by Today I’m interviewing Freddy Moyano the narrator of my recent Audible release Kiss of Quicksilver; a short horror story.
Freddy Moyano is an actor, producer, and entrepreneur, known for his appearances in Chicago and Los Angeles, working in television shows and feature films. He is also known for his published audiobooks on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes in English and in Spanish. Freddy is a skilled translator and script writer/film producer.
***
Good day, Freddy, first off, I want to thank you so much for bringing your skills to Kiss of Quicksilver for me, you were a delight to work with and I was honored to have you as the narrator for my story.
Can you tell me a little bit about yourself, your background, where you were born? What in your childhood led you into acting?
I was born Alfredo Moyano-Barroso, in Madrid Spain. I grew up in the still-humble, working-class suburbs of Vallecas. I was —still am— the middle guy of three siblings, with hard working parents. Dad worked 3rd shift as an electrician at a factory for years. Mom quit working at a prestigious law firm to take care of us at home. I had a good education.
Action movies were among my favorites ones, even kung-fu craft… of course Rambo, Robocop, or Jean Claude Van Damme’s hit movies. Then there was Indiana Jones and James Bond movies, with drama and punch lines. I thought that was cool (mixing sense of humor with drama). Or even the Elm Street saga, which scared me at first. At the same time, I grew up listening to classics on cassette tapes such as Peter Pan, paying attention to the voice actors and how they made books come alive.
I was also gifted with languages (I speak 5), learning English quicker than the rest from K level. This led me learn about my ability to imitate accents, expressions, moves…. Acting. But I never said (until I reached my 30s) “I want to be an actor.” I had to reprogram my mind and start believing in my possibilities. But that took years and years of working office jobs. Somehow that wish of acting was deep in there, and slowly emerging.
Why do we call you Freddy, if your name is Alfredo?
I owe my Freddy nickname to Wes Craven’s Freddy Krueger, one of my favorite movie characters while growing up in Spain (1980s-1990s). And when I came to the US, I recall working at an insurance company and a coworker, Emma, started calling me Freddy. That was her dad’s name, and she did not know people (not everyone though) had occasionally called me Freddy back in Spain. Then everyone at work called me Freddy and the rest is history.
I see you won the Angel of WFAPA award, what is that and why where you awarded the honor?
How did you find out about that? Yes, I am proud to say that I won the Angel of WFAPA Award (www.wfapa.org) from the Wisconsin Foster and Adoptive Parent Association. I was awarded this honor for my contributions to a neat non-profit organization since I took over their website/social media needs in 2010.
Even though I was in charge of the IT aspect of things, I volunteered extra tasks to raise funds at some of their conference auctions on a few occasions. Basically, I was given a mic, came up with a few jokes/punch lines here and there more so to get the audience in the mood of bidding for a great cause, and at the end of the auction process we could not believe the good funds we raised. I am still part of the WFAPA board. I was a foster parent for 5 years.
I also love creating content. Few folks know I use my Instagram account @fredmoytalent to develop motivational content. I love giving back. Time and attention are your best tools to be able to give back, because it shows you care beyond any money you can afford giving.
Congratulations on the award and thank you for all that you do in that area, having been a foster child myself, that means a lot to me.
What are your favorite roles to play in the movies and why?
My favorite roles to play are villains, cops, fatherly figures, and characters suffering from addiction. One of my favorite roles was the Mexican Urban Cowboy I played in a short called Milkshake. Nasty character, looking for a fight. At times, I’ve enjoyed playing folks I don’t want my 4 beautiful children to become.
I also enjoyed working with Colin Farrell in the movie Widows, releasing this Fall. I was a background actor close-by at a day long funeral scene shoot. During breaks, Colin would step aside from the main group and rehearse out loud his 5 or 6 lines. I could tell he cared about his craft as if it was his first time acting. I like to surround myself with people who care about their craft like it’s their last breath. Most people pick up on that at the movie theater.
By the way, there is a movie coming out in a few months -When God Wasn’t Looking (2019)- wherein I play a bipolar type character with great elements of comedy infused in the role. Watch out for it!
Fantastic! Well, I see that your youthful fascination with Freddy Krueger, and perhaps other horror movies, may have led you to my story, Kiss of Quicksilver, and your interest in characters suffering from addiction perhaps assisted you in relaying the insanity that grew in the mind of the point of view character – do you believe that is true?
No doubt, Dona. And let me tell you I used to translate plenty of medical reports in the past, some of them with heartbreaking stories, and many pointing to recovery from borderline conditions having to do with desperation, insanity.
I also remember reading Viktor Frankl’s “Life’s Search for Meaning” years ago and that changed my perspective as he described how the thinnest/weakest prisoners in the late 1930s Germany camps did survive beyond expectation due to the meaning they “attached” to their lives. Even nearing the top of extreme anguish, if someone was able to find meaning tied up to something or someone, they would carry on in search of that meaning beyond the biggest obstacles.
The two main characters in Kiss of Quicksilver, in spite of what they go through and insanity kicking in, still have goals or a meaningful perseverant way to try to get to their goals. That sank into me.
Thank you for those insights and all that you brought to the narration of Kiss of Quicksilver, and thank you for your time in talking to me today.
***
To purchase Kiss of Quicksilver: a short horror story, narrated by Freddy Moyano, go to the links below. Please leave a review as a guide to potential listeners who may follow you. Thank you.
To follow Freddy Moyano, go to https://www.facebook.com/thefreddymoyano/