Namhan Ruiz

Sometimes it’s the second impression that counts. I first saw Namhan Ruiz in the ensemble of Theatre Arlington’s In The Heights back in January. Just a couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of seeing Namhan again, this time in the lead role of Tommy Ross in Lakeside’s Carrie the Musical. Namhan’s skillful portrayal of Tommy Ross and his beautiful vocals made me take notice. I knew that this young man had something special. I was even more impressed when the director told me that Namhan was just 19. All that talent, confidence, and presence and still a teenager! Namhan Ruiz is a young man destined for success in the performing arts. Take a few moments to read about his journey so far.

When was your first time on stage?

My first time on stage was in an elementary school musical I was in. I don’t remember much about it other than it being about pirates and Christmas and it was the first time I thought to myself, “I really like doing this. I wanna do more”. 

When did you know you wanted to be an actor?

In middle school. My school specialized in the performing arts and I was involved in most of the productions going on. I remember when I did a production of Elf Jr., I stepped on the stage for bows and I never felt anything like it. That moment from my youth is what made me go on and work on my craft and discover more of what I can do in this industry.

Who is your greatest mentor?

My greatest mentors have to be the teachers I have met through my high school and college years. Ms. Cotie and Ms. Bennet-Price from my high school, Lois Leftwich and Linda Leonard from KD Conservatory, and Zuhdi Boueri and Sasha Krane from my intensive at Lee Strasberg. These people were basically the wake up call I needed in order to put my mind towards what I want to do for the rest of my life.

What role have you enjoyed the most in your career so far?

That’s a good question! One role I really enjoyed was in a school production of a play by Michael Ragozzino, All Rights Reserved. There I played a sleazy business man who’s part of a marketing firm for a new prescription drug. My favorite part of the play was that towards the end, my character was essentially defeated and in a last ditch effort (I forgot why my character even did this in the first place), I take a handful of pills of the drug. I remember wanting them to be Tic Tacs, but my friend, who was the director, decided to use Altoids. My throat had never felt so cold since. After taking the drug, I start tweaking and enter a laughing fit, getting on the table, and basically doing whatever I wanted. It then ended with me deciding to climb the flag pole to do some unspeakable things with it…you have to read the play to understand the context

Do you have a dream role?

I have a couple of roles that I would like to play. Seymour Krelborn (Little Shop of Horrors), Jekyll and Hyde, Sweeney Todd, Emcee, Lord Farquaad, and even a comic book character. That’s just to name a few.

What person(s) would you like to be on stage with?

Some of the people from my school were so talented that I would love to reunite and share the stage with them one day. Other people I would love to work with would be Major Attaway, Andrew Garfield, Pedro Pascal, and Cameron Monaghan.

What performances have you seen that impressed you?

I had the opportunity to see Boop! the Musical when I was in New York and, let me tell you, it was an experience like no other. Jasmine Amy Rogers was an absolute star and the lights and effects were all brilliant. It was nothing like I had ever seen. Unfortunately, it closed on Broadway, but it was certainly the most entertaining musical I had been to in a while

What are your career goals?

I found myself really fond of voice over. One thing I remember that inspired my love for it was through Mark Hamill saying, “You would make choices that you would never do if you were doing live acting”. Just that alone made me realize that I could be in just about anything with voice over. Cartoons, anime, commercials, video games, you name it! I also plan on working on my writing, eventually writing plays, novels or even movies. Lately, I have realized that I really want to create as much as I like to perform. This also inspired me to figure out on entering the show business as a director and show runner for television. With streaming taking over and indie films getting more recognition lately, I’m currently trying to analyze the next shift in entertainment in order to figure out what I would need to do for own stories to bring to the big or small screen.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I can also draw and make some sketches. I’ve been doing it ever since I was in diapers and I just kept doing it because I liked it. I have about like 10 years’ worth of sketchbooks in my room right now, and no I’m never sharing them with the world!!