Cleto Rodriguez has spent three decades making San Antonio crowds laugh, but his next act is a dramatic one. The longtime stand-up comedian is stepping into his first leading film role in Anxious Mark, a locally produced drama premiering with a red-carpet event at City Base Cinema on September 5.
Formally titled Anxious Mark: Life of Emet, the film follows a stand-up comedian and youth mentor grappling with anxiety, childhood trauma, and family reconciliation after his brother gets pulled into a dangerous debt, according to KSAT. As reported by WOAI, the story centers on themes of acceptance and responsibility within a family, with Rodriguez playing the film’s main character. It’s a striking pivot for a performer better known for building punchlines than carrying a dramatic arc, but Rodriguez has described the project as his next career move into acting.
The film was co-written and co-directed by San Antonio filmmakers Bert Lopez and Rogelio Cirilo, with Cirilo also serving as director of photography and editor, per the same KSAT report. Both directors are based in San Antonio, and the film was shot entirely on location in the city. Lopez, who serves as executive producer, built a 25-year career in San Antonio independent film and theater that began in high school, when he shot his first project on a borrowed VHS camera, as he told the Daniel Gomez Inspires Show.
A South Texas Cast With National Ties
Anxious Mark features a South Texas local cast starring Rodriguez alongside Jacinto Rodriguez, who appeared in the Paramount series Landman, the station notes. Rounding out the ensemble are JJ Perez, Victor Valdez, Carlos Alcantar, Daniel Gomez, Mário Miranda, and Southside magazine editor April Monterrosa, according to the KSAT report…