“Papá, I’m coming to the ranch, I need to be there,” David said. On the other end of the line, he heard the voice of that hardworking man David had always seen striving to move forward. “Vente mi’jo. This is your home. You’ll be okay.”
He didn’t want to do it, but he knew he had to. It was the right time—his reunion with Mexico, his culture, and most importantly, his family.
David Ty Reza wasn’t going through a good time. Personal issues and doubts about his career as an actor had pushed him to the edge.
He called Don Félix, his father, and told him he would be returning to the ranch for a while. He needed a reset in his life and career. He picked up the phone. “Papá, I’m coming to the ranch, I need to be there,” David said. On the other end of the line, he heard the voice of that hardworking man David had always seen striving to move forward. “Vente mi’jo. This is your home. You’ll be okay.”
And just like that, David Ty Reza began a new chapter in his life, seeking to redefine both his life and, more importantly, his artistic career.
“I’ve always thought about it. As I said some time ago—I want to work in Mexico, do theater, be in telenovelas, explore other paths,” he says from the ranch near the city of Querétaro, Mexico.
David says he escaped—and he’s found a place that will help him reset his life and career: here on the ranch, feeding the chickens.
David is far from his usual environment as an actor. Gone is the noisy city of Los Angeles, with its constant buzz of cars, people coming and going, and multicultural atmosphere. Now, he lives a peaceful life—waking up in the mornings to prepare food for the cows, helping with ranch chores, selling menudo on weekends, and now… “I have to learn how to drive a tractor,” he says calmly.
This actor has an impressive résumé.
David starred in the award-winning indie feature El Camino, a movie adaptation of the novel Separated by Dreams by Elizabeth Ann Guevara. El Camino was adapted and directed by Sean Daniel Bauer. David also starred in the award-winning short film The Immigrants. His theater credits include:
*Casa0101 Theatre: Bad for the Community, Eastside Queer Stories, Unmasking Hercules, and Sideways Fences.
*The Robey Theatre Company: Lessons Learned.
*Frida Kahlo Theatre: 10-Minute Play Festival.
*LATC: Encuentro de las Americas: Patas Arriba.
Most recently, he appeared in the series Trayizon, which will stream on Amazon Prime and Tubi.
In El Paisa, a film written and directed by Daniel Eduvijes Carrera and produced by Miguel Angel Caballero, he portrays a gay Latino who proudly expresses his identity and courage.
“What world do you live in?” he says when asked why he identifies as a gay actor. “The struggle as a Latino continues; it seems like we’re going backwards, not forward. We have to fight, throw ‘punches,’ and claim our space.”
This statement, made over a year ago, now appears to accurately reflect the current state of affairs in the United States.
“I traveled to Mexico before the deportations started. It makes me very sad. So many people are suffering, there’s no money for projects, and this situation is wearing me down. It’s time to rethink things. Being here on the ranch gives me that chance,” says David.
With his brother Juan Carlos, taking a break from work. “I really like being out on the ranch,” says David.
And it’s not that he’s without work. He currently has some projects about to start and is filming three more episodes of Trayizon.
David seems to be at a turning point in both his career and personal life. Coming to Mexico allowed him to rediscover the warmth of family, the simplicity of Mexican life, and breathe in the air he so desperately needed.
“I feel like the project I’ve been waiting for still hasn’t arrived,” he says. You can picture him like a pressure cooker—ready to explode at any moment.
It wasn’t easy to leave Los Angeles, even if just temporarily.
“I didn’t want to get on the plane. I cried. I resisted. My friends told me I had to do it, that the time had come. They said it would be good for me. I had to calm my nerves with a few beers before the trip, and once I arrived, there was my father. That’s when I knew I was home,” he says.
David has a deep admiration for Mexican cinema. El Callejón de los Milagros and Y tu Mamá También are films he loves. Don Félix watches classic Mexican movies every night, and there, David enjoys those stories.
When I ask him to define this period of rediscovery, he puts it another way. For him, the word that defines it is “escape.”
“If I had to title this chapter of my life, I’d summarize it in one word: Escaping. I escaped to the ranch and reconnected with the space I needed. I’m still an actor—I’m playing my character.”
Upon his arrival in Mexico, he encountered a completely new environment. It was about starting over, being reborn.
“That’s what actors do. We bring different characters to life, dive into their stories, and portray other people. I told myself, ‘Think of this as playing another character—and embrace it.’ Sometimes, we as actors fall into the trap of forgetting who we are because we play so many roles,” he adds.
Now, David is intensifying the process of applying for dual citizenship, something he’s always wanted.
“I see myself living in Mexico, building a life here. I hope my dream comes true—to do theater, telenovelas, explore this country, this culture,” he says.
I imagine him as a reincarnation of Carmelo, his character in El Paisa—a loyal, devout, tough man who loves his roots.
“Funny that you say that. I’m a very sensitive guy—I cry,” he says, emotionally.
