Anthony Ramos’ Big Screen Journey So Far
TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS opens June 9th
It’s quite common for actors to start off with small parts, only to turn into recognizable talents with major roles later on down the line. Nearly every leading man begins this way, and today, we’re going to talk about the career of Anthony Ramos, a young, Brooklyn-born Afro-Latino actor of Puerto Rican descent who has lots yet to do in his career and plenty more years ahead of him.
Ramos got his start on Broadway, appearing in productions of “In The Heights” and with the original Broadway cast of “Hamilton,” but since then, the actor has only continued to show just how talented he is. He's become and even bigger force for representation recently, as he will soon be seen as the first Latinx actor to lead the TRANSFORMERS franchise, when TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS opens soon. In preparation for his first starring role in a major action movie, here is what you should know about Ramos’ career in film so far.
First up on Anthony Ramos’ filmography is MONSTERS AND MEN. This film, released in 2018 — a few years after Ramos started to gain recognition for his role in “Hamilton” — was directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. The movie follows the aftermath of an act of police brutality against a Black man, as told through three different points of view: the person who filmed it for the world to see, a high school student, and an African-American police officer.
While Ramos did have some minor roles in movies prior to this, including parts in WHITE GIRL and PATTI CAKE$, his part as Manny Ortega was his first major co-starring role in a movie, where he really got to show his talents on screen. This would only be the start of Ramos’ film career.
Directed by Bradley Cooper, who stars opposite Lady Gaga, A STAR IS BORN is an Academy Award® winning remake of the same movies released back in 1976, 1954 and 1937. The movie follows the love story of a young singer and a famous musician who end up falling in love and working together, but as she finds fame and fortune, his career begins to plummet.
A STAR IS BORN was a huge career milestone for Ramos. He played Ramon, a close friend of Ally’s (Lady Gaga) and someone who got to share scenes with the eventual Academy Award winner. The movie itself was hugely successful and received plenty of awards and nominations, so it was clear that Ramos’ career was on a successful path and trending upwards.
Many actors usually end up doing a voice role or two, and Ramos has been no exception to that rule, with his first movie voice acting credit being in the major ensemble film, TROLLS WORLD TOUR. Acting as the sequel to the incredible hit, TROLLS, this second installment in the franchise follows Poppy and Branch as they find new tribes of Trolls that are united under different forms of music other than their own, but everything changes when the Queen of Rock decides that every Troll should be united under that music.
This movie is filled to the brim with stars, such as Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige and many, many more, and Anthony Ramos was among that talented cast. He voiced the King Trollex, the king of the half-fish Techno Trolls, and if fans watched the movie, they got to have just a taste of Ramos’ classic musical skills which he brought to the character. Nothing better than hearing some fun tunes. But, it was what Ramos did next in his career that really took him to new “heights.”
IN THE HEIGHTS was the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, directed by Jon M. Chu. The film follows several of the neighbors who live in Washington Heights, an area of Manhattan that is predominantly Dominican, and their struggles to survive in the barrio while also pursuing their “little dreams,” otherwise known as “sueñitos.”
This was Ramos’ first leading man role, and he did amazingly well. Considering Ramos already had experience playing Usnavi from his time in the Broadway production, he killed it in the same lead role for the adaptation, brought his epic dance movies, and continued to show just how much of an amazing triple threat he was. At this point, Ramos had started to make himself known, and there was no telling how far he was going to go next.
Sometimes, actors get to do multiple voice roles, and Ramos signed up for THE BAD GUYS, a DreamWorks Animation movie that was released in 2022. The story follows a group of anthropomorphic animals that happen to be criminals, but when they are caught one day and decide to fake becoming good to get out of their punishment, they find that being good isn’t all that bad.
Ramos found himself with a bigger role for THE BAD GUYS, in comparison to TROLLS WORLD TOUR, as his character, Piranha, was one of the leads. And honestly, he was the funniest out of all of them, with his short fuse. It made for a hilarious film, and Ramos’ voice fit right in with his co-stars, such as Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron and more.
This is really what everyone is excited for, and that's TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS. Releasing in June 2023, the latest installment in the TRANSFORMERS franchise follows the story of the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, as they send out their new human ally, Noah Diaz, to retrieve a Transwarp Key that is accidentally triggered by an architectural intern.
This is a huge step in Ramos’ career as a leading man, and having him as the main character of the latest TRANSFORMERS film is such a great choice. It will surely lead to bigger roles down the line, but for now, enjoy his Noah Diaz and all he has to offer.
TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS opens June 9th
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