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Rising star Carlos Moreno, Jr. knew he was stepping out on a limb when he packed his bags for Hollywood after failing out of the University of New Mexico. But from where he stands, failure never looked so good. The Texas native wrote, acted, directed and produced his first short film “Habanero,” recently honored at the CineSol Film Festival. Get to know this man on a mission.

How does a guy from McAllen, Texas end up in Los Angeles?

I got the bug when I was in college. I was going to be a politician. I took a summer acting class and I said, wow this is fun, I could really go all the way if I continue doing this. The only problem is I didn’t graduate from college. I booked a movie called “East Meets West” and I thought that I could do both college and the movie. I worked on the film about a month or so and I couldn’t go to any of my classes. So eventually I ended up flunking them, including acting. I lost my scholarships, my grants. I lost everything. So I said I’m using the money that I made from the film and I’m moving to Los Angeles.

How did you intersect with the LA acting community?

I didn’t know that there were certain acting schools and certain teachers and finally it took me a good six years before I found the perfect teacher for me. His name is Milton Katselas from the Beverly Hills Playhouse. I was one of the few Latinos in the actual class and he saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself before. He saw that I didn’t have enough belief in myself to be an artist and he said ‘The only critique I’m going to give you, Carlos, is that you need to believe. That’s it.’

What did that do for you?

I went like a monster in every scene I did. I just kept growing and growing and then I started booking and it’s been like that for the last two years. So I’m just beginning to really understand the whole acting thing, the whole method. I want to get the best story out there.

So acting isn’t as easy as some may think it is?

You have to be crazy to do what we’re doing. The younger actors, these kids…they’re having fame and they’re having all of these wonderful things happening to them and you can get lost. Particularly what’s going on with Lindsay Lohan. I don’t know her personally but I know what she’s going through. I’ve seen it and I feel sorry for people like that. But she’s one of these girls who it was easy for her and she gets lost in the world and there’s no one to help bring her back.

Do you feel it has to do with upbringing?

Some of it is that and some of it is how hungry you are as an artist. Me? I had so many no’s it wasn’t even funny. Sometimes I would open the door and I already knew they were saying no. I literally stuck my head out and it was like, no. So I would say thank you and walk out. I learned to build a think skin and now it doesn’t really matter what people think or say. I just go do my art and I leave it and that’s it.

If you’re not finding success, do you feel you should give up?

I recommend to anyone who’s had the no’s to continue on unless they really don’t want to do it. Because there are some people that this is not right for them. I’ve had a lot of friends who’ve given up and it’s good for them. They’ve gotten married, had kids, have moved on and they’re happy. Someone like me, I’ll never be happy if I don’t do this. I’d be so miserable. I know that I will eventually make it.

Talk about your short film “Habanero.”

I directed it, wrote it, acted and produced. It was very difficult to do. It was crazy. I would never do it again but I learned so much from it. It didn’t come out the way I really wanted it but it’s pretty close to it. Of course I’ll never be happy with anything but at some point you’ve just got to let it go.

See “Habanero” now at CarlosMorenoJr.com!