Lago fulfills dreams of TV success
By Daily Bruin Staff
Jan. 8, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 CBS David Lago stars as Raul in CBS’s
"The Young and the Restless."
By Mary Williams
Daily Bruin Contributor
For David Lago, success as an actor didn’t come nearly as
quickly as the realization that acting was the profession he wanted
to pursue.
Best known for his role as Raul on “The Young and the
Restless,” Lago was a fan of “Popeye” cartoons,
and later the 1980 movie of the same name.
“Robin Williams was playing Popeye of course, and then
after that I saw him on “˜Mork and Mindy’ and I put two
and two together and I realized that that’s what I wanted to
do,” Lago said in a recent phone interview. “I wanted
to be able to play different people.”
From his first job on a Spanish-language Skittles commercial to
his current role on “The Young and the Restless,” Lago,
21, is familiar with the difficulties of getting started in the
entertainment business.
Early in his career, Lago bounced around as a guest star on
several shows and took a role in the HBO movie “Past
Perfect.” His first regular role on a television show was on
the short-lived series “Hollywood Safari,” which was
cancelled after a year.
Lago began auditioning for soap operas, and finally landed his
part on “The Young and the Restless.”
“I just started auditioning and auditioning, and
eventually you end up auditioning for every damn soap opera there
is, and “˜The Young and the Restless’ was the last
one,” he said.
Raul was not the role he auditioned for, however. He originally
tried out for the part of Billy Abbott, now played by David Tom,
but the producers of the show gave him the part of Billy’s
close friend, Raul.
“Raul’s a nice guy. He’s the kind of guy you
want in your life. He’s very loyal, understanding. He’d
make a really good boyfriend,” Lago said. “I’d
like to see him get a little meaner. Not meaner, just a darker side
to him.”
For his role as Raul, Lago was nominated for the Outstanding
Young Actor Award in the 2000 Daytime Emmy Awards, and he received
a Young Artist Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Soap
Opera, also in 2000.
Lago’s favorite role so far is that of Jeremy in his
five-episode appearance on “7th Heaven.”
“It’s a really cool character,” he said.
“He’s very laid back, a very good guy, but at the same
time he’s very cool.”
Lago also describes him as a “stand back and watch the
situation type guy. Just let it go, you can’t bother him. You
can’t get under his skin.”
Now that he has established himself as an actor, Lago is
enjoying his new life, despite the increased demands on his
time.
In addition to working on the daily soap opera, Lago is also
involved in charity work. He makes appearances and signs autographs
to help out charities.
At an annual event called The Gathering, Lago helped raise money
to support the families and friends of victims of the Columbine
High School shooting in 1999.
He described the event as an opportunity for getting together
and remembering the people who were killed.
“Whoever wants to talk can talk, and there’s food,
and just anything to raise some money to help out the people and to
help out the school,” Lago said.
During his free time, Lago is more likely to go to the gym to
relieve tension or stay at home to relax after work than to spend
the evening out on the town.
“I’m not sure if I’m a guy who goes
out,” he said. “My idea of a good night is just hanging
out with friends.”
In the future, Lago’s said he hopes to work on feature
films. Though acting is his first love, he also enjoys writing and
would like to direct.
He said he is thinking about starting a production company,
although he has no immediate plans for setting it up.
For the meantime, life as a working actor for Lago is fun and
interesting despite the demands on his time.
“You’ve got to get used to a totally different
lifestyle,” he said. “I’m finally doing what I
want to do.”
