, like Tobe Nwigwe, Dominique Fishback, and all of us in this movie. We even snuck my mom in the movie. My brother is in a little scene with Tobe. Just being able to have those family vibes, I’m most excited to see that. And then, I’m excited to see the robots. With some of these scenes, I felt crazy. I was over here talking to no one and nothing. I’m excited to have the chance to see scenes with Optimus and Mirage, and to hear Pete [Davidson] play Mirage. I got to see snippets of the movie when I did ADR, and he’s amazing.

Is the character that you play the kind of character that you could bring pieces of yourself to, or was he fun to play because he’s very different from you?

RAMOS: No, I could definitely bring pieces of myself to this guy. He’s very much the underdog. He’s had moments where he hasn’t felt enough. He just wants the best for his family, but he’s in a position where he can’t necessarily help him the way he wants to, which puts him in a moment of desperation, where he does something that he probably wouldn’t necessarily do otherwise. It’s just dope that we got to incorporate Brooklyn and my neighborhood, Bushwick. That was fun. It’s fun when you can actually put real life things in a fantastical movie like that. We’re naming neighborhoods that are real neighborhoods in New York, in the film, but we’re on a plane on our way to Peru. It’s fun when you can add those elements of yourself to a movie like that.

Image via HBO

As someone who mentors people and who works with people who haven’t gotten to where you are yet, how does it feel to be someone that people can look up to, as someone experiencing some of that success, or even just seeing themselves because of you? What does that feel like?

RAMOS: It’s a blessing. I feel honored that I can inspire anybody. That’s the goal. The dream is to be able to do what you love, and hopefully inspire someone else. They might not necessarily wanna do the same thing you do, but you may inspire them to find what they love, and give them that courage and encouragement to move in that, to chase that, and to work for it. It’s a blessing. I feel grateful that McDonald’s and Spotlight Dorado are doing this, especially for Latino filmmakers because the numbers speak for themselves. I hope that, little by little, we can change it.

Latino filmmakers can submit their script to Spotlight Dorado by April 21, 2023. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is in theaters on June 9, 2023.