This ‘Narcos’ Star Found Her Greatest Teachers—and a Family—in Acting Class

The following Career Dispatches essay was written by “Narcos” star Teresa Ruiz.

I had a lucky start in my career. As a young actress, I started out acting in beautiful independent movies in Mexico. I went from one film into the next and the future looked very promising. During one of my breaks between filming, I traveled to Los Angeles to take an acting class focused on so-called “method acting.” It was something I had never tried before but that had always sparked my curiosity. For the class, I chose to work on Nina from “The Seagull.” She has been my favorite female character since I can remember. 

After a couple of weeks of class, the teacher reached out to Martin Landau. At the time, Mr. Landau was the artistic director of the famous Actors Studio. She must have said really nice things about me because he came in-person to see me work. The next Monday, there was a letter in my inbox inviting me to audition to become a member of the Actors Studio. The invitation didn’t really make sense to me. My first thought was, Why on earth would I want to leave a flourishing career to go back to school? After all, I had only come to the U.S. to take a quick acting class. But Marty was adamant, so I ended up auditioning for them. To my surprise, I was accepted—after that first audition. 

What I encountered at the Studio was unlike anything I had experienced before. This was less like a school and more like a “theater laboratory,” where actors grew by performing and with guidance from the moderators and their criticism. It was really about understanding who you are as an actor and how you approach the material in a manner that is individual and true to yourself. I didn’t go back to Mexico and ended up taking a four-year hiatus from acting professionally. Everyone thought I was crazy to leave my career like that, in the middle of what was a great run. It was definitely “career suicide.” Agents, managers, and friends could not understand what I was doing but I knew I had reached my creative ceiling and what I was learning at the Studio gave me the certainty that I was in the right place if I wanted to go beyond my own limits.

It turned out that those years I was at the Studio were the last years that Mr. Landau was alive and teaching. They were also the last years of some of the greatest teachers that have walked the earth. I got to hear the advice of Charlie Laughton, Mark Rydell, and Penny Allen. I also began my work with the ones that continue to lead the studio today like Lisa Richards, Lou Antonio, and the great Sandra Seacat and Greta Seacat. I would have missed that chance had I not been there at that specific time.

I guess the lesson I take from this story is that sometimes what we are set on seems to be the “right” path but it’s by jumping into the unknown that we find the true gifts that life has been reserving for us. I would not have been able to create such a complex character like Isabella Bautista on “Narcos” without the teachings and guidance of those teachers I now call my family. My days at the Studio sustain all the work that I do today. They gave me a sense of legacy, a sense of belonging, and a community that made me believe in my talent and vocation. 

Just like Nina says in “The Seagull”: It’s not about fame or glory or the things everybody dreams about; it’s the ability to endure, to be able to bear your cross and have faith. How true those words sound to me now and how fateful that it all started with me working unknowingly on that monologue. It takes a village (or a family) to help you endure truthfully and joyfully in this business and I found that family in that place and at that time.

The Actors Studio continues to open its doors to any artist in search for growth. I would especially like to see more young Latin talents try out. We need more of you prepared and ready! It's free of cost and it continues to cause talents to grow with its weekly sessions and in the very Actor Studio tradition, a ready cup of coffee for all.