Zorro Kid

Background:

Mexican actor Adrian Alonso was first noticed by American moviegoers while playing Zorror's (played by Antonio Banderas) and Catherine Zeta-Jones' 10-year-old son Joaquin de la Vega in the swashbuckling movie, "The Legend of Zorro" (2005), which won him a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film - Young Actor Age Ten or Younger.

He recently won another Young Artist Award, this time for Best Performance in an International Feature Film - Leading Young Performer, for his performance as a 9-year-old Mexican embarks on a desperate attempt to reunite with his mother who works illegally in Los Angeles for four years, in the Spanish and English language film "La Misma Luna" (2007; aka. "Under the Same Moon").

The up-and-coming actor will next be seen alongside Maria Conchita Alonso in an upcoming English and Spanish language drama film entitled "Flights of Fancy."

Horror Buff

Childhood and Family:

In Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico, Adrián Alonso Barona was born on April 6, 1994. A fan of horror movies, Adrian is very out going and social. He also loves animals and enjoys playing with his dog, Pupy, who has been in some Mexican commercials.

Under the Same Moon

Career:

"I saw movies on TV when I was young, more young. I knew I wanted to make a movie. I had an uncle who had a theater and I told him that he needs a boy actor he should call me. He made 'Beauty and the Beast' and I didn't stop from there." Adrian Alonso.

Originally planning to become a veterinarian, Adrian Alonso was interested in acting after watching children on TV shows. He started auditioning at age 9 and got his first role in a Mexican telenovela called "Alma herida, El" (2003). In the following year, he landed a role in another Mexican show, "Mujer, casos de la vida real," in which he stayed until 2006.

Meanwhile, the newcomer made his film debut in a 2004 Mexican film directed by Luis Mandoki, "Voces inocentes" (aka. "Innocent Voices"), starring Leonor Varela. The film, which set during the Salvadoran Civil War in 1980s and serves as a general commentary on the military use of children received critical acclaim and became official submission from Mexico for the 77th Academy Awards.

Also in 2004, Alonso played a co-starring role, alongside Carmen Maura and Vanessa Bauche, in writer/director Gustavo Loza's dramatic film about about three children attempt to deal with realities of immigration in their societies, "Al otro lado." The film that won three awards at the Lleida Latin-American Film Festival in 2006, including Best Film and the Audience Award, was also the Mexican candidate for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 78th Academy Awards, but was not selected as one of the final five nominees.

In 2005, Alonso played Martín Ibáñez on the romantic series "Pablo y Andrea." He also made his first American film in Martin Campbell-directed swashbuckling movie, "The Legend of Zorro" (2005), in which he played the title role (played by Antonio Banderas) and Catherine Zeta-Jones' 10-year-old son Joaquin de la Vega. For his role in the film, Alonso, who only spoke Spanish, got an English coach before filming. His performance in the film later won him a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film - Young Actor Age Ten or Younger.

"With Catherine [Zeta-Jones], she is very beautiful. (Laughs) I was nervous when I made the movie with Catherine. When I have scenes with her, I was so nervous because she’s really, I don’t know, she’s very impressive. And Antonio, I had more communication with him because he speaks Spanish. So we spoke a lot in Spanish, with Catherine, not too much. But she was, just so impressive." Adrian Alonso.

After mastering the new foreign language, Alonso landed more English-language film roles. He could be seen in "I Love Miami" (2006), an independent drama by Alejandro Gonzalez Padilla about the famous Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro (played by Juan Luis Galiardo), and in "One Long Night" (2007), a dark comedy written and directed by David Siqueiros in which he portrayed the younger version of an Mexican-American businessman from Orange County whose life is changed over the course of one night after his unconventional experiences with the citizens of Mexico City.

Alonso subsequently returned to his homeland Mexico and appeared in an episode of "XHDRbZ," a Mexican sitcom that aired on Televisa. Upon returning to Los Angeles, he snagged another meaty role, this time as Carlitos, a 9-year-old Mexican embarks on a desperate attempt to reunite with his mother (played by Kate del Castillo) who works illegally as a domestic in Los Angeles for four years, in Patricia Riggen-directed Spanish and English language film "La Misma Luna" (2007; aka. "Under the Same Moon"). The film that was released in the United States on March 21, 2008, received positive reviews and won Alonso a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in an International Feature Film - Leading Young Performer.

When asked what first attracted him to do the movie, Alonso revealed, "It was the script. I made the movie because Patricia (Riggen) called me and wanted me to do this. Then she give me the script. Then I read the script and I loved it. I practiced with Patricia for two weeks."

He also explained how he prepared for the character, saying "... I read the script and I went to the Internet to learn about immigration. I studied for like two weeks before the movie and it was good."

2008 saw Alonso starring in two Mexican films, the 27-minute short film "Tiempo de partir" and Issa López's comedy feature "Casi divas" (aka. "Road to Fame").He is now working on his upcoming film project, "Flights of Fancy," an English and Spanish language drama film directed by Daniel Eduvijes Carrera starring Maria Conchita Alonso.

"Yes, I want to director. Not only to act with directing, but to also be a producer." Adrian Alonso (when asked if acting is something he wants to keep doing for a long time).

Awards:

• Young Artist: Best Performance in an International Feature Film - Leading Young Performer, "Misma luna, La," 2008

• Young Artist: Best Performance in a Feature Film - Young Actor Age Ten or Younger, "The Legend of Zorro," 2006