Cedillo is an eye-smiler. When he’s delighted with something (and he frequently is – his sense of humor is both witty and mischievous), his eyes crinkle up, his smile widens even more, and a laugh booms out. That kind of humor is charmingly infectious.  

photo credit: OMG PhotoStuff

Conversations with Cedillo range far and wide over a variety of topics. He’s a natural-born storyteller and debater. In our conversations, we’ve talked about politics, acting, history, politics, childrearing, philosophy, and did I mention politics? And we’ve talked photography. For while Cedillo has carved out an accomplished and well-respected career as a character actor in television and films, it is his photography that keeps him grounded.  

Especially now that the global pandemic has made his day job even more difficult than it already is.  

Cedillo was born in Durango, Mexico. His family moved to the United States, settling in Fort Worth when he was four. The family home was in the Diamond Hill neighborhood on the north side of town. “I grew up in Fort Worth, but I spent summers with my aunts and uncles and family in Mexico,” Cedillo said. “I’m a Mexican, and I’m proud of it, but I’m also a Texan, and let’s face it, there’s something about being a Texan.”  

Cedillo was fascinated by actors and acting from an early age. He mimicked the voices of the actors in classic movies he saw on television, unconsciously learning English phonetically as he did so. His love of the theater continued through high school, even though he attended the science/engineering program at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.  

When asked why he didn’t attend Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School, Cedillo’s face darkens a little. “I went to Meacham Middle School,” he said. “There was a lot of gang activity at that time; it was a rough place. When I was in seventh grade, I was in the cafeteria, and I saw the vice-principal get stabbed. My family and I decided I needed to get out of there, so I took the exam for Dunbar.”  

Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, 2017
photo credit: Julio César Cedillo

Cedillo was originally slated to be part of the television and film magnet program with a focus on animation at Dunbar High. “I really loved to draw,” Cedillo says with a rueful smile. “But right before I went, they dropped the program. But I was already in, so I just stayed. I was this theater kid pretending to be an engineer among real scientists and engineers.”  

It was in high school that Cedillo really learned about acting. He was an enthusiastic member of the apprentice program at Casa Mañana and performing seemed to fit him to a tee. After graduating from Dunbar, Cedillo headed across the Metroplex to attend the KD Studio Actors Conservatory in Dallas.  

Cedillo said, “A lot of people ask me for acting advice. I think that [instead of going to an acting school] it’s better to go get an acting coach. It’s better to go take acting workshops. Most theaters do summer workshops and camps – take them, use them to find out if it’s for you. 

“When I went [to KD Studio], I was crazy. I was hardcore. I was not an easy person to deal with because I wanted to be the greatest actor in the world. Looking back, I wish I had given myself a break.”  

But that intensity must have worked. Mari Lyn Henry, a casting agent for ABC, saw some of Cedillo’s work from KD Studio and invited him to attend an acting workshop in New York City. Thinking he had made it, Cedillo headed up to the Big Apple.  

photo credit: OMG PhotoStuff

New York wasn’t exactly welcoming to a kid from Fort Worth. After kicking around for a couple of years, auditioning for everything he could, Cedillo decided to return home. It was when he came back to Fort Worth that his career as an actor really started.  

While filming commercials for both the Spanish and English television markets in Texas, Cedillo was cast in the made-for-television movie Finding the Way Home. While possibly not the biggest television event of 1991, Cedillo got to work with both George C. Scott and Héctor Elizondo. Cedillo laughs, “After all that work in school, I got to be schooled in acting by George C. Scott! 

“I learned that you do your best work when you’re relaxed. I learned that you do your best work when you don’t overthink it. I learned that you do your best work when you don’t DO anything, when you’re just present.”  

This philosophy of being present, of being relaxed has obviously served Cedillo well. A glance at his page on IMDB.com reveals an incredible range of roles over the past 30 years, from television to film. One of his first jobs was as a regular on the 1990s children’s hit Wishbone. He has worked with Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig (Cowboys & Aliens), Tommy Lee Jones (as the title character in Jones’ feature film directorial debut, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada), Benecio del Toro (Sicario), and Diego Luna (Narcos: Mexico). He is a series regular on the CBS All Access series Coyote, starring Michael Chiklis.  

Sam Rockwell, Cowboys and Aliens, 2010
photo credit: Julio César Cedillo

And it was on these sets that he started to learn more about his true love, photography.  

When Cedillo starts to talk about photography, his smile gets wider and wider, and his eyes almost disappear, he’s smiling so hard. He also admits that he gets “real nerdy, real quick” when talking about it. He can’t seem to help himself; he is head-over-heels in love with the art form.  

“It’s all about light,” Cedillo declared. “It’s about manipulating the light to get the best image you can and tell the best story you can.” On a film set, most actors, unless they are the lead and are in every shot, have a lot of time on their hands between takes. Many actors take pictures as a way to document their work or as a way to simply pass the time. It was on the set of Problem Child that Cedillo first became aware of this phenomenon.  

“I was an extra on Problem Child… and Michelle Richards, another extra, asked me, ‘Why aren’t you taking pictures?’ I told her I didn’t want to overstep my bounds, that walking around the set with a camera seemed almost narcissistic, but she said told me, ‘Those pictures aren’t for you… they’re for your legacy… for your children.” The thought of leaving a legacy for his three children made Cedillo stop and think.  

Cedillo started watching the crew while on set. During the filming of The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, he watched cinematographer Chris Menges set up shots using light to compose the image. The Academy Award-winner explained how to see the effects of light on a subject. 

Chris Menges, October 2004
photo credit: Julio César Cedillo

“Chris told me to hold up my hand,” said Cedillo. “Make a fist. Spin around 360 degrees in a circle and watch how the light makes shadows. Pay attention to what part of your fist is highlighted and what isn’t.”  

And thus, a self-proclaimed “light nerd” was born.  

Cedillo’s photographs are beautifully composed. While his approach to his subjects is loose and at times spontaneous, his images are striking and linger in the mind’s eye. It is his almost obsessive attention to light and shadow that elevates his photographs from simply documenting his experiences on set and on the street to art.  

Although he loves nothing more than poking around behind the scenes with a camera, Cedillo is adamant that his first priority on set is doing the job they hired him to do. “I’m not there to be a photographer. I’m an actor. I do my job first, and then I pull out the camera.” By the time he starts photographing his fellow actors and the crew, he’s demonstrated his work ethic. The cast and crew know him. He’s one of them. And they’re flattered that he wants to document them.  

So impressive are his photographs that Cedillo’s co-stars regularly ask him to photograph them. He photographed the stars of Cowboys & Aliens in the tent that served as a green room. Eva Longoria, who worked with Cedillo in 2014’s Frontera, was so taken with his photos that she asked him to be the set photographer for her short film, Out of the Blue, filmed for Ron Howard’s and Canon USA’s Project Imaginat10n.  

It is Cedillo’s fascination with people and their stories that informs both his acting and his photography. While our conversations are delightfully discursive and full of laugher, he is profoundly uncomfortable talking about himself. When asked a direct question, he’ll answer it willingly enough, but he quickly segues into a story. Maybe it’s about the time he was flying with Harrison Ford and Walton Goggins in Ford’s helicopter (he jokingly offered his gas card when an alarm went off during the flight – it turns out Ford was flying a little too low). Or perhaps he will talk about working with a young Wes Anderson, as well as Luke and Owen Wilson, on the set of Anderson’s feature-length directorial debut, Bottle Rocket (it seems Mr. Anderson’s cinematic vision wasn’t always so recognizable). The storyteller isn’t comfortable in the spotlight.  

photo credit: OMG PhotoStuff

When Cedillo met the photographer Carolyn Morris to take the pictures for this article, he quite literally couldn’t contain his enthusiasm. He had earlier suggested that Vortex, Richard Serra’s 67-foot-tall steel sculpture that sits outside of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, would be a fun background to use. “The light inside is incredible!” he kept repeating. He brought out his cameras, and he and Morris compared techniques and experiences. The two spent time hunting out interesting shadows and angles while Cedillo discoursed on his favorite photographers. It was obvious that he would have preferred to be behind the camera, although he made sure that Morris always got the shot.  

Perhaps it is this discomfort with the spotlight, as well as the love of a good story, that makes Cedillo such a good character actor and such a good photographer. He is on the set to do a job, which is to facilitate the telling of a story. His characters might not be the lead, but they are essential to the story.  

His photographs serve to tell the subjects’ stories. In fact, his photos have a rather cinematic quality about them. They are out of time, without location. They could have been taken in Mexico or Texas or Los Angeles, in 1911 or 1961 or 2021. They work on the viewer’s imagination, which is exactly what Cedillo wants. 

Rene Ochoa Rodeo Clown, November 2015
photo credit: Julio César Cedillo

“I don’t like to label my photographs,” Cedillo claimed. “I don’t want to fill in the blanks for the viewer. Sure, I could tell you the story of how and where I took the photograph, but I don’t want to fill in the blanks.”  

Perhaps it is the fact that Cedillo grew up “neither here nor there” that makes his photos and his acting so resonant. “When I was in Mexico visiting relatives, I wasn’t Mexican enough. I was too American. When I was in Texas, I was too Mexican.” He was an artist in a science and engineering magnet school. He was a scrappy kid from Diamond Hill busting his hump to find work in New York City.  

He was an outsider.  

Outsiders are wary. Outsiders watch. More than watch, they observe. They find ways to survive and thrive in what are sometimes hostile circumstances. They become adept at camouflage, to the point that they can blend in with the crowd. But above all, outsiders survive.  

Cedillo is a survivor. After working steadily for 30 years in what is an extraordinarily cutthroat business, he has learned to trust his instincts, honed by his experiences, to tell his character’s story in the service of the film. “Each film has its own tonality,” Cedillo said. “Every character has its own shades of color.”  

photo credit: OMG PhotoStuff

Walking out of the interview, Cedillo was stopped by a waiter. (Our conversation took place on a restaurant’s patio, socially distanced.) The waiter, a young Hispanic man, shyly asked if Cedillo was the person who played Calderoni on Narcos: Mexico. “You’re that guy, right?” Cedillo admitted that he was, and the two talked excitedly for a few minutes, finishing the conversation with a couple of selfies.  

As we left, Cedillo couldn’t stop smiling. “That’s why I do this,” he beamed. “That’s what it’s all about.”  

The post The Magic of Storytelling: Julio César Cedillo in Front of and Behind the Camera first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

The coronavirus is taking lives. It’s taking jobs. It’s taking the world as we know it and flipping it on its head. It’s sending some people into a hoarding frenzy and sending others into a black depression. It’s taking people’s jobs and sending healthcare workers onto the front lines of a battlefield without the proper equipment.

For me, it shut down my photography business. Getting used to having no real work right now has been a shock to my system. I quickly learned that a photographer is not essential. I know that being nonessential means that I’m one of the lucky ones. I don’t have to put my life and the lives of my loved ones on the line, and trust me, I am grateful for that. But I’m not going to lie – the realization that I’m “nonessential” was a punch in the gut.

Accepting the fact that the business I busted my behind to build is now shut down has been a difficult pill to swallow. I poured my heart and soul into building relationships with my customers. To sit helplessly and watch it all come to a screeching halt has been surreal and painful. In all my sudden spare time, I can’t help but wonder how life will be when things get back to “normal.” Will life ever be normal again? And when? How long is this really going to go on? There are so many questions that are going unanswered right now.

At first, I did what I felt like I needed to do: I let myself mourn. I let myself mourn for my business. I let myself mourn for all the people getting sick with this horrible virus. I let myself mourn for the healthcare workers who have to quarantine themselves from their families to treat ours. I let myself mourn missing friends, family, and vacations. I let myself mourn all the friends losing their jobs. I let myself mourn for the children who don’t understand why they can’t see their friends and teachers and grandparents right now. I mourned, and I was unapologetic about it. I did this to get it out of the way, because I knew that soon I would need to pick myself up and get back on my feet with a clear head and a new plan for how to be there for my family in the best way I can be right.

Early into this “new normal,” I heard someone say it’s like we were all put in a giant time out. For a lot of us, that’s exactly what this feels like. And we can either choose to live in denial over it, or we can take these lemons and try to make some lemonade or even a dang good French 75. The opportunities are there. This could look like teaching your kids new skills, building gardens, or improving your home. Maybe this is a time when you can work on building healthier self-care habits that you can continue once this is over.

I think this is a great time to focus on others. Focusing on others always gets me outside of my own head, feelings, and yes, self-pity, and it makes me feel more grateful and fulfilled.

***

In adapting to this strange new normal, I realized one of the first things was let go of the word “should.” I kept lamenting “we should be going on this trip right now,” or “I should be out with so-and-so doing this today.” But “should” is unhelpful in a world like this new one I find myself in. So, I stopped saying it. In doing that, I took this phrase to heart:

Do what you can with what you have wherever you are.

With that as my new mantra, I set out to let go of what “should” be happening to focus on what was right in front of me. There are some habits I’m trying to cultivate in my new role of whatever-the-heck-my-new-title-is. (I’m calling myself a teacher/farmer/mixologist.)

I am listening and validating. This time is a rollercoaster for everyone. I’ve noticed that my six-year-old daughter, like all of us, is having good days and not-as-good days. At times, she seems totally content, and other when I can tell that she’s struggling with trying to make sense of all of this and understand when she can resume her normal life again.

On rough days, my daughter will ask out of the blue, “Can you hold me please?” or “Mommy, can you read me a story?” I am not assuming this is just boredom speaking. I am hearing this as a child’s way of saying she feels sad, lonely, or anxious and needs some extra attention to cope with these big emotions. When she asks questions about the coronavirus or if our loved ones will get sick, I try to give her honest, age-appropriate answers and then talk through how she feels. If I can see that she’s having a hard time expressing something, I may say “Is that sad to think about?” or “Do you feel disappointed?”  Then I follow up by telling her that it’s disappointing for me too BUT that the good news is that this is temporary. Someday we will get to see our friends again and hug them and do all the fun things we used to do. You can see a little flood of relief wash over her face just at having been heard and having her feelings validated.

I am focusing on teaching my daughter character. Spend any amount of time with someone, and you are bound to see their flaws. Are you noticing some traits in your kids that you don’t love? Repeat after me: this is a teachable moment. I don’t mean scream at them every time they forget to use their manners or make them feel guilty when they leave their wet towel on the floor. Use this time at home to teach them some better routines. This is THE time to work on breaking old habits and forming new ones.

Don’t just focus on others’ character. Spend some time reflecting on things you can improve about yourself. I’m a workaholic. I fully admit that. It’s easy for me to get laser-focused and completely wrapped up in my work and my goals and my never-ending to-do list. Now I’m focusing on being more present, limiting my screen time to certain times of day, and shifting my focus completely off work and on to my family. I’m also looking for opportunities to show more personal, selfless support to others or simply send a little happiness in a friend’s direction. When else am I going to have such a perfect opportunity to really focus on this? I don’t want to get to the end of enforced shutdown and realize I only worked on things that will benefit myself.

I am looking for the opportunities. When I started looking around for things to do, it didn’t take long to see all the opportunities. Right now, my family is focusing on lots of outdoor time, creativity in the kitchen, and the arts. It feels like stepping back into a simpler time, and I must admit that although I miss my friends, my family, and my clients, I am soaking up living in a more simplistic manner. My head feels clearer, I feel naturally more present, and my daughter is enjoying all the activities we’re doing together.

We go exploring every day. There’s something very healing about getting outside. We take walks in our backyard and look for birds’ nests, new flowers popping up, and snails and ladybugs. Just being outside lifts our moods tremendously. We’ve also become huge fans of scavenger hunts. (Thank goodness for Pinterest; it’s chock-full of ideas for a newly-present mom!)

After talking about it but never doing it, our family finally had the time to build a vegetable garden. In the last week of March, we planted the garden, and we’re stunned at how quickly things are growing. It’s wonderful to look forward to seeing the changes every day. We water and check for new growth. This summer, we’ll harvest the peppers, tomatoes, green beans, carrots, onions, strawberries, and herbs we planted during the height of the coronavirus uncertainty.

With the garden came the chickens. My husband has been wanting them for some time, and I finally caved. We got eight baby chicks, and he’s built a custom coop for them. They are so cute, and our daughter loves going to talk and snuggle them.

We have a piano that hasn’t been played in years. Now my husband is giving our daughter lessons when he takes a break from his work during the day, and it’s a great replacement for music class. We also make art and create crafts. It’s a wonderful way for children to express themselves and give a parent a little break if needed.

The art of handwritten letters feels lost, doesn’t it? When I was small, I would write to my friends when I was bored, and I still love getting a handwritten note in the mail. My daughter and I try to write someone every week – a grandparent, a cousin, a friend. It’s a sweet, simple way to send cheer to someone who might need it.

I quickly came to the realization that this is the perfect time to mix things up in the kitchen. We have baked cookies and cakes, and we’ve tried new recipes. Some are winners and some are not so winning, but we’re adding to our repertoire of family meals. I’ve also become quite the mixologist, if I do say so myself, and I’m looking forward to the day when I can invite friends over again and share some of these new creations with them.

My family used all these new-found skills and habits recently when we had a family date night. We got dressed up like we would if we were really going out on the town. We cooked a delicious dinner and ate it together on our patio. We then retired to the living room, which we had turned into a movie theater, complete with popcorn and candy, and watched Trolls World Tour. No phones or tablets were allowed!

I don’t want to give the wrong impression. I know that there is nothing that can turn a global pandemic into something fun or productive. There are people dying from COVID-19 every day, and it will be a long time before the coronavirus burns itself out. The global economy will take years to restart. Our world is going to be significantly changed by this disease.

But…

For those fortunate enough to ride this storm out in the safety of their homes, the pandemic gives us the time for making memories, for starting new traditions, for (re)learning to use what you have, and for making the most of this time together. Not everyone will start a garden or buy chickens or have cheesy date nights like we do, but I hope you will remember this: at the end of the day, we will all want to look back at this time and be proud of the way we spent it. I want my daughter to remember this time not as the scary time that the world shut down because of a virus but as the time that she learned how to care for animals and write letters and send cheer to her friends and simply be with her family.

The coronavirus pandemic has actually given us a gift. We have the time to become the person we think we “should” be.

Jodie Miears is the owner of and creative genius behind Reverie Photo Co. Her work has graced the pages of Madeworthy time and time again. She is a wife and mother of three beautiful children.

The post Becoming (and Embracing) Nonessential first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

What made you start your website? 

I originally created my website as a digital portfolio while searching for jobs in college. Since college, it has evolved into a platform for potential clients, share content, and a personal creative outlet!   

How did you develop your photography style? 

My photography style has slowly evolved over the years. A big part of my style development has been learning what truly makes me happy (bright, vibrant colors) and not settling for more popular, trendy styles. 

What are some of your favorite Fort Worth memories?  

Fort Worth was a huge part of my childhood! Some highlights include the Stock Show and Rodeo (always dressed in my cowgirl best), taking photos at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, school field trips at the Kimbell Art Museum, family days at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, and many rounds of golf on the city’s municipal courses. I attended Texas Wesleyan University which was the first time I lived in central Fort Worth, which also happened to be a huge time of growth for the small business community in the city (2012-2015).  

We love that you are passionate about thrifting. What motivates you to do that and where do you shop for the best finds? 

Thanks to my mom, I have grown up thrifting and it’s always been a part of my life. My main motivations for thrifting are to be more sustainable and to save money, but I also enjoy finding unique pieces that you’d never find new. 

How long have you been married, and what is some advice you would give to newlyweds? 

Noah and I will be celebrating 4 years of marriage in May. As clichéd as it sounds, I truly am thankful to be married to my best friend! My biggest advice is to prioritize regular quality time with each other, put the others needs before your own (Philippians 2:3-4), and to intentionally pursue each other’s interests and passions. 

What was it like finding out you were having twins?  

After having a missed miscarriage last spring (which we learned about at my first sonogram), we went into my first sonogram of this pregnancy with zero expectations and guarded emotions. While I think it’s safe to say that it still hasn’t completely set in yet: we are absolutely terrified, overjoyed, and beyond thankful to be having twins in the spring!  

Living sustainably: how have you done it, and how do you plan on living sustainably as a new mom? 

It has been a learning process. The big key things I focus on are simply buying less stuff, choosing to buy second hand over new products, and by supporting ethical businesses when I do have to make new purchases. I’ve also slowly been replacing disposable products with reusable options for everyday products like coffee cups, shopping bags, and cleaning supplies.   

What are your aspirations for your business?  

I regularly reevaluate my business aspirations. One constant goal is to empower other women, whether that’s providing them with business headshots, educating them, or just creating great content to help them discover all our city has to offer. 

What is some advice you would give aspiring photographers? 

Shoot A LOT! Producing a lot of content is the best way to gain experience, determine what type of work you do and don’t like, and develop your own personal style. It’s also extremely beneficial to surround yourself with other creatives, even if their work is different from your own. 

What’s your favorite book and why? 

Oh boy, this is a tough one! Some recent favorites of mine are “Educated” and “The Color of Compromise.”  

What political or social issue motivates you to take action? 

Long story short, I’m an advocate for human dignity. This includes (but is not limited to) criminal justice reform, immigration reform, and acknowledging the present-day implications of our country’s past with slavery and harming many different people groups.  

Readers of this publication love their pets, tell us about yours. 

Our spoiled pup is Pepper, a cattle dog mix that we rescued from the Humane Society of North Texas. We love sitting on local coffee shop patios with her, walking along the Trinity Trails, and meeting up with friends at MUTTS Cantina. 

What is Fort Worth missing? 

I would love to see the continued growth of the Fort Worth music scene. While there’s been tremendous growth over the years (primarily thanks to Fortress Fest), we still find ourselves having to drive to Dallas to see a lot of our favorite bands on tour. I hope artists start discovering what a wonderful host city that Fort Worth can be.

Jessica’s Fort Worth Favorites 

Coffee Shop
Craftwork Camp Bowie 

Breakfast or Brunch place
Funky Town Donuts (downtown location if I’m not getting them to go) 

Hangout with friends
MUTTS Cantina 

Place to relax and recharge
Hammocking in Trinity Park 

Museum or gallery
Fort Works Art  

Artist or musician
Mariell Guzman 

Yearly event
Art Goggles and Open Streets 

Boutique
Gifted 

Spot to take photos
The Foundry District 

Sweet treat
Stir Crazy 

Hamburger joint
Rodeo Goat  

Mexican restaurant
Taco Heads 

The post Influencing with Purpose: Jessica S. Irvin first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.