Raúl Castillo is known for playing the role of Richie Donado Ventura in HBO’s ‘Looking’ series and the television film ‘Looking: The Movie’.
Raúl Castillo Jr. was born on August 30, 1977 in McAllen, Texas. His parents are from Mexico, and they later moved to the US in McAllen, Texas where the actor was raised with his older brother Tony and younger sister.
Castillo initially became interested in acting when he was in third grade after seeing his brother portraying Tin Woodman in a The Wizard of Oz production in school. Tony, who played the guitar and was a musician, also inspired him to start his own path in music.
In high school, the ‘Looking’ star formed an underground punk-rock band called IPM, which is short for “Influential Phecal Material”. The band was composed of him and future Mutemath bass guitarist Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas, together with their friends Nick Trevino and Robert Vleck.
At the age of 14, Castillo began acting, taking theater as an elective in McAllen High School where he got immersed in the drama department. Thereafter, he attended Boston University College of Fine Arts where he took up playwriting as an undergraduate degree, as well as majored in theater while continuing to act.
Fast forward to the present, the 46-year-old Mexican-American actor and playwright has now appeared in a number of films and television shows, as well as written and starred in several stage productions.
Not to mention, he is starring in the third season of the ‘American Horror Story’ spinoff series, ‘American Horror Stories’, where he is set to go on a Tinder date gone terrifyingly wrong. ‘American Horror Stories’ Season 3 will be premiering on Hulu on October 26.
Moreover, Castillo is famous among gay viewers for his portrayal in the LGBTQ+ series ‘Looking’, however, he reportedly identifies as straight. In fact in August 2022, he announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend and now-fiancée.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, intomore.com
Ugh stop covering straight actors who played gay. Yes that’s how they got their stardom but I’m so over the glorification of these types.
He’s in one of the best gay shows ever Looking. I was so sad to find out he ain’t gay but straight years ago 😭