By KAYLA ROYSTER
Staff Writer
Prior to Christmas break, I had the chance to interview actor Adrian R’Mante, or as many know him, Esteban, full name “Esteban Julio Ricardo Montoya De La Rosa Ramirez.” Growing up a child who didn’t really communicate with others on the daily, I made up for it via acting.
One of my connections happens to be this famous actor, though acting is not the only thing on his plate anymore. He has extended his talent and knowledge of acting to mentoring others.
This interview was long while coming from learning his personal tips and tricks in California in person, to emails prior to Christmas break.
R’Mante is a talented actor, best known for his role as the bellhop in the Disney Channel series, “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.”
Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, he began acting in eighth grade, and the rest is history. Though he started off as a dancer, acting was where he shone.
At the early age of 17, he made the decision that acting was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. This came after playing the character Leroy in the musical “Fame,” R’Mante shared. Being in the business since 1991 means Adrian R’Mante knows the ups and downs of acting.
Odd jobs are common, especially in the acting world. The most eccentric role R’Mante has played was the Emcee from the musical “Cabaret.” The actor said, “I’m not a singer so I had to work extra hard to pull off a great performance. It taught me what hard work truly was.”
Singing may not have been his strong suit, but accents definitely are. R’Mante is skilled in Spanish, Middle Eastern, Palestinian, Israeli, New Yorker, New York Jew, Southern and Indian accents, all which he has done on film or TV.
He also played a very impactful character in the television show “24,” with Keifer Sutherland.
“I felt it showed off my range as an actor because I was tortured and killed. I think that was the role when people realized I was more than Esteban, but a true artist,” R’Mante said.
If one questions what this actor has been up to, as of recently, he just wrapped up a “Hawaii Five-0” episode.
“I have a pilot called ‘Haunt’ and a feature film I star in called ‘Unbelievers’ that will be released in 2017,” R’Mante shared.
Check out his IMDB page for trailer access to the movie, and more information on this interesting actor.
When asked what he wished to achieve, role-wise, who he wished to work alongside, and his goal as an actor, R’Mante couldn’t help but find that question funny.
“When I wrote my ‘where do I see myself in 10 years’ college exit paper, I wrote on there that I would be in a movie with my favorite actor of all time, Al Pacino, and own my own well-known acting program. Well, needless to say I have achieved both…the movie was ‘S1M0NE’ and you know my acting program, CGTV,” he said.
Adrian R’Mante isn’t just your average actor. He also helps those who wish to pursue acting as well.
He owns his own program, called Creative Group TV (CGTV), in which potential actors hone their skills among celebrity mentors, to eventually have them showcased in front of talent agents. CGTV is a creative group in which R’Mante’s celebrity coworkers and friends assist him in the training of future actors.
“CGTV was born out of my love for teaching young people. I used to be a ninth and tenth grade English teacher in L.A. but when I landed the series role of Esteban, I didn’t have to teach again. However, I missed it so much that I decided to start a celebrity teaching acting program,” said R’Mante.
He and Phil Lewis, who played Mr. Moesby on “The Suite Life,” came up with the idea to do lectures for schools, but he was the one who went even further and created an actual acting program.
The motto of CGTV, according to R’Mante, is “to make young people’s dreams of being on TV a reality through truth and integrity.”
What makes Creative Group TV unique is that it’s not just your usual acting coach teaching a student how to improve their monologues and improvising skills.
CGTV gives future hopeful actors the opportunity to practice in front of a celebrity who has been or is currently in the position that the student hopes to achieve.
Those who participate in the CGTV program gain first-hand experience by attending classes with famous actors as mentors, thus allowing aspiring actors to run their lines and practice their scripts around celebrities who can give them valuable constructive criticism.
These classes are beneficial in ways that other acting programs may not be, due to the fact that these well-known actors are capable of giving constructive criticism based on experience, which they themselves may have heard at one point in their careers.
“What better way to learn than from actors who are actually on TV right now and doing what you want to do. It’s that simple! Do you want a fitness trainer who is out of shape, or do you want a fitness trainer who is fit? Makes sense to me,” R’Mante said.
Students get to work beside someone with real life experience and at the end of it all, perform in front of some of the world’s best talent agents.
This program is one of a kind and very beneficial. It’s something somewhat revolutionary to 21st century acting programs.
The acting world is very difficult to get into; you don’t know if the next audition will be your big break or just another scam.
This program tries to assist future actors in taking their first steps towards a career. This is an opportunity that R’Mante did not have when he was first breaking into the business as an actor and wishes he did.
“I say that all the time. I had to grind, be scammed, be lied to, but the great thing is I believed in myself through all the trials and errors. You have to invest into your career at some point so I just wish I would’ve known that was when I was younger,” the actor said.
CGTV is a wonderful program that can open many doors for aspiring actors. When asked where he wished to take CGTV in the future, this celebrity said, “I’m almost there but I want to be the one stop shop where the industry comes to me to cast their films or find their next talent.”
What does it take to be successful, one may ask? Well, R’Mante has the answer in three simple words: “POTENTIAL, PERSONALITY, PASSION. YOU MUST HAVE ALL THREE TO BE SUCCESSFUL!! “
