In the News
Alex Quijano ’91 from Moreau to Modern Family by Joe Hudelson, Assistant Principal of Student Support
When asked if that athletic edge helps him as an actor, Alex says, “It does. As a pitcher, I had to constantly train and prepare myself mentally. You have to believe in yourself. You’ve got to want it.”
Alex Quijano ’91 is an actor living and working in Hollywood. His credits include such shows as Grey’s Anatomy, The Mentalist, Monk, CSI, and most recently House, M.D. and Modern Family. Assistant Principal for Student Support Joe Hudelson talked to Alex about acting, sports, life, and his time at Moreau Catholic. Sirens and car horns blurt out in the background. Actor and Moreau Catholic Class of 1991 graduate Alex Quijano takes a quick break between auditions to chat over the phone.
“Acting is a war of attrition,” Alex tells Hudelson. “You can’t give up.” Alex’s competitive spirit is what drives him as he has landed work in countless commercials, TV shows, and in film—working alongside Tom Hanks in the film, Larry Crowne. “Everything pays the bills,” adds Quijano, speaking of his tenacity to audition for many different roles and his hard work in the business. He says that he learned his strong work ethic in part from the teachers and coaches who believed in him, many of whom were his mentors at Moreau Catholic.
While at Moreau Catholic, Alex was not involved in theatre but he took many art classes and loved baseball. It was not until he went to UC Davis that he took an acting class as an elective. “The shoes fit,” said Alex. The instructor came up and told him that he “was dangerous up there.” Here was yet another mentor seeing something in Alex and inspiring him. While at UC Davis, Alex knew that he wasn’t going to make the major leagues, and he also felt that a medical internship wasn’t inspiring him as he once thought it might. Instead, Alex was enticed by the spontaneity of the acting profession, and eventually made his way to Hollywood. Most recently, Alex has worked with Oscar nominees Chaz Palminteri and Jennifer Tilly on the show Modern Family. He has also worked with Oscar winners Tom Hanks and Forrest Whitaker. When asked if it was surreal to work with such legends, Alex said, “You have to go in as a professional, you can’t be intimidated.” Alex admits that acting is tough and that auditioning has its own set of challenges. “You’ve got to have a good imagination. Imagination is something we need more of in this world,” shared Alex. When asked about what advice he might give Moreau Catholic students moving on to college, Alex muses, “Take many different classes and be sure to travel.” He ends his remarks with a reminder that we need imagination. “We need people who can imagine and invent things such as iPods and cures for cancer. We need a cultivated imagination to be able to follow our dreams,” says Alex. There is no doubt that Alex is certainly following his.
When asked what he remembers the most about his Moreau Catholic education, Alex says, without hesitation, “Jim Patterson” (current Chair of the Counseling Department) along with his Trigonometry teacher Rich Serrao ’73 and Coach Mike Bungarz ’75. “I wasn’t doing my best and Mr. Patterson believed in me, my coaches believed in me.” Alex is grateful for the great mentors at Moreau Catholic and for the competitive edge he learned from baseball both at Moreau Catholic and at UC Davis.
Alex’s Verizon commercial can be viewed on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxhPEwHhG58
Spring ’12 | The Vector
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