San Juan native breaking into Hollywood’s scene

The moment Carlos Moreno Jr. walked the red carpet for the Transformers premiere last week, he could safely say “he’s made it.”

With paparazzi screaming his name and entertainment networks requesting sound bytes, all Moreno could do is bask in the glow of flash bulbs and accomplishment.

“Ladies and gentleman, I give you, Carlos Moreno Jr.”

“This is the moment I have always dreamed of,” said the San Juan native in a phone interview from his home in downtown Los Angeles. “It’s the first time I’ve walked the carpet for one of the biggest movies ever…anybody and their mother wanted to be in this film.”

Moreno, 35, plays “Manny the Mechanic” in the summer blockbuster. While not a huge part, he admits that it’s enough to make him feel significant.

He also feels the decade or so he’s spent honing his craft in Tinseltown has been worth every rejection, shoddy day job and frustration in such a cut-throat industry. In fact, Moreno believes it’s built his character even more.

“(During the Transformers premiere), I felt like I arrived,” he said. “I put my foot on the carpet and said, ‘Here I am.’”

Moreno was raised in San Juan, part of a hardworking migrant family. The Morenos would travel north to Michigan where a young Carlos Jr. would do his share in picking asparagus, strawberries or cherries. The work was hard, but Moreno passed the time daydreaming about show business, imagining, “What if?”

Working in the fields every year not only strengthened Moreno’s character but motivated him to break the cycle of poverty and strive for something more.

“It’s been a rollercoaster ever since but I couldn’t ask for better,” he said. “I never had real mentors other than my parents. So now I say if you dream, go for it.”

After Moreno graduated from Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School in 1990, he attended the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque with the intention of studying politics.

Then he got bit by the acting bug.

Turns out academics weren’t part of his master plan at the time. After a few flunked courses and no degree, Moreno decided to follow his heart and move to L.A.

His first role was in the Japanese movie, East Meets West where Moreno played Indian Charlie. While the film never made it to American theaters it was a hit in Japan, he said.

Through the years the actor has done several high profile voice work for Spanglish, Man on Fire, Coach Carter and The Matador, among others.

Just recently he scored a part as a federale in Larry the Cable Guy’s Delta Farce, and is set to star in Cry of the Winged Serpent on the Sci-Fi Channel this summer.

The day Moreno auditioned for Transformers — which was being advertised as “Prime Directive” at the time — he didn’t quite deliver the best read possible.

“I had a horrible, horrible audition,” he sighed. “My mind was cluttered, I had three auditions that day and honestly, I thought it was just a simple project.”

Not too much long after that questionable try-out, Moreno’s agent called and said he had landed the part. It wasn’t until he received the script in the mail that he realized what he was in for.

“I saw that it was Transformers and was floored,” he said. “Michael Bay (the director of the film) must’ve liked the way I messed up the lines, I guess.”

Although Moreno never really completed any formal schooling, he has been a student at the Beverly Hills Playhouse for the last couple of years under the direction of his mentor, Milton Katslas. There he rubs elbows with Doris Roberts (Everybody Loves Raymond), Giovanni Ribisi, Burt Reynolds and Tom Selleck, among many others.

He’s also learned to embrace his Hispanic culture and break through the stereotypes Hollywood often sets.

“You are who you are,” Moreno’s acting coach tells him. “But (being Hispanic) is the ticket to the party. Do the parts you have to do before you get to the top…play the waiters, the mechanics and the bus boys until you create your own work in order for Hollywood to understand where you’re coming from.”

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Miriam Ramirez covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach her at

(956) 683-4468.