THE POWER OF CONNECTION

THE POWER OF CONNECTION
'Ryan Guzman on Heritage, Hollywood and Greatness'
Exclusive Interview with Ryan Guzman
Featured in 'Innerviews'
Hosted by Allié McGuire

​Connection runs like a thread through Ryan Guzman’s story—whether navigating his Mexican American heritage, building community on and off set, or stepping into the role of Eddie Diaz on ABC’s drama series 9-1-1 with empathy and authenticity. In our conversation, my questions opened the door to reflections on identity, resilience, and legacy, and his responses revealed a man shaped as much by family and culture as by fame. What emerged was not just an interview, but an invitation to see greatness not in spotlight or status, but in the connections we hold and the love we share.

ALLIÉ: Let's flip back to your beginning—for you growing up in Texas and then in Sacramento. What role did your heritage play in shaping your sense of self, and how does it continue to guide you in Hollywood?

RYAN: Oh man, that is a very in-depth question. It entails so much. Yeah. So, I mean, I was born on an Air Force Base in Texas. It was Dyess Air Force Base and I moved to Sacramento when I was, I think, two-and-a-half, three. ​So, I don’t know too much about Texas, but I do know that’s my origin. Sacramento was home for me, though, for the longest time.

And growing up Mexican American, my cultures coincided in a very interesting way. I think a lot of people that are biracial actually can connect to this. It’s very hard figuring out what your identity is. You know, you’re either too white to be Mexican, too Mexican to be white type deal. Especially since I was raised in a family that’s first generation in America. So they wanted to assimilate. A lot of my family members would push the narrative that we need to speak English and no Spanish. So a lot of us didn’t learn Spanish. And knowing that in the Chicano culture and the Mexican culture—if you don’t speak Spanish, it’s almost like you’re less Mexican too, which I’m not for, because I feel the culture is the culture.

But I found it very tough navigating for the longest time. I don’t know if I really had a true sense of identity until later in my later years. And this is more recent than not. But one thing I always held true was that I was very, very, very proud to be Mexican American. There’s such a richness in our culture, and it does stem from family—that family dynamic, that big family that we are, like I was raised in. I mean, my cousins were my brothers and sisters as well.

I hold that dear to me because the gatherings that we had—whether it would be a wedding or quinceañera or whatever type of event—I felt just an abundance of love. And I felt like you felt the love through the food, you felt the love through the music, you felt the love through just intermingling and connecting truly. So that’s what I really take with me on my day-to-day basis. And I’ve kind of created that out in LA. My family, whether they’re blood or not—I keep an open-door policy. It’s just like, you know, this is part of my culture. Let me cook for you, let me invite you over. At any point in time, please come over. Let’s enjoy each other. That’s what I’ve resonated with and kept throughout the entirety of my career and adulthood.​

​ALLIÉ: Yeah. And I love that. It just goes back to family, that connection. And I hear you—being mixed, right? For me it was: wasn’t Black enough, wasn’t white enough. Like, I’m just kind of me. But no less.

RYAN: Right, yes, absolutely. I mean, I feel like there shouldn’t be so much judgment, and I feel like a lot of it is put on by our own cultures, to be honest, which is sad to see. But at the same time, I think there is a new element for biracial individuals to step into and claim as their own—that we are significantly part of both.

And I love representing that. I love being a kind of hodgepodge of humanity and allowing that to be an invite for those that are maybe having a tough time figuring out who they are—to just accept themselves for everything. Not what they’re not, but everything they are.

ALLIÉ: I love that so much. So let’s talk more about you and who you are. Because you’ve been in the Octagon, you’ve been on the mound, and now on the screen. Each path, I would imagine, required grit in very different forms. So, Ryan, question now is: how did those earlier chapters of you—as an athlete, as a fighter—prepare you for the resilience that’s demanded in acting? I’d love to hear a couple of stories, a couple of examples.

​RYAN: Oh man, thank you for that question. Baseball was my life for the longest time—as well as soccer was—but baseball really hit because I was a left-hand pitcher, and that just happens to be where. And I had been doing really, really good. I was recently reminded by my father of how good I had done coming out of high school.

What it gave me was, yeah, a sense of grit, and also a sense of being a teammate—knowing that there’s a goal beyond the individual. Working as such allowed me to really want that in my day-to-day life. And being an actor, that’s not really present—but when you’re on set, it is. So you’re with the crew and you’re with the cast, and now you become the team again. Our overall goal is not just to win a game, but to create the most authentic thing we can, or create the most provocative thing we can, to really capture the audience’s attention. And I love that about baseball.

And also, since I was a pitcher, it was: you’re out there on your own. You’re literally on that island. Everything is dictated by what you throw or what you don’t throw. It’s really up to you how the game goes. You’re giving the opportunity now to the batter to hit it to all your infielders, outfielders, and hopefully we’ve all done our job. But the amount of pressure with that spotlight on me, I think also trained me to be in front of the camera.

​RYAN: ​Now, when it comes to fighting in MMA—that is something that is… I mean, I’ve taken Bruce Lee’s words with me throughout the entirety of my life. His teachings, his philosophy. I’ve always found fighting to be more philosophical than it is actually a violent practice.

It is understanding oneself in the most extreme conditions and finding calm within chaotic moments. And that to me has helped me throughout my acting, and as well as these types of interactions where it can be very overwhelming to share your thoughts and your feelings with a person, let alone hundreds of thousands of people that might see you.

There is a level of chaos that goes on in your own head and heart. You have to calm that down, understand it, and sit with it. And I learned that through fighting.

ALLIÉ: So many lessons in so many different ways. Let’s talk about roles—one specifically. Your role as Eddie Diaz resonated so deeply with so many, especially with Latino audiences who see themselves represented on screen. Question for you here: what has playing Eddie taught you, not just as an actor, but as a father, a son, as a man?

​RYAN: I’ve been on a parallel with Eddie, I mean, for eight seasons straight. It’s been so strange. I’ve had so many moments with Eddie that I later on have as Ryan, and I don’t know how that works. I don’t know if it’s just divine intervention or because all of this kind of felt like some kind of gift from God. Even receiving the call and saying, “Hey, you got a straight offer for 9-1-1,” which never happens in our industry. So it’s always been kind of a blessing.

Being a father on screen months prior to being an actual father was kind of the ultimate training. It was an opportunity to really see and really dive into empathetically what it could feel like to be a father and the responsibilities that come with it.

I had this moment—and I can still remember it to this day—where I’m walking Christopher, or Eddie’s walking Christopher, to school. And I just had such a grandiose feeling of, like, one day this is going to be me with my own son. And it just felt so warm. All the worries and fear of not knowing even how to be a father—because I don’t know how to take care of myself yet, really, I feel. Like, what is life? Who am I? All that kind of went away.

And it was just like—again, God kind of came, grabbed my shoulder, and said, “You got this. This is going to be good for you.” And that’s what I felt. So in so many ways, Eddie has shown me, or given me opportunities to really try new things out and understand more things about myself. Even being, you know, now a single father—it’s just like, how does that work prior to knowing?

I’ve had moments, you know, with Eddie dating and trying to figure out where he’s trying to go with his life. I’ve had moments where it’s just like, this came straight from set. I remember specifically right after my divorce, I wanted to take time for myself to really understand. And I was in a very hurt place, but I had women trying to talk to me. And at that moment, I literally said a line from 9-1-1. And I didn’t mean to!

And it was just like, “Hey, you know, right now I don’t think I’m for you. I need to tap into me right now. Thank you, I’m very flattered.” But I stepped back and I was like, did that really just happen? Wait a second. This is so odd—art imitating life and vice versa. So yes, Eddie has been such a great conduit to life for me. And I’ve been able to just maneuver life a little bit easier with knowing that I have Eddie at my beck and call every season.

​ALLIÉ: Amazing. Yes. Life and art and art and life and what? So, I know for me, there have been moments where the work I’m doing suddenly feels bigger than me. Have you had a moment like that in your career, when you realized that it wasn’t just about you anymore?

RYAN: I think this role is that. I think there’s something much greater at play. And that actually takes—well, I’ll be the first to admit it. When I was a young actor, I feel like I had an ego, where I put myself in a place of importance towards the role, as if it was all me. I’ve come with age to realize that it’s so much grander than that, so much bigger than that.

What this role, specifically Eddie, has offered—to my family, my kids, myself, to those that watch the show that have come up to me and told me their feelings and their thoughts about the character—it’s so much greater than I could have imagined.

And again, I think it really comes back down to connectivity. That’s what I’m really inspired about. I really think that in this day and age, there’s so much polarization. And I’m not against polarizing ideas, because they can stimulate great conversation. But I think it’s also putting everybody in certain boxes and not allowing individuals to really have healthy conversations.

Inclusivity to me is everything. But we can’t get to inclusivity until we really empathize for each other and allow each other to see we’re all just human beings trying to figure it out. And I think that’s what Eddie is. Eddie has come from a depressive state. Now he’s in a moment of self-love. And I love seeing the dichotomy of his arc and really allowing others to follow that and join him. It’s almost encouraging in a way.

So I’m, you know, I’m like the audience itself. I’m like, “OK, Eddie, here we go.”

​ALLIÉ: I love that—the actor and the audience at the same time. To be able to live vicariously through this character while living your own truths at the same time. So one last thing for you, my friend. When I think about greatness, I don’t see it as fame or spotlight. It’s more about the legacy that we leave behind. So for you, Ryan, what does greatness look like to you?

RYAN: I think greatness is connected to community. I think that the interconnectivity between individuals to make the community a whole community—you know, because I feel like it doesn’t take too much. It doesn’t take 100,000 people. I think if we could just have communities interconnecting in a very healthy and loving connection, then that instills greatness.

But I think the idea of greatness being tied to one individual—other than, you know, God—but one individual human being, I think that needs to be dispelled. Greatness should come from all. And I don’t think we get there without, again, empathizing for each other and creating a deeper sense of connection and a non-judgmental viewpoint on each other.

So greatness, to me, is tied to openness and love. ∎

Find & follow Ryan on Instagram:
​@ryanaguzman