Chances are you’ve recently seen Giovanni Rodriguez acting alongside some of Hollywood’s elite. Elevating his catalog of credits from extra work and a behind-the-scenes camera man, he is now making a name for himself on the small and silver screen alike.
I always knew there was a notable destiny wait-ing for me. When you’re young, there’s no way of realizing what’s in store for you… but I could feel there was some-thing special ahead.”
At the tender age of four, Giovanni relocated to
the States from Bogotá, Colombia with his grandmother and three older sisters. Settling into South Florida with his mother, who had moved a few years prior in search of a better life, the early days were far from easy.
“I lived in the projects and was fairly poor, depending on government assistance. Those experiences are always present in the back of my mind instilling motivation, because to succeed and get out of that situation, you have to work harder down a much longer road.”
Entering high school, Gio didn’t have one specific career goal in mind, until he took a TV Production course his sopho-more year.
“The class started out teaching us the secrets of reporting which sparked my interest. We then broke down stunts from the Beverly Hills Cop movies, and learned how it took at least two weeks to complete one car chase. I became fascinated by how the entire operation worked. My high school also offered a camera education course which I enrolled in, and from that point on there was no turning back.”
Retaining an adoration for baseball since his youth, Rodriguez had decided to transition his new found interest in television production to focus solely on sports broadcasting, however an acting class in college reshaped his plan.
“My attention was no longer engrossed in broadcasting after I discovered what it was like to be in front of the camera. My destiny questions from childhood were being answered, and I could finally see where I was supposed to go.”
Before his on-screen career gained momen-tum, Rodriguez secured a job as a camera utility for the Miami Heat, and has had a relationship with the franchise ever since.
“With my work title, it means I am directly involved with the Miami Heat as part of their regu-lar staff. When we won the final games in 2012 and 2013 I was part of the crew, and received NBA Championship rings as well.”
When Giovanni resolved to fully go after a career in acting, he quickly landed a baseball commercial, bringing his love of America’s pas-time full circle. This led to acquiring an agent, and soon after, his first television appearance on NBC’s Seaquest DSV. Gio began working consis-tently, landing bit parts and extra work in The Hunger Games, Miracles From Heaven, USA Net-work’s Burn Notice, and The Florida Project. It was in fact while employed behind the scenes on Burn Notice that Rodriguez made his stunt man debut, accepting an offer to learn combat train-ing on set, supervised by an expert coordinator.
Recently, Giovanni’s achievements have boosted his status to the next level. Depending on your preferences, last year you either saw Rodriguez in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, The Suicide Squad, Mayans M.C., or all three. Not many actors obtain the opportunity to have appeared in rival DC Extended Universe and Marvel Cinematic Universe movies simultaneously, but his talent allowed him to do so with ease. Portraying a tough guy across the board, Giovanni benefits from his appearance, embracing all qualities and dispositions.
“I don’t mind being typecast. Mayans M.C. was one show that I really admired and pursued, stemming from a long-standing love of Sons of Anarchy. I was super determined to be on that show… I don’t know if that particular casting was going to happen, but apparently my headshot was seen and on the radar of the casting director for
the spinoff series, Mayans. When the opportunity came around for the role of Jinx, I knew this was my
When he’s not trying to kill Harley Quinn or fight off the bad guys, Gio continues to utilize his camera skills around the globe, barely ever pausing.
“I probably travel eighty percent of the year. Life does get a little cumbersome at times, but I have such passion for the work and get to be involved with once in a lifetime events. Projects have led me
internationally to places such as Dubai, Germany, Paris, and not too long ago a job for the WWE took me to Saudi Arabia. My downtime is most often on the road, and I usually try to explore the city I’m in.”
In October of 2021, Giovanni added celebrity guest to his resumé, premiering his own booth at Spooky Empire, a bi-annual horror convention held in Orlando. Although he was featured for his portrayal in The Suicide Squad, fans of every role showed up for meet-and-greet photo opportunities and autographs.
The consummate professional, Giovanni thor-oughly immerses himself into each character.
“I like to be as prepared as possible arriving to set, so I can offer my best performance. Upon re-ceiving a script from my agent, I begin reading it over trying to find the emotion behind the words, in order to make them my own and act true to the part. Right before my scene, I will try to meditate and relax while still watching and observing how the other actors adjust and react to the process.”
Giovanni is currently filming the NBA finals in Boston, and echoes his grandmother’s mantra when relaying a few words of wisdom for someone starting out in this business.
“She told me to remain patient and have faith that your time will come. You have to truly love what you do, or somewhere along the line you’re just going to give up. The passion felt in the beginning has to persist enough to persevere through the obgarmstacles that will come, because the rejection can sometimes get overwhelming in this industry. But if you really have a true energy for this line of work, you will find your way, your niche… and in the end – find yourself.”
*** For direct booking information please contact Alexander White from the Alexander White Agency in Atlanta, Georgia.
