Pedro Correa to Star in the Indie Film “My Dead Dad”

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Correa sees dead people…

The Peruvian-American actor, writer and producer has been cast in My Dead Dad, a coming-of-age indie drama from executive producers Declan Baldwin and Karl Hartman of Big Indie Pictures.

Correa will star opposite Booboo Stewart, Raymond Cruz, Simon Rex and Steven Bauer in the film.

Correa also co-wrote My Dead Dad alongside the film’s director Fabio Frey.

The film centers on a young burnout who discovers his estranged father is dead and has left him an apartment complex. With hopes of cutting ties, he’s forced to grow up and learn about the father he never knew through the eclectic tenants.

Wanderwell Entertainment’s Tara Ansley produced the film with Correa for Never Norm Films.

Correa’s previous projects include Little Fires Everywhere, The Middle and Deadly Scholars.

Raymond Cruz to Star in the Conspiracy Thriller “Wander”

Posted on August 14, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Raymond Cruz is experiencing a little Wander-lust…

The 58-year-old Mexican American actor and former Breaking Badstar hasjoined the cast of the April Mullen-directed conspiracy thriller Wander.

Cruz will star opposite Heather Graham, Aaron Eckhartand Katheryn Winnickin the film.

Written by Tim Doiron, Wander follows Arthur Bretnik (Eckhart), a mentally unstable private investigator, who, after being hired to probe a suspicious death in the town of Wander, becomes convinced the case is linked to the same ‘conspiracy cover up’ that caused the death of his daughter.

Graham is set to play Shelley Luscomb, an attorney and close friend of Arthur. Shelley has known Arthur long before his world unraveled and acts a voice of reason in his life.

Cruz, who played drug lord Tuco Salamanca in the AMC series and recently starred in Warner Bros.’ The Curse of La Llorna, plays Sheriff Luis Santiago, a character whose hardness and decisiveness has recently made way for philosophical musings.

“Raymond carries such a grounded weight with him. His spirit is quietly mesmerizing,” said Mullen.

Production started last month and the feature will be shooting entirely in New Mexico.

Patricia Velasquez’s “The Curse of La Llorona” Added to SXSW Film Festival Lineup

Posted on February 10, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Patricia Velasquez will be tearing-up theSXSW Film Festival…

The SXSW Film Festival has added the horror film The Curse of La Llorona, starring the 48-year-old Venezuelan actress and model, to its robust lineup.

The film, from New Line, is directed by Michael Chavesand written by Mikki Daughtryand Tobias Iaconis.

In addition to Velasquez, the film stars Linda Cardellini and Raymond Cruz and is based on the real-life Mexican folklore of the ghost of a weeping woman who essentially terrorizes and attempts to take children and scares the hell out of anyone who comes in her way.

The 26th edition of the South by Southwest Conference and Festivalruns March 8-17 in Austin.

Raymond Cruz to Appear in Season 2 of Epix’s “Get Shorty”

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a great Get for Raymond Cruz…

The 56-year-old Latino actor and former Major Crimes/The Closer star has landed a recurring role opposite Chris O’Dowd and Ray Romano in the second season of Epix’s Get Shorty.

The dark comedy from MGM Television is based in part on the 1990 Elmore Leonard bestseller and created for television by Davey Holmes.

In Season 2, Miles struggles to reconcile his ambitions as a filmmaker and a family man with his skill set as a career criminal. His progress in Hollywood is jeopardized when the washed-up producer (Romano) with whom he partnered in Season 1 agrees to wear a federal wire.

Cruz will play Swayze, the brutal and murderous leader of a Latino prison gang who styles himself after Patrick Swayze, with long, flowing locks of hair and 80s-inspired dance moves.

Cruz recently wrapped the sixth and final season of TNT’s Major Crimes. He also has recurred on Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, among other credits.

Season 2 premieres on Sunday, August 12 at 9:00 pm ET.

Jessica Meraz to Star on the Upcoming Season of TNT’s “Major Crimes”

Posted on May 16, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Jessica Meraz has landed a Major project…

The half-Mexican American actress has been cast as a series regular on the upcoming sixth season of TNT’s hit drama series Major Crimes from Warner Bros. TV.

Meraz will play Det. Camila Paige, who’s still recovering financially from having to raise all five of her younger siblings after the death of her parents in a car accident almost fifteen years ago. A favorite of Chief Mason (Leonard Roberts), she made a name for herself inside Criminal Intelligence before her transfer to Missing Persons. She has a personal relationship with Lt. Provenza (G.W. Bailey) from before her time on the LAPD.

Meanwhile, Lourdes Benedicto has landed a recurring role on the series.

The 42-year-old part-Spanish American actress will recur as Sara Garza, the wife of a prominent surgeon, his office manager, and mother to their missing fifteen-year-old son who tries to maintain her sanity in the face of kidnapping, murder and her husband’s health problems.

Meraz and Benedicto join an ensemble cast that includes Mary McDonnell, Tony Denison, Michael Paul Chan, Phillip P. Keene and Raymond Cruz.

Meraz played Natalie Ortiz on Freeform’s Chasing Life and also appeared on Baby Daddy.

Benedicto’s recent credits include Pure Genius and NCIS.

Cruz’s “Major Crimes” to Return to TNT in Mid-June

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Raymond Cruz is returning to the force this summer…

TNT will premiere Season 5 of Major Crimes, starring the 54-year-old Mexican American actor, on June 13.

Major Crimes, which was renewed in December, centers on a special unit of Los Angeles Police Department detectives responsible for investigating high-profile crimes. It’s the spin-off of TNT’s hit series The Closer.

Cruz stars as Detective Julio Sanchez on Major Crimes, a role he originated on The Closer.

The ensemble cast includes Mary McDonnell, G.W. Bailey, Tony Denison, Michael Paul Chan, Phillip P. Keene, Kearran Giovanni, Jonathan Del Arco, Robert Gossett and Graham Patrick Martin.

Season 5 will consist of 13-episodes.

Arciniega to Star in DirecTV’s Anthology Drama “Full Circle”

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Max Arciniega’s career is coming Full Circle.

The Latino actor has joined the Season 3 cast of DirecTV’s anthology drama Full Circle.

Others rounding out the cast include Harold Perrineau, Christopher Gorham, Bob Stephenson, Raymond Cruz, Laura San Giacomo and Graham Beckel.

They join previously announced Dougray Scott, Kim Raver and Mariana Klaveno in the 10-episode season set to premiere in 2016. It will air on Audience Network on both DirecTV and AT&T U-verse.

The third season, Full Circle: Miami, revolves around a dramatic political conspiracy that unfolds inside a posh Miami hotel, where charismatic Senator Davis Faulkner (Scott) — who also is the front-runner to become the next President of the United States — finds himself entangled in a scandal that threatens to derail his campaign and destroy his life. His wife Madeline Faulkner (Raver) is a preacher’s daughter who always has been his rock, standing by his side amid all his prior indiscretions, specifically when it came to an affair with a prostitute named Angela Mancarlo (Klaveno).

Throughout the series we are introduced to the people who populate this political web, including Rick D’Andres (Gorham), Faulkner’s loyal Secret Service agent; Damon Houserman (Perrineau), his trusted campaign manager; Elena Medina (San Giacomo), a down-on-her-luck reporter; Sidney Waverly (Stephenson), a hard-nosed FBI agent; Alex Hidell (Arciniega), an innocent hotel staff member caught in the crosshairs; and Isaac Dellahunt (Beckel), the Senate Majority Leader and former head of the CIA, who is working with Federico Sturgis (Cruz), a former associate who also has his hands in organized crime with intent to bring down the Sen. Davis Faulkner.

Jorge Zamacona wrote Full Circle: Miami and will serve as executive producer. Nick Hamm (Rogue) is set to direct and produce.

Cruz’s “The Closer” Reruns Heading to MyNetworkTV

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It’s Flashback Wednesdays for Raymond Cruz fans…

MyNetworkTV has added The Closer, starring the 53-year-old Mexican American actor, to its Wednesday night primetime lineup.

Beginning September 30, The Closer will air back-to-back episodes from 8-10 PM.

Cruz portrayed Detective Julio Sanchez on the Kyra Sedgwick-starrer, which aired on TNT from 2005 to 2012.

He now portrays the same character on The Closer spinoff Major Crimes.

Here is the complete MyNetworkTV 2015-16 schedule.

MONDAY
8-9 PM — Law & Order: SVU
9-10 PM — Law & Order: SVU

TUESDAY (New night premieres September 29th)
8-9 PM — The Walking Dead
9-10 PM– The Walking Dead

WEDNESDAY (MyNetworkTV debut on September 30th)
8-9 PM — The Closer
9-10 PM — The Closer

THURSDAY
8-9 PM — The Mentalist
9-10 PM — The Mentalist

FRIDAY
8-9 PM — Bones
9-10 PM — Bones

Cruz to Star as Kidnapper Ariel Castro in Lifetime’s “The Michelle Knight Story”

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Raymond Cruz is about to find himself on the other side of the law…

The 53-year-old Mexican American actor, best known for his role as Detective Julio Sanchez on TNT’s The Closer and Major Crimes, will star as kidnapper Ariel Castro in Lifetime’s The Michelle Knight Story (working title).

The network’s original movie, which has received a formal greenlight, centers on the ordeal of the 21-year-old Ohio single mom who became Castro’s first victim.

From Sony Pictures Television and written by Stephen Tolkin, The Michelle Knight Story explores the true story of Knight, whose life was forever changed by a chance encounter with Castro who abducted her on August 22, 2002, in Cleveland and held her as his prisoner in his home for more than 11 years. Finding strength through her faith in God and determined to be reunited with her son, Knight refused to be broken by Castro. He went on to abduct two teenagers, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, and hold them in captivity alongside Knight, who became a friend and sister to her fellow prisoners.

When Amanda became pregnant with Castro’s child, it was Knight who delivered her baby, even performing CPR on the infant girl under the threat of Castro while he told her, “If the baby dies, you die.”

Knight and DeJesus ultimately were rescued because of a daring escape attempt on May 6, 2013. With the help of a neighbor, Berry broke out of the barricaded front door with her 6-year-old daughter, allowing all three women to finally reclaim their lives.

Cruz is also known for playing ruthless and psychotic meth dealer Tuco on Breaking Bad.

TNT Renews Cruz’s “Major Crimes” for a Third Season

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Raymond Cruz’s crime-solving days aren’t over yet…

TNT has ordered a 15-episode new season of The Closer spinoff Major Crimes, which stars the 52-year-old Mexican American actor as Detective Julio Sanchez.

The police procedural series, which received an additional four-episode order this season, ranks among basic cable’s Top 10 series with total viewers this summer.

Major Crimes, which has been picked up for a third season, is drawing more than 6.7 million viewers in Live + 7. It’s set to wrap up its summer run on August 19 and will return in November for the second half of the season.

The series also currently stars Nadine Velazquez and Jonathan Del Arco as series regulars..

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