10 THINGS with Joseph Julian Soria

Army Wives (on Lifetime) is getting better and better, we absolutely love the characters and can’t wait to see how the season unfolds. We caught up with Joseph Julian Soria who plays Hector Cruz. He talks with us about his role, new projects and more! Check out 10 Things:

RM: You are probably one of the most recognizable bad boys of television; you’ve been on Dexter, The Shield, CSI Miami, Sons of Anarchy, The Closer, Bones and Southland. What has been your favorite role so far and why?

JS: That’s a tough question to answer. If your referring to just TV shows, then I would have to say my favorite role has been Hector Cruz (on “Army Wives”) because my character’s story has a complete arch. His situation is very complex and we get to see him grow.

RM: You were in a hilariously funny State Farm commercial and your fans got to see a different side of you. Was this your way of showing people that you could hold your own in the comedic world? Side note: Your facial expressions in that commercial are brilliant!

JS: Thank you, to be honest it was my way to make a nice residual pay check (chuckles). But yes, it also gave me an opportunity to show that I can be funny when people always get to see me play serious roles. I haven’t had many opportunities to do so. So hopefully that spot will open some doors. You never know. As for my face, I am just funny looking I guess (smirk).

JJ JJ Soria

RM: You’re a film actor as well, we’ve seen you in Fast and the Furious, Crank and you have the upcoming film Filly Brown coming out in April. How do you decide which movies are right for you?

JS:  I choose the roles I play for various reasons. Sometimes it’s the character; other times it’s the story. It could be because I’m getting the opportunity to work with someone that I want a working relationship with, or it can be as simple as falling in love with one scene and then I just have to do it.

RM: Speaking of Filly Brown, there is a lot of buzz around this movie. What can you tell us about your character?

JS:  MC Wyatt is rapper who is insecure but tries to walk around with all this arrogance as if he is more important than he really is. When Filly (Gina Rodriguez) starts to steal his spotlight, he does anything to get it back.

RM: If you could play any role in any film or television series, what would it be?

JS: There is no specific role I would love to play. There are MANY. Right now I’m really interested in playing a fighter (i.e. boxer or MMA fighter) but there are so many that I would love to play just the same. A fire fighter, cop, young doctor etc.

RM: When you aren’t working, what do you like to do?

JS: I enjoy playing sports and training in boxing and kick boxing and other mixed material arts. I also love to go hiking: pretty much anything where I get to get outdoors and sweaty and dirty (chuckles).

RM: You now play Hector Cruz on the Lifetime hit series, Army Wives. This role is so different from your previous work, what made you gravitate to Hector Cruz?

JS: The fact that it is different from any of my previous work. Playing Hector has given me the opportunity to show more of what I can offer as an actor.

JJ Soria

RM: In the new season, you have been promoted to a series regular, how does it feel to see your hard work pay off?

JS: It feels great! It’s a stepping-stone. I have high expectations of myself in my career. And this opportunity is getting me that much closer to where I ultimately see myself in this business and the variety of roles I’d like to explore.

RM: What can the fans expect from Hector this season now that he and Gloria are divorced?

JS: Expect to see Hector start to mature and redeem himself from last season. It’s going to be a process but you will see him evolve into the soldier that the army envisioned him to be.

RM: What projects do you have coming up that your fans can look out for?

JS: Besides Filly Brown. The other film I have coming out later this year is Mission Park directed by Bryan Ramirez and starring Jeremy Ray Valdez. I’m really excited for my fans to see this film because I believe it is my strongest performance of my career thus far.

Featured Image courtesy of Jeremy Ray Valdez.