Meet Amelia Rico: Actor/Filmmaker/Director/Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amelia Rico and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amelia, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Ever since I was a child, I knew I wanted to be an actor. I never entertained any other career choice at all. I had no back up plan. This was what I was going to do and that was the end of that conversation. After high school, I moved to Houston to study acting at The University of Houston and quickly discovered that nobody was going to hand me an acting career. As a BIPOC woman, there were simply no parts for me. At school, despite paying for an education in acting, I was ignored and even denied auditions. In the Houston theatre and indie film scene I would get directors stopping me to tell me how great I was and I thought at first that this meant I would get cast, but after a while realized it was their way of letting me down easy because they knew they would never cast a BIPOC woman in whatever role I was auditioning for. No. If I wanted to be an actor, I would have to do it myself. So my husband and I created Ricornel Productions. At first we made short films starring me, got myself some reel footage and built up our hands on experience. Now we create films, promos and demo reels for actors and theaters all around Houston. Many of the actors we have helped have been fellow BIPOC women who have gone on to get an agent and even book commercials and TV shows.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a Filmmaker and Director, I pride myself in creating countless opportunities for BIPOC talent. My films and plays are all cast without regard to sex or race whenever possible. I simply cast the best actor for the role. While rehearsing a Woody Allen play I directed, one of the white actors I had cast looked around and said, “You sure cast a lot of Latinos”. The majority of the cast was white, but I had cast 5 BIPOC actors. This being one of my very first directing jobs outside my own company, I had no response. How do you respond to that? Has he ever looked around at the many all white casts and commented about the utter lack of diversity? Doubtful. But these sort of offhand “lowkey” racist comments only made me want to work harder to make diverse casts an ordinary and everyday occurrence. Unfortunately, Houston theater wasn’t ready in 2012 and I didn’t direct another adult play for 8 years. Then 2020 came and Houston theater not only had to digitize in order to reach their audience, they also came under severe scrutiny for their lack of diversity on the stage. Every major theater was called out and challenged. And here I was with a very specific skill set. As a theatrically trained Filmmaker who had been both casting diverse actors and filming theater promos and archives for years, I ended the year with so many projects on my plate that I hardly had time to come up for air. I began the year losing all my jobs with no hope that any would return, then in July, the offers started rolling in. In September I traveled to NOLA to film for the upcoming Blumhouse film, Madres, set to release later this year, while simultaneously Zoom directing Oh My God by Israeli playwright Anat Gov for Mildred’s Umbrella and Evelyn Rubenstein’s Jewish Community Center of Houston. In October, The Ensemble Theatre hired us to digitally capture 2 new productions and I narrated a reading of Indigenous pilot, River People, for The First Fifteen, a community that helps to showcase and elevate BIPOC writers every Sunday. In November, I directed and produced a short film called Postal for local Actor/Writer, Edward Else along with our very first music video for Hannah Herrera’s soon to be released hit single, Fall Apart. In December I began working on my Main Street Theater directorial debut, the initial digital premiere of Caridad Svich’s The Book of Magdalene, which I am currently getting ready to release on February 11th. Now, in January, I’ve began the year with another booking for a new hit show, which will likely release some time in March. What I am most proud of, though, is the opportunities I have created. The headshots and self tapes I received from countless BIPOC actors that have been saved for another day, not only by me, but by other directors and theaters. I look forward to the day when the diversity of my casts will be commonplace and unremarkable.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Houston is so rich with culture and diversity, there’s just no end to what we could do and largely depends on the side of town we plan to be at. I am a BIG foodie and love discovering new hidden gems so I certainly have a huge list of eateries unlikely to fit in 1 week! In Southeast Houston we could have lunch at Rey Del Pollo and, depending on the day, head over to Teatro Bilingue de Houston or an East End street festival to view some Latinx visual and performing arts. I’m always up for driving around to view all the beautiful murals in that area as well, stopping at Discovery Green for one of their many events, including festivals, concerts and markets. I’d also take them for a late breakfast or early lunch at the very well hidden Tejas Taco, which is well worth the half hour drive from my house. I’m from San Antonio so I’m very particular about my Tex-Mex and Tejas Tacos just nails it every time. And around the corner is the International District with one of my favorites in that area, Nu Café, where we could share a mountain of fresh snowflake ice with a side of mochi and fruit. If they’re visiting in February, the Chinese Community Center’s Lunar New Year celebration is always a blast and features many diverse acts throughout the day. If not, we could never go wrong visiting some of the knick knack stores on Bellaire and Harwin. There’s also Ranosh Café, Ahi Poke, Fusion Taco, Pondicheri Café and too many other eateries to name. For entertainment, there is always something great being produced if you know where to look. Jennifer Decker’s female centered theater, Mildred’s Umbrella, would be a great stop for a captivating and awe inspiring show. If we can get tickets, we can’t go wrong with a hilariously heartfelt show at The Ensemble Theater that sells out nearly every weekend. And, to round us off, head to Main Street Theater in Rice Village for something intimate and engaging. We could spend hours at a Half-Price book store or walking off some of the many meals we’d be enjoying at the Houston Audubon, Nature Discovery Center or many Farmer’s Markets around town. And, of course, there’s the quintessential Space Center Houston, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Museum of Natural Science and Children’s Museum for the little ones. I absolutely love this city.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
None of my accomplishments would have been possible without the unwavering faith and support of my husband and life partner of 22 years, Art Ornelas. He suggested that we begin creating our own content. He picked up the camera and taught himself how to use it. He has spent countless hours learning, reviewing and building up our cache of equipment. He takes the helm at home when I’m called to film out of town. When I get complacent or lose faith, he pushes me to keep going, to reach higher and to succeed.

Website: www.ameliarico.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amelia_rico_films
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amelia-rico-76698057
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amelia_rico
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amelia.rico.films
Youtube: www.youtube.com/ricornelproductions

Image Credits
Jessica Law-Davis Art Ornelas Amelia Rico