New Yorkers are known for a number of things, but the most important one: being real. With a genuine enthusiasm and gregariousness that demands attention all signs indicate that Victor Rasuk is a New Yorker to the bone. Currently starring in HBO’s How to Make It in America, Rasuk (pronounced: rah-SOOK’) is gracious and focused in a way that only someone who’s tasted success and savors it can be.
The Harlem-born Rasuk first came to the attention of the indie film world with his role in Five Feet High and Rising. His pluck garnered him accolades and awards at Sundance and Cannes. More importantly it gained him another role: the main character, coincidentally named – Victor in 2003’s Raising Victor Vargas. With the feature-length film, this time around everyone stood up and took notice.
Shockingly, Rasuk just happened to stumble upon acting. His first encounter was during a school trip to see John Leguizamo’s Broadway show “Freak.” “When I saw that, I was like, that’s how I wanted to make people feel. He hit it on the money and it was such an amazing piece,” he recalls. That same summer, an adolescent Rasuk came upon some NYU students filming their short films in his Lower East Side neighborhood. He boldly asked to be in their movie and they quickly agreed recognizing that the curly-haired Dominican kid “would totally be a character” in one of their films. After appearing in a few of the students’ shorts, Rasuk was officially taken with the craft.
He was so hooked that Rasuk decided to formally study acting. Rather than go to traditional high school, he attended, The Professional Performing Arts School, with a who’s who of rising stars: castmates Melonie Diaz and Judy Marte from Raising Victor Vargas and Jesse Eisenberg from The Social Network.
With over a dozen films from indie thrillers like Haven with Orlando Bloom and historical biopics like Steven Soderbergh’s Che with Benicio del Toro, as well as several television credits under his belt, Rasuk is teetering on the edge of greatness. What’s fueling his energy these days is the newest season of the hit HBO show. As Cameron “Cam” Calderon, Rasuk stars with a cast of characters who are all peddling their dreams and hustling to make it in New York City. Rasuk recently sat down with ‘LLERO to talk about the new season, his idols and how he’s making it in America.
‘LLERO: What drew you to How to Make It in America?
Victor: What got me to do this was getting the chance to be part of HBO. It’s the most amazing boss you could have. Creatively, they let you do your thing. They’re a studio art family that believes in what you’re doing and let’s you creatively dive in without restrictions. Having the cast that we have, I feel so lucky and so honored to be asked to do this. As well as Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson (producers of the show), that was also a plus because of their track record.
‘LLERO: What’s in store for Cam this upcoming season?
Victor: The stakes are raised for Ben and Cam. At the end of Season 1, they had a little taste of success with the order for their shirts to the Japanese buyers. Crisp makes a bit of [a] splash in Japan. They come off of that and once they get back to New York no one still knows who we are. Anyone who gets a taste of success, it makes them want more and it drives them. We do more creatively…we ask ourselves, “how do we get this thing going?” We meet someone who can really help us take that big step forward, but it jeopardizes the friendship and the brand. It’s really cool how we sort of get over the obstacles. I do want to put out there that this season is sexier, funnier…it really captures a world where you don’t have to be from New York to relate to the characters.
‘LLERO: Where would you like to see the character of Cam go on the show?
Victor: I’d like to see him travel the world. I think Japan was a big thing for him. You see us there in beginning of Episode 1 and we’re getting off the plane from Japan, it’s a big deal. I would like to see him travel more, open up his world, have it inspire him creatively and look into other business ventures.
‘LLERO: Do you think you’re at all like Cam? Or are there major differences between you?
Victor: You know, I think there are definitely similarities. But with a lot of the characters I’ve played, even with the ones that might look different than I do or come from a different place, I find similarities. But being from New York and being Dominican, I innately – being where I’m from and who I am – have something in common. [Cam’s character is into] the fashion industry and I really knew nothing about it. It’s really competitive. I had to get into a business I knew nothing about. For me, even the ugly side I’ve had to see the beauty [which was] especially important for Cam who’s really into it. Also, I never grew up with the skateboard culture which I had to really get into because that is really the lineage [of] my character and Bryan [Greenberg]’s character – that’s how they met through skating.
‘LLERO: How important is it to you to portray your hometown of the Lower East Side (LES) accurately to such a broad audience through the series?
Victor: It was important to not only portray that neighborhood, but it was important for me how it portrays New York City as a city, it means the world to me – it’s my home. It’s the home of millions of people of different backgrounds. There’s so much history. That’s what’s so great about LES. So many people – Jewish, Puerto Rican, Black, White, Irish, Italian – have gone through LES, the history of all those people have played a huge part of how the neighborhood looks, how a lot of food is served, how traffic is dictated. To shoot in New York and especially this show, and also portray my hood so authentically, it only gives me a sense of pride.
‘LLERO: Do you feel like you’ve made it or are you still trying? What do you think it means to “make it”?
Victor: I think to me, what it means, making it is everything – pretty much when you’re trying to do something and really be great at it, whether that’s a character or a passion. What’s great about this show [is] how it depicts that, this season not everybody has just one grind. We don’t have just Crisp. We have other grinds to make this one hustle happen. You have to do more than one thing to pay the rent. As for me making it I still think I have a lot to go. This is very much my journey: one project at a time or one movie at a time. I’m making it only because I’m still working towards the ultimate goal. What is that? Who knows! I just hope that by the time I get to be 50, 60, 70 I’m better at it and making it and moving forward.
‘LLERO: What would you be doing if not acting?
Victor: That’s a good question. It’s funny because I’ve been lucky, but there’s only so much luck you get and then it’s up to you. I think I also had a calling for teaching. I loved my teachers who had inspired me at times when I was at my lowest. They kept me opening my mind, my horizon and my world.
‘LLERO: What actor or actor’s career do you admire or would want to model your own career after?
Victor: You know for me being an actor and being Latin is so important to me. My favorite actor is Benicio [Del Toro]. I love sort of how he’s come up, you know? I think he’s had such a long career and when he made it and how he made it; it’s just a testament of hard work and someone just trying to break new ground by always challenging himself to do new things. As for my future, I appreciate how he’s done it and he’s inspired me to challenge myself and do things differently.
‘LLERO: Where do you see your career going in the future?
Victor: Doing something different from New York; playing someone from the Midwest or somebody from a whole different country. Doing something similar to like what I did in Che. Maybe something that has to do with the Dominican Republic. I see myself looking back and seeing myself doing different things. That would be the most satisfying and challenging career.
Something tells us as long as Victor keeps up the hustle and grind he’ll be making it.
Photo credit: ©HBO, All Rights Reserved