Kristyan Ferrer
Encyclopedia
Kristyan Ferrer is a Mexican child actor in various roles since 2001. He played the role of El Smiley in the award winning film Sin Nombre
directed by US director Cary Joji Fukunaga
.
playing many roles, most notably Lo que callamos las mujeres, in Puro loco, Qué buena onda, Ya cayó and in the telefilm Milagros, the latter in the lead role. He has also done several television commercials in Mexico and the United States
.
He has also performed in stage plays, such as Beto al Rescate del Tiempo (in the title role of Beto) and appears in Nick Lyon
’s Species: The Awakening (2007) as a Mexican boy. He is scheduled to appear in Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur
's upcoming film Inhale.
Recently Kristyan Ferrer appeared in Luis Estrada's film "El Infierno" (2010) as "El Sobrino" or "El Diablito".
, where he plays the role of El Smiley, a young adolescent introduced into the Mara Salvatrucha
gang by El Casper (played by Edgar Flores
). Having witnessed the murder of gang leader Lil' Mago (played by Tenoch Huerta Mejía
) in the hands of his friend El Casper, he requests the brutal task of murdering El Casper in revenge.
Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert noted on the role played by Ferrer: "Smiley, so young, with a winning smile, is perhaps the most frightening character, because he demonstrates how powerful an effect, even hypnotic, gang culture can have on unshielded kids.". The Daily Californian on the other hand says "Kristyan Ferrer as little Smiley, a new gang member, is adorable and devastating. His character illuminates a plain truth: Even younger generations will not be unscathed by violence."
Interviewed about his role, Ferrer says: "To play Smiley, I had to learn some of the signs, [jomi] of the Mara Salvatrucha, and how they speak and move and walk. Cary Joji Fukunaga helped with all that, because he did more research than I did – he visited the Mara. He told us about their tattoos and had us watch a documentary about the Mara... To perpetuate the Mara, children are important. Smiley thinks that by entering the Mara he’ll be able to do what he pleases. He is a young boy who wants to seem older. Smiley is a regular kid, and you don’t believe that he will do what he does. But he will, he has to, to survive – like anyone in the Mara... My most difficult scene was when Smiley has to cry; he’s sad because he’s been hit and kicked, but he’s happy because he belongs to the Mara. So he’s feeling pain and happiness at the same time. Cary helped me make the character real and to control my emotions while performing. Playing Smiley, I had to become aggressive; he was another part of me that I thought didn’t exist."
Sin Nombre (2009 film)
Sin Nombre is an American and Mexican film written and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga.Filmed in Spanish, the film's name means "Nameless"...
directed by US director Cary Joji Fukunaga
Cary Joji Fukunaga
Cary Joji Fukunaga is an American film director, writer and cinematographer.-Early life:Fukunaga was born in Oakland, California, has lived in various places such as France and Japan, and now he resides in New York City. His father is Japanese and his mother is Swedish...
.
Early life and career
Ferrer has studied acting, song, dance, and guitar and worked under contract with TV AztecaTV Azteca
Azteca, is the second largest Mexican television entertainment. It was established in 1983 as the state-owned Instituto Mexicano de la Televisión , a holding of the national TV networks channel 13 and 7 and was privatized under its current name in 1993 and now is part of Grupo Salinas...
playing many roles, most notably Lo que callamos las mujeres, in Puro loco, Qué buena onda, Ya cayó and in the telefilm Milagros, the latter in the lead role. He has also done several television commercials in Mexico and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
He has also performed in stage plays, such as Beto al Rescate del Tiempo (in the title role of Beto) and appears in Nick Lyon
Nick Lyon
Nick Lyon is a Los Angeles-based director and writer. A native of Portland, Oregon, he spent 9 years in Germany where he attended the renowned Film Academy Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg, Germany....
’s Species: The Awakening (2007) as a Mexican boy. He is scheduled to appear in Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur
Baltasar Kormákur
Baltasar Kormákur is an Icelandic actor, theater and film director, and film producer. He is best known for directing the films 101 Reykjavík, Hafið, A Little Trip to Heaven , and a film based on the book Mýrin by Arnaldur Indriðason...
's upcoming film Inhale.
Recently Kristyan Ferrer appeared in Luis Estrada's film "El Infierno" (2010) as "El Sobrino" or "El Diablito".
Role in Sin Nombre
In 2009, he landed a major role in Cary Joji Fukunaga's 2009 movie Sin NombreSin Nombre (2009 film)
Sin Nombre is an American and Mexican film written and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga.Filmed in Spanish, the film's name means "Nameless"...
, where he plays the role of El Smiley, a young adolescent introduced into the Mara Salvatrucha
Mara Salvatrucha
Mara Salvatrucha is a transnational criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles and has spread to other parts of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America. The majority of the gang is ethnically composed of Central Americans and active in urban and suburban areas...
gang by El Casper (played by Edgar Flores
Edgar Flores
Edgar Flores is a Honduran actor born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.He starred in the Cary Joji Fukunaga movie Sin Nombre in the role of Willy, nicknamed El Casper, a Mara Salvatrucha gang member in Chiapas, Mexico....
). Having witnessed the murder of gang leader Lil' Mago (played by Tenoch Huerta Mejía
Tenoch Huerta Mejía
Tenoch Huerta Mejía, sometimes just Tenoch Huerta is a Mexican actor born in Mexico City. He has appeared in a number of movies in Latin America and in Spain starring in both feature films and short films...
) in the hands of his friend El Casper, he requests the brutal task of murdering El Casper in revenge.
Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert noted on the role played by Ferrer: "Smiley, so young, with a winning smile, is perhaps the most frightening character, because he demonstrates how powerful an effect, even hypnotic, gang culture can have on unshielded kids.". The Daily Californian on the other hand says "Kristyan Ferrer as little Smiley, a new gang member, is adorable and devastating. His character illuminates a plain truth: Even younger generations will not be unscathed by violence."
Interviewed about his role, Ferrer says: "To play Smiley, I had to learn some of the signs, [jomi] of the Mara Salvatrucha, and how they speak and move and walk. Cary Joji Fukunaga helped with all that, because he did more research than I did – he visited the Mara. He told us about their tattoos and had us watch a documentary about the Mara... To perpetuate the Mara, children are important. Smiley thinks that by entering the Mara he’ll be able to do what he pleases. He is a young boy who wants to seem older. Smiley is a regular kid, and you don’t believe that he will do what he does. But he will, he has to, to survive – like anyone in the Mara... My most difficult scene was when Smiley has to cry; he’s sad because he’s been hit and kicked, but he’s happy because he belongs to the Mara. So he’s feeling pain and happiness at the same time. Cary helped me make the character real and to control my emotions while performing. Playing Smiley, I had to become aggressive; he was another part of me that I thought didn’t exist."