The word “hustle” is embedded in Rachel Espendez’s DNA. The Florida-based actor grew up loving the hustle-oriented world of sports. Her passion for this field also helped get her in the right mindset for becoming an actor, and has even helped her land roles.
That includes Espendez’s greatest accomplishment: a Michelob commercial that not only aired during a certain major football game, but allowed her to go head-to-head with one of her heroes, soccer all-star Leo Messi, and which also starred Jason Sudeikis and NFL Hall of Famer Dan Marino.
Espendez shared how she got the role on Casting Networks, met Messi, and offered advice to her fellow actors.
How did you decide to become an actor?
To be honest, I remember being 10 years old in front of the mirror doing Jack Sparrow’s quotes and monologues.
I always had a love for movies in general. I would watch a lot with my parents. I still do. I just always knew. You grow up hearing [about] so many jobs that you could have, and I was like, “That’s such a cool one. Why not me?” It’s always been my deepest goal.
How did you first discover Casting Networks?
When I moved to LA after college, I had an agent at Ideal Talent Agency. They connected me with a profile. I remember I was going to auditions for pretty good commercial auditions at the time.
You booked a principal role in a major commercial with Leo Messi, Jason Sudeikis and Dan Marino. How did you land that role?
The whole thing from start to finish was honestly like a dream. You can still pinch me [and I’ll be like], “That really happened…I think?”
There was an audition looking for real soccer players. I’m an athlete. I grew up playing sports, so [I submit for] anything [involving] “real” sports. When I went to the audition, they had me do soccer tricks and play against this one kid they partnered [me] up with.
Before heading over, I was warming up, [thinking], “Go give it the best you’ve got.” I’m telling you, God was with me because of that first audition, I just remember everything went right.
I brought my ball, but decided to use theirs and it was glued to my knees. I was juggling, no problem. I just kept going. I think I scored a goal between the kid’s legs, like behind my back, with a behind-the-leg back kick. The casting director was like, “Whoa!” The producers were there, too, and I was like, “Okay, play it cool, but you’re doing really well. Keep doing whatever it is you’re doing because the energy is high.”
I got a callback and had to go in again. More of the producers were there. I had to do more juggling tricks. It was another really good day. The stars were aligning and I felt good about it. I think a week or two went by and I didn’t hear anything. I would meditate and visualize hearing, “Okay, she was really good. Let’s book her and move on.”
One day I was coming home from a casting in Miami for something else. It was a bit of a drive, and on the way back, my tire popped. I almost went off the road. It was so scary. I was stuck on that tiny emergency lane, [and] cars were zooming past. Oddly enough, I was like, “Okay, let’s use this as a good sign. Something good is coming.” The next day when I was getting my tire fixed, I got a text from my agent in all caps: YOU BOOKED THE MICHELOB COMMERCIAL!
All I knew was that it was a Michelob commercial. I didn’t know that it was with Leo Messi, Jason Sudeikis and Dan Marino, and I didn’t know that it was for the Super Bowl. As everything started lining up, more and more surprises popped up.
It wasn’t until that first day I showed up on-set for rehearsal that [I noticed] something on the call sheet said “LM,” and I was like, “Hmm…” I was hopeful because I’m a big fan, and it ended up being Leo Messi. It was crazy.
Did you get to meet him? What was he like?
Man, he was humble and smiley. It was like a bunch of big kids having fun playing our favorite sport on the beach. You could tell people were really excited once he came out on the set, but he was so chill.
It might have been the makeup artist or one of the wardrobe people who went to put an umbrella over him [because it was so sunny] and he was like, “No, you’re good,” and she stood there anyway. It was just a very high-profile feeling, but once he got on-set with us for the big scene, it was like, “Okay, game time.”
What happened during that scene?
I got really lucky. The coordinator for the commercial was the coach/sports coordinator. He put me right in front of him so that he would make me put the ball between my legs. I got to be right in front of Messi—at arm’s length—for however long we were filming that scene. I was like, “I’m eye to eye with the best player in the world right now and he’s so cool.”
So cool. What else happened on-set?
There was a lot going down. We had a few days of rehearsal where we were working with the sports coordinator and the director. It was the art of them creating what was going to happen, move for move. Micro decisions were being made on the spot, and everything felt so important because we came to learn. I think it was on the third day of filming that we learned that it was for the Super Bowl, so everybody was like, “Oh my goodness!”
As an actor, you know that it’s never 100% that you’re going to make the final cut. This was a big commercial. A lot of people were involved. As a group of us soccer players, everyone’s like, “All right, I’m bringing my A-game because I want to be in this.”
Everything was so exciting, finding out more about what it was and who was going to be in it. Getting the wardrobe fitted was cool because they had each of us change outfits a few times. The producers and their team wanted everybody to look good and feel good. It was like a dream because it was a really big budget—I heard $14+ million. They had the trailers, the good food and they treated us well.
They had an ocean of extras. I knew some of them. It was cool to see them while [I was] doing [my] thing, too. It was like a movie for me, to be honest.
That’s awesome. Did you end up meeting Jason Sudeikis and Dan Marino too, or were you mostly just hanging out with Leo?
I met Jason, too. He was on set with us. Everybody had the most jam-packed day, so we didn’t want to bombard him and get yelled at. Just kept it cool and professional.
Toward the end of that day, I saw some of my friends—the soccer players—going to take a picture with him, and I was like, “I can’t miss out.” Me and a few other soccer players sprinted over. He was so kind. I still have the picture. I haven’t shared it, but it’s exciting to have that on my camera roll.
Amazing. Has your athleticism helped you land any other jobs on Casting Networks, or just in general?
I get auditions all the time on Casting Networks for my athleticism. Yesterday I went to a golf one, and then the day before that I went to a tennis one. The soccer tricks obviously got me the Super Bowl gig, but funny enough, my best tricks are basketball tricks. I’ll spin the ball like the Harlem Globetrotters and then bounce it to the other hand, bounce it off my legs, and spin it again. That’s my favorite, but all sports are amazing.
What would you say helps somebody succeed on Casting Networks?
I would say consistency. Dedicate yourself to trying to be the first one to see the newest opportunities, trying to be the first to submit when possible, especially if it was just listed. That’s definitely number one.
Number two is don’t skip the cover letter. I feel like that’s something that a lot of people overlook, it’s that last little box. They already think that in their mind they did the work by putting the profile together, but it goes a long way to just make it personal, say hi, say what role you’re interested in, the name of the project. People these days might think they’re mass copying and pasting, but say why you think you’d be a good fit for the role. It doesn’t have to be super long. It could be short and sweet, but I think it’s something not to skip.
What’s the best way to approach an audition, and what audition tips and advice do you have for your peers?
Be prepared. Read the instructions thoroughly from top to bottom, maybe a couple of times. This is something I learned in an acting class in LA with Judy Kain. These people want to see you follow instructions, even if it’s something silly like turning around to the left three times. It could be a random little note, or name your file this way, in all caps, or something like that.
They just want to see that you’re professional. They want to see that if they book you for the job, they can count on you to show up, show up on time, be professional, do your job, and follow the director’s instructions, too. I feel like sometimes people just want to book and move on.
You’ve got to really read things through because they want to see that you care enough about the job to do it right. There are so many people going for these opportunities sometimes that it’s just like, show up and do it. If it’s an in-person audition, make sure you confirm right away and then make sure that you actually go.
There are so many people that give whatever excuse, but you need to show up, especially if you’re working with an agent or an agency. If they get you an audition or you get an audition, you better be there. That’s a big opportunity.
People that don’t understand the process are like, “You’re going to drive all the way to Miami for something that you’re not getting paid for? And they’re not even reimbursing you for gas?” I want the job. I’m not going to get it unless I go and audition. You’ve got to hustle, you’ve got to go. If
I get another one right now in 20 minutes, I’m going to find a way to be there. There’s always a way to reschedule things and move things around, but you’ve got to prioritize if this is really what you want.
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