Victor Rivers Smile of a gentleman
By Sofia Fernandez
Photography by Anthony Barbera

Escaping four harrowing deaths in a year would drive the average person to another profession, but this is not the case for Victor Rivers. "Last year I got my head shot off, I killed myself, I got speared through with a sword and I got blown up."

Meet Victor Rivers--actor, athlete, father, husband. Cuban-American. You've seen him before. Perhaps with Eddie Murphy in THE DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN or as the wicked antagonist in FLED. Think, Captain Ferrer in AMISTAD, Antonio Banderas' brother in THE MASK OF ZORRO or the uproarious continental vampire in the Cybil pilot.

You've heard him too -- he has lent his voice to Ken Burns' The West, Warner Bros.' animated Batman series and various radio spots. "As actors we only have two things, our voices and our bodies," explains Rivers. "When I first started acting, Marlon Brando was an inspiration because of the type of work he was doing with what he had available to him as far as the body and voice he had. He created these incredible characters that were very honest, raw, and animlistic."

A commanding presence himself, Rivers also uses his stature and malleable looks to portray complex, humane characters. In the upcoming feature, LA CUCARACHA, Rivers plays Herberto Ortega, a man accused of raping and killing a 16 year old boy. Rivers' character is held at gun point throughout a pivotal scene in which he talks his way out of his own assasination. "The movie hinges on his performance," says director Jack Perez. "Victor had to be instantly believable and understood. He gave the character a peaceful countinence, dignity, grace, and emotion."

The role of Herberto Ortega was especially challenging in that it consisted of one scene and volumes of complicated dialogue eventually shot over two wintry nights. "It was an emormous part for an actor to tackle," says Perez. "Victor was the first to read for the role. He blew me away."

Winner of the Best Feature Film at the Austin Film Festival, LA CUCARACHA gives the tired story of the self-exiled desparado gringo a fresh twist and becomes a tale of genuine loss, redemption and hope. Director Perez deliberately cast Latinos in Latino roles, a process that took almost twice as long as the grueling 18 day shoot.

Such casting is still a Hollywood anomaly. "As far as the industry is concerned, we're still on the outside looking in," says Rivers. "The thing that is hapenning now is that non-Latins are starting to get to choose the Latin story line - they love the Latin story line." As in tHE MASK OF ZORRO, only one of the film's four Latino leads was actually Latino. "The point is that if they would let me play an Italian mobster, I wouldn't care if they played a Latino. But they try to pigeon-hole you to do certain types of roles and then when something great comes along and I can use my heritage to move forward, they go with a name."

Born in Cuba, Rivers moved to the U.S. in 1957. "We got here before the revolution, so when we started school, they were called us Little Fidels and Communists." His family jumped from Chicago to Hawthorne, finally settling in Miami. "Every school I went to, my older brother and I were the only Cubans in school. Always."

Rivers has not seen Cuban soil since a summer visit in 1959. "I would love to go back at some time in my lifetime. It's really ludicrous. We're [Americans] the ones that have a problem with this whole embargo thing. Cuba's resources went out the window with the Soviet Bloc discombobulated. They're in so much trouble; they're struggling. At this point, Cuba has no power."

"They say Castro's not in great health, but I didn't think that when the Pope was in town. The Pope could barely walk, yet Castro was right in there. My dad and uncle went to elementary school with him. He was a great athlete, he was smart. He was a potential pro [baseball] prospect, so had the Yankees drafted him, it would have changed everything. He would have played semi-pro baseball and not gone into politics."

Athletics affected change in Rivers' formative years in quite a different manner. A star football player in high school, Rivers' turbulent home life almost took its toll. "They took me to an athletic boosters meeting, explained that I was heading for trouble, and asked if anyone could help." Several boosters volunteered their homes and hearts. Four years of Florida State and a season with the Miami Dolphins later (Rivers was the first Cuban ever given a trial with the Dolphins), Rivers moved to Los Angeles and began his acting career.

"When I came out here to start acting, I was Vie Rivas the football player. I would audition for a non-descriptive role and after finishing, they would hold up my resume and say, 'Rivas, what nationality is that?' I'd say 'Cuban' and they'd say 'You're a really terrific actor, we'll keep you in mind for the next Latin role.'"

"It had nothing to do with ability. I have no accent, I can do other dialects. I have played other roles. Remember, it was during the 80's that roles were really limited. It became a situation."

Now Rivers handles similar situations with aplomb. "Let's say I'm auditioning for a character from Huntington Beach. Let's say the guy's name is Rodriguez. You'll walk in and do the character and the director will say 'Can you do him with a little bit of an accent?' At this point, I've earned my stripes. I'll say, 'Which accent do you want me to do? He's from Huntington Beach, so he's probably a surfer. Why does he have to have an accent?'"

Admittedly, Rivers has played his share of thugs and heavies, but as a fledgling Latino actor fifteen years ago, choices were limited. "I would have to play a drug dealer, that was it. I didn't get to play a cop, doctor, or a lawyer. They weren't available to us." Even so, Rivers states, "I've represented Latinos in a lot of different roles and I've done it in a truthful, honest way."

Ever convincing, Rivers is most often recognized for his portrayal of Magic Mike in Taylor Hackford's Bound By Honor (a.k.a. Blood In, Blood Out}. "I've been all over the world and people recognize me from that," says Rivers. "And I'm not talking just Latinos or blacks, but computer nerds too."

As if to prove Rivers' point, a fan approached him for a picture during this interview. "To this day it's one of the things I'm most proud of because of the reality of the film. All the prison scenes we did were in the prison population and we were not guarded." Again, Rivers' true presence helped him through the shoot. "Prisoners actually thought I was Magic Mike. I had to be totally convincing."

Always a man in search of diversity, Rivers relaxes his sometimes fierce persona in Miramax's In Too Deep, also due out this year. The film stars Omar Epps, L.L. Cool J and Stanley Tucci. "I play a regular kind of cop with a little bit of attitude instead of bringing in all these other dimensions. It was fun to play somebody straight and normal who doesn't get killed in the end-nothing tragic happens. It's comedic. I love comedy. A lot of people don't see it because I don't look comedic, but it's always been my saving grace, it kept me sane as a kid."

Apparently, the Rivers comedic genes are hereditary. Rivers' four year old son Eli is the family cut-up. "He's very intelligent, passionate, verbal and funny. He tells jokes all night." A bright boy whose lineage includes a nuclear physicist, a computer programmer, and a writer, Eli already speaks a touch of Hebrew with Spanish lessons not too far behind. Rivers' wife, Miriam Eichler Rivers, is a published author currently working on a book with Betty and Ellen Degeneres. The family resides in Hermosa Beach amidst the ocean and beach lifestyle. "Water gives me great tranquility. Anytime I'm stressed, I just go to the water and sit there. It's very therapeutic."

Rivers tends to his son and household on his downtime. "I'm very domestic. I cook. I clean. I do it all. I have a kid, that's my priority. If I have to take a role that I would not normally take to feed my son, then there's no question because that's my job. I've quit being the 'Artist' and have become a Dad and that's the greatest role I play."

grooming: Elke Von Freudenberg
stylist: Sarah Musni