IT’S GAME ON FOR ANTHONY RAMOS, THE PUERTO RICAN-BROOKLYN RAISED ACTOR WHO’S GONE SO WORLDWIDE THAT IT’S HARD TO PIN HIM DOWN FOR A ZOOM CALL THESE DAYS. THE BREAKOUT STAR OF MANUEL-MIRANDA’S STAGE HIT HAMILTON AND MUSIC ROM-COM IN THE HEIGHTS, WHOSE APPEARANCES ALSO INCLUDE PLAYING LADY GAGA’S BESTIE IN A STAR IS BORN AND HUMAN PROTAGONIST NOAH DIAZ IN TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS, CANNOT BE STOPPED. NEXT, HE’S LITERALLY WHIPPING UP A STORM AS JAVI IN THE DISASTER SEQUEL MOVIE TWISTERS AND TAKING THE MUCH-LOVED ANIMATED CHARACTER BOB THE BUILDER TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL. WE GOT ON A CALL WITH RAMOS TO TALK ABOUT CHASING DREAMS, FIRST LOVES AND FLYING COWS.

Let’s talk Twisters, the follow-up movie to the ‘90s hit flick, in which you play Javi, a storm chaser. I imagine working with director Lee Isaac Chung was the big draw for you, as he’s brilliant at building the heart and soul between characters. How did that play out for you with this movie, working alongside Glen [Powell] and Daisy [Edgar-Jones], in helping to shape your character?

Before we started shooting, I really felt that I was going to learn so much from Isaac and grow as an actor, and he was going to bring the best out of all of us, and he confirmed that to me times ten! He can make a big movie feel small, like an indie, treating it with love and attention and caring about the characters so deeply, like you do when you’ve got no budget, because the characters are really all you’ve got to hold the movie, no special effects and all that.

Javi, my character, wasn’t on the page when I first read for the film as I was auditioning for the part of Tyler originally. Then after reading for Javi, who used to be called Nathan, I realised he wasn’t as prominent on the page, not like he’s ended up being in the movie, as I told Isaac that I could do something really dope with the part, and we could expand the role and explore more ideas and possibilities for the character.

Well, this movie may have an indie heart, but it’s got a blockbuster budget with all the CGI-filled action. What was it really like being part of storm chaser culture in Tornado Valley?

We were right there, slap bang in the middle of it all, with weird things happening like the sky would suddenly turn green, and when I first arrived in Oklahoma for a costume fitting, I was sitting with Isaac having dinner, and suddenly the windows started rattling in the hotel. I looked at him and said, “Yo, bro, is that normal, that shit is rattlin’.” He looked at me and said, “Yeah, I guess so”, and then he’s offering me water like, “Still or sparkling?” It was so crazy!! [Laughs]

Sweater & pants **Isabel Marant**, necklace **Krewe**

Did you hang out with real storm chasers too?

Yes, and we had some on set, one guy called Sean, who works for Oklahoma University, where they have the biggest meteorology set up in the US. Meeting him was the first time outside of this movie we’re making that I realised people do this for a living, you know, being a storm chaser, this is his actual job, collecting data and waiting around, sometimes for days, weeks, until something happens.

I guess when a flying cow appears, that’s the signal a storm is coming.

Haha! When the cow starts flying, you know some shit’s going down! Follow the flying cow! [Laughs]

Had you seen the original ‘90s movie, with flying cows, before you signed up for this follow-up?

I only saw the original a month into filming, as we all watched it at a movie theatre the director rented. Our movie is just as scary, terrifying in parts but thrilling, and heartfelt and fun too. I love that we get to be the second part in this franchise, and I hope we get to make more, and explore how far and deep we can go into this storm chasing world.

You’ve played a mix of characters now throughout your career, from theatre to film, and along the way there must have been great mentors who helped build your confidence as an actor and performer?

Mentorship in my life has been so pivotal, from my teachers to my uncle who I’ve just been hanging with today, just connecting with family and people that know and love me and really have my best interests at heart, that feeds my soul, and I can bring it to my work.

And being part of seeing your community and culture represented on screen too, with starring in Hamilton and In the Heights, that must feed the soul and give you the drive to keep perfecting your craft and the confidence to keep achieving your goals?

I’m Puerto Rican from New York, Bushwick, the hood, and the odds of someone like me achieving what I have are like zero. To be able to do this for real and give hope to kids like me is so important, and to have role models like I did when I was 10 years old. I had actors like Rick Gonzalez and a few others to look up to, who played the lead role in different things, and they gave me hope to think maybe I could do that. I’m in a pool of Latino actors that are expanding the industry, and I feel really blessed to be a part of it all.

Speaking of giving young kids hope, you have a great relationship with Opening Act NY, who provide free theatre programs for underprivileged kids to achieve their dreams. What about bringing success stories, like your own, to the big screen yourself, from behind the camera?

Yes definitely, I think directing is next for me, I’ve been really feeling a desire to do it, it’s the next big mountain I want to climb. I’m actively looking for stories that I connect with and I’m really looking forward to diving into a script.

And are there directors you’ve really enjoyed working with who have inspired you with their own process?

Totally, I want to work with Spielberg again, he’s produced three movies I’ve been in, and Reinaldo Marcus Green and Jon Chu. Karena Evans is also a young director I worked with on a music video, I think she’s incredible, and I want to do something more longform with her.

Suit & shirt **Fendi**, sunglasses **Jacques Marie Mage**, shoes **Sebago**

You’re also producing and voicing the lead character in the big screen debut of Bob the Builder; you must be excited about this fresh take on such a beloved animated character?

It’s so dope to be a part of this, and I’m super involved with the soundtrack too - I’m already talking to my friends in the industry to come up with songs for it. To be able to play, voice and reinvent this lead character that everyone’s grown up with over the years is amazing, as he’s been one thing for so long. Now it’s Bob the Builder 2.0, let’s take him to another level!

What about Bob’s get-up, he’s been in those same dungarees and shirt for so long, he needs a style revamp. Can we fix it? “Yes, we can!”

Well, he’s gonna look like a builder, not like he just walked off the runway, but trust me, Bob’s gonna look fly in this movie!

You mention music, and of course besides theatre and movies, you’re also a musician. Is music your first love? What are your earliest memories of making music?

It started in junior high school, I was in a group with my friends, and we would sing songs by a group called The Temptations in school assembly, and it was my first introduction to performing. I also did improv shows during the holidays with my cousins for our families, like you do! and that’s how I ended up in musical theatre school eventually.

Then you got a record deal after taking the world by storm in Hamilton, and later became a mentor on The Voice US. This is a show you auditioned for originally, and there you are, as the star giving advice to hopefuls. Life moves in mysterious ways, right?

It’s wild. I waited out in the cold to audition for that show and the bottoms of my feet were hurting so much for months because I wore the most uncomfortable shoes in the blistering chill of winter! I didn’t even make it past the first round, and all these years later there I am being a mentor for Reba’s team, and the guy we mentored eventually won, it’s crazy how things go.

Artistically, what does music give you that acting does not?

When you go into a studio, you have complete control over what that song becomes, nobody tells you what it should be, and you start with a blank page but leave the studio with something, a melody or the words. There’s a part of music that’s mine, my vision, my story, I can sing it and express myself how I want, unless you’re writing for someone else, then you try and tap into their heart and whatever’s going on with them. So, it’s cool being a songwriter but also an artist, and having those two things be equally synonymous and separate when they need to be, and often the inspiration for me, comes from helping other people. It’s dope, with acting you get a script and there are so many other opinions and control, but with music it’s about what you want to say and how you want to say it.

If you had to choose a song that describes where you are in your life right now, what would it be?

Wow, what a great question! Adoption Song by Brandon Lake sums up where I feel I am in my life right now. Accepting all the things that God has told me I am, and not believing anything other than that. I also wrote a song called Don’t Wait for Yesterday, it might be my next single release, and that title is a message to myself, and everyone really.