An actor, writer, and producer hailing from the William Esper Studio, Emanuel Ramirez is in the process of building a diverse repertoire of projects. He is best known for his writing and starring roles in the Stephen Bond-directed film Same Page. In it, Ramirez plays a man named Jason, who not only loses his job as a security guard but must also sort out a myriad of issues with his girlfriend Jennifer (Elise Wilkes). Following the success of completing the short, a documentary about the creation of the Same Page has emerged, delving into the intricate themes of the production. More than just a look behind-the-scenes, the documentary features Emanuel grappling with his own challenges and questions.
Who or what inspired you to get into filmmaking? What career path were you gravitating towards initially?
My initial career path was to be an actor, that is still how I look at myself. I just love it so much. Then I would say actors such as Denzel Washington and Bradley Cooper have inspired me to be able to do both. In that I’ve discovered for myself that, they are one thing, to me. They come from that same place of creativity, openness, and being in the moment.
How did you begin acting, and which roles do you feel best represent you?
I began acting in a peculiar way really. It was not something I knew from a young age I wanted to do or was put into classes to do. I was working my regular day job, with no real career path in front of me. I just happened to see a clip of a man named Marlon Brando (of course I didn’t know who he was at the time lol) describing and talking about acting and essentially how we are all actors to an extent and it just caught my eye, my curiosity. That led to me looking for an acting school. I feel to this point I don’t know if there’s one role that best represents me. Every role I’ve done kind of has some aspect of me in some way. Finding those little things that make characters personal to you is what can carry you in the moment.
You wrote the screenplay for Same Page. What was your process like, and how did you go about developing the story?
It was such a beautiful process. A lot of trial and error. Writing and rewriting to make the best story possible. Really just sitting down, day by day and letting my imagination show me what the story could be and getting out of the way. Inspiration can come from anywhere. A thought, a conversation, a word, a picture. After that, I just like to sit with it. Let it be what it wants to be. In that I discovered it was about developing all these themes of love, friendship, generational trauma, personal trauma, heartbreak around Jason and Jennifer’s relationship. The thought of them starting their relationship with the best of intentions for each other but slowly becoming what they wanted to get away from.
What was the film’s reception, and how was its festival run?
The reception to the film has been amazing. You never think how many people can relate or are going through things that you’re writing about when you’re working on it, at least I didn’t. I just wanted to tell this story. For it to be so relatable that everyone that sees it at some point in the film goes, “Yea, I’ve been there”, has been so artistically rewarding. The festival run was so much fun. To see it premiere for the first time I remember in a festival in Buffalo, with a bunch of people you just met and to see how they reacted to it, it let me know there was something to this story.
Why did you think creating the documentary was important?
Initially the idea was just to have my partners at The Human Variable follow me around on this journey to the premiere in New York City. But after hearing the questions the were asked in the Q&A’s, the conversations that it started, and then we had the premiere in Long Island, I knew there was a story here that would be an extension of the film. It’s own story ultimately. How these stories, points of view, and conversations could impact lives.
The documentary has some personal undertones about your character and acting career. What was it like to go back and reflect on all that?
It’s interesting, every time I watch the documentary again, I get something new out of it. It allowed me to dig deeper into the character of Jason. Part of the documentary is me at the One Man Show play I did which is me playing most of the characters in the film, which was the ultimate acting challenge. But it allowed me to dig deeper into Jason because I’m playing him for most of the time onstage. So it forced me to dig deeper into him. His background, his upbringing, his insecurities, his traumas, his relationship with his parents. It was very eye opening to have to go back to dig that much more deeper after doing the film. The entire process made me a better actor, person, filmmaker, and it made me bolder.
One key question you highlighted was, “Does being vulnerable make me weak?”. There’s something sincerely profound about posing that question to oneself. How would you respond, both as an actor and as a writer?
In life I think that it’s a question that we all struggle with at some point. The way i grew up was, “You don’t show weakness, real men don’t cry, keep your emotions to yourself, be strong”. What acting and writing has done for me was open me up to that it’s ok to be vulnerable at times, to show emotion, to be open, to let yourself feel, to have creative freedom and it’s a tough balance between those two. For the artist and the person day to day. It’s something that I strive to be better at every day. A lot of it has to do with having the right support system I think. People who make you feel safe enough that you can be vulnerable with them and they won’t hold it against you in any way, understanding that you’re just having a moment like anyone else. So those feelings can have their say and you can take a deep breath after and go “Ok, I feel better now” and go about your day. Having people around, a support system like that makes all the difference, and you do it for each other. My acting teacher Bruce McCarty has a great quote by Gustave Flaubert that he references all the time it’s “Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.”
How did it feel to hear your co-stars’ perspectives on the central themes of Same Page? What’s your relationship with them like?
I couldn’t have done it without them. Period point blank. You can have the ideas you want but to have people who are willing to execute, show up, bring their own ideas, creativity, put in the time, commit, is irreplaceable, and I am forever indebted to each and every one of them. Every time I see them, or speak to them, it feels like yesterday we were shooting the film and here we are with this documentary on a whole new experience. I couldn’t be happier to have worked with them.
Were there any challenges that arose while creating the documentary?
For sure, I would say the main one was finding a story in itself, apart from the film. As you know they’re different. So we had to find what is it that this documentary is trying to say that’s different than the film. What is the story here? How can we tell it in a way that can entertaining, impactful, have its highs and lows, and ultimately serve the audience. That took time, and the process of that always does. That’s one thing directing this project did for me and it’s something that I will forever apply to my work. To have a process focused mind set. It’s always about the process itself, not the result of it.
Do you feel like the film could open doors for other filmmakers to self-reflect on their roles and lives?
Absolutely, I know it has for me. It’s a conversation starter. That’s why we ended the film how we did. It makes you question more than give you answers, and with the documentary we were able to give more answers with those questions.
What were the complexities you discovered regarding relationships through Same Page and your documentary?
That in itself, that relationships are complex, because people are complex, and the acceptance of that. We are all our own things, our traumas, beliefs, triggers, attachment styles, you name it, that all linger in the background and come out at specific moments. It’s ultimately up to us. How much we allow these things to run our lives, setting boundaries, and can we be aware enough, brave enough to see that it’s actually not about the person in front of me but it’s my own things that I’m putting on this person. That’s the beauty of having a long term relationship with anyone, it kind of forces you to face those things. Long term relationships help you to see who you are, it’s by being with others that you get to see who you are, it’s interactive, and then you’re faced with the questions of do I want to remain this way or be different? Is it really this persons fault or did I not set enough boundaries with myself? Do I want to be what I’ve seen, what I’ve known, do I want pass this on to my kids or can I work on myself enough to create a new me.
What’s next for you? What are your future plans and projects?
Well we have the premiere of the documentary on Saturday, July 20th. It’s available for Pre-Order on our site now www.samepagemovie.com and available to everyone on the same day as the premiere. You can RSVP for the premiere on our site as well, it’s going to be a beautiful event. After that, I’ll be doing a feature film all under my production company Capitalize Productions. I started preparing for my character some time ago. I have ideas about where I want to go with this one. I started writing the opening scene, it’s so exciting, now it’s just about putting in those hours, sitting with it, letting my creativity flow, and following the process.
