El Rey Network 'From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series' Season 2 Cast: Wilmer Valderrama Details Journey From 'That '70s Show' to New TV Show
Actor Wilmer Valderrama has been hooked on acting ever since his days as Fez on "That '70s Show."
Valderrama played Fez, a foreign exchange student from an unidentified country, on the hit Fox comedy from 1998-2006. According to Fox News Latino, once Valderrama got his first laugh as Fez, things changed.
"I got addicted," he told the website.
In 2006, according to IMDb, Valderrama was cast as the lead voice actor in "Handy Manny," a Disney Channel cartoon.
"['Handy Manny'] was the biggest preschool show for Disney -- the first bilingual character on that stage," Valderrama said. "It was a beautiful tribute to the community."
That was not enough for the Latino actor, who according to EFE spent part of his childhood in Venezuela with his Venezuelan father and Colombian mother and moved to Los Angeles at 13.
"I was ambitious," he said.
He turned to Desi Arnaz, a musician and comedian form Cuba, and Robert Rodriguez, a Mexican-American director, for advice.
When "That '70s Show" ended, Valderrama launched his WV Enterprises production company and created the MTV Show "Yo Momma."
"It was like '8 Miles' but with some 'yo' momma' jokes," Valderrama explained. "... We brought some crazy diversity to MTV [at the time]. We had everything -- it was like the U.N. bonded behind comedy."
After taking a break to enjoy a "fantastic journey" behind the scenes, the now 34-year-old returned to acting with "From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series," following a request by director Rodriguez. El Rey Network has renewed the show for a second season.
"It's kicking ass worldwide," Valderrama said. "We have our own Halloween Horror Night at Universal Studios. It shows that pop culture paid attention."
Valderrama has another passion besides acting, however: political activism. He is currently working with Voto Latino, a nonpartisan group "that empowers Latino Millennials to claim a better future for themselves and their community" according to its official website, to encourage Latinos to register to vote.
"My work as an activist has been the most rewarding job I've ever had," he said. "... I have a great deal of passion for what I do."
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.
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