Rene Aranda
Rene Aranda | |
|---|---|
 Aranda in 2018 | |
| Born | Rene Michelle Aranda December 6, 1990 |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Ren |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Known for | Papa (2018 film) |
| Family | Michael Aranda (brother) |
| Website | renearanda.com |
Rene Michelle Aranda, sometimes credited as Ren Aranda, (born December 6, 1990) is an American actress and singer, best known for Searching and Midnight in the Switchgrass. She has won Best Actress (Silverstate Film Festival, 2018),[1] Best Supporting Actress (LA Edge Film Awards, 2018)[2] and Outstanding Performance by an Actress (Kennedy Center ACT Festival)[3][4][5] and finished as a semifinalist in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Center's Irene Ryan scholarship program.[6]
Early life and family[edit]
Aranda was born in Whittier, California, to Frank and Cheryl Aranda. She was raised in the nearby city of Chino Hills, where Aranda grew up with older brother Michael Aranda (YouTube creator and musician), older sister Sara Ann Aranda and younger brother Frank Nathan Aranda. Her mother was a self produced singer/songwriter through CD Baby and secretary to the college dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Cal State Fullerton[7] until she died June 27, 2009, after a seven-year battle with breast cancer.[8]
Career[edit]
2009–2012: Vocational training[edit]
Aranda is an alumnus of the Los Angeles City College Theater Academy, a three-year, audition-only acting conservatory at which Morgan Freeman, Mark Hamill, Cindy Williams and Bette Davis studied.[9] Just before graduating in 2012, she won the national award "Outstanding Performance by an Actress" in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for her role as Willy the Space Freak in a gender-bent adaptation of Sam Shepard's The Unseen Hand.[3]
For her role as "Van's Sister" in LACC's stage production of Bert V. Royal's Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead in 2010, Aranda was nominated for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Irene Ryan scholarship,[6] for which actors compete as a part of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. She made it to the semi-finals.
2013–2014: Early career[edit]
First invited to the set of network Cinelatino distributed film Smile Now Cry Later as a background actor by a fellow Theater Academy alum, Aranda was later asked to replace a crew member on a subsequent film before being locked in for two more features (Fighting Chance and Cherry Red Kiss) and by the fourth production (Until the Day I Die), she served the company Plus Entertainment as an in-house producer, appearing on screen in each title she helped produce.[9]
Aranda was featured with touring architect Alán Ramiro Manning in the Woodbury University Neo-Tribes Runway Event[10] on May 1 and 2 2013, donning a Jenny Erin Davis (Black Lightning) design of a Bram Stoker's Dracula inspired Elisabeta (Transylvania 1462), wearing Stila makeup.
2018: Music[edit]
In addition to her film and television career, Aranda debuted as a musical artist in 2018, releasing two pop singles a few months apart on Spotify,[11] iTunes,[12] iHeartRadio[13] and other online streaming platforms.
Youth programs and education[edit]
Aranda is a regular volunteer reader and occasional coordinator for Reading to Kids,[14] and ran on the foundation's charity relay team in the Los Angeles Marathon in 2016.[15]
She also participates as a volunteer actor in Young Storytellers "Big Show" productions.
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | It's Dark Here | Funeral Mourner | |
| Smile Now Cry Later | |||
| 2014 | Sins of a Call Girl | Diner Patron | Scene deleted |
| Fighting Chance | Sabrina | ||
| Expelled | Police Officer | ||
| Cherry Red Kiss | Eva Alvarez | ||
| 2015 | Faraar | SWAT | |
| 2016 | Until the Day I Die: Part 1 | Officer Bracamontes | |
| Until the Day I Die: Part 2 | Cholita | ||
| The Green Fairy | Mrs. Ferrer | ||
| A Killer Walks Amongst Us | |||
| Shadows of the Dead | Police Officer | Uncredited | |
| Christmas with the Andersons | Police Officer | ||
| 2 Lava 2 Lantula! | S.W.A.T. | Uncredited | |
| I Know Where Lizzie Is | EMT | ||
| 2017 | Destruction: Los Angeles | Police Officer | Uncredited |
| Inspired to Kill | Inmate | ||
| 2018 | Eruption: LA | Army Soldlier | Uncredited |
| Papa | Robin | ||
| Searching | Emergency Medical Technician | Uncredited | |
| Woman on the Edge | Police Officer | Uncredited | |
| 2019 | Boris and the Bomb | Sonia | |
| Intolerance: No More | 9-11 Operator | Voice | |
| Debbie and Doug
Drop Acid in the Desert |
Bunny | Short, festival circuit | |
| The Fanatic | Tourist | ||
| 12 Pups of Christmas | Alex's Mom | ||
| 2020 | Sinister Savior | Izzie's House Medic | |
| Mommy is a Murderer | EMT | ||
| 86 Melrose Ave | Coworker | ||
| Bonded | Girl in Pedicab | Uncredited | |
| Night Mistress | Shelly Steele | Post-production | |
| Dusters | The Retriever | Short, festival circuit | |
| Lichlord Dan and the Fall of Man | Dr. Samantha Monroe | Filming | |
| Happy Horror Days | Party Guest | Anthology | |
| 2021 | Blursday | Nurse Rene | Voice Over |
| Midnight in the Switchgrass'[16][17][18] | Prostitute | Uncredited | |
| 2022 | Clown & Out | Rebecca Jones | |
| Emily or Oscar | Laura | 50+ festival wins[19] | |
| In Love with My Partner's Wife | Police Officer | Lifetime Movie | |
| My Nightmare Office Affair | Business Woman | Lifetime Movie | |
| The Stepmother 2 | Hostess | Tubi Original | |
| Four Hour Layover in Juarez | Valeria | Short, festival circuit | |
| 2023 | Imani | Paramedic | BET Original |
| Assistant | Couple at Restaurant | Tubi Original | |
| No Way Out | Paramedic | ||
| The Stepmother 3 | Paramedic | ||
| Proof Sheet | Female Police Officer / Brothel Worker | ||
| Our Broken Family | Amy | Award winning[20] | |
| In Development | Dreamer[21] | Girl in Pedicab |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | HitREcord on TV | Herself | Episode 2: "Fantasy" |
| 2014-2018 | WhatImDoingRightNow | Herself | Michael Aranda's vlog, 9 episodes |
| 2015 | Tabloid | Bracamontes/ S.W.A.T | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Murder Among Friends | Officer Mejia | Episode: "Unholy Friends" |
| Take My Wife | Hotel Patron | Episode: "Holiday Special" | |
| Dangerous Games | |||
| 2016-2017 | Blood Relatives | Police Officer | 2 episodes |
| Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television | Paramedic | Scene Deleted | |
| 2017 | Germany's Next Top Model | Herself | 3 episodes |
| Betrayed | Police Officer/ S.W.A.T. | 3 episodes | |
| Extreme Measures | CSI | Episode: "Oh Mother, Where Art Thou?" | |
| 2019 | Intrigue | Jury | |
| CollegeHumor Originals: Kingpin Katie | Officer | Episode 8 | |
| CryptTV: Fight Night | Spectator | ||
| 2021 | Nova Vita | Nurse Julie | 3 episodes |
| 2023 | Double Cross | Patient | AllBlk Original Series |
| Year | Song | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | JoHn Muir | ScHoolboy Q | Police Officer |
| One Time Comin' | YG | Police Officer | |
| Let You Go - Ft. The Promise | Bobo Norco | Police Officer | |
| 2017 | High Spirits | Pierre | Lead |
| Math | Quin | EMT | |
| 2018 | Need You Anymore
(Movie Soundtrack - Smile Now Cry Later) |
Patrick Nuo | Dancer |
| Evidence | Bashrock | Girlfriend | |
| 2019 | Stay Broke | Tokyo Yens | Inmate |
| No Sudden Moves | Julia Nunes | Hand Dancer | |
| 2020 | We Can Make Up | Guy Tang | LGBTQ+ Couple |
| 2021 | |||
| Rap Demigod | Dax | Police Officer | |
| Suffocating | Dax | Rapper Entourage | |
| 2022 | I Dance | YG feat. "Duki" & "Cuco" | Guest |
Awards and nominations[edit]
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Irene Ryan (KCACTF)[6] | Acting | Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead | Semifinalist |
| 2012 | Outstanding Performance by an Actress (KCACTF)[3][4][5] | Acting | The Unseen Hand | Won |
| 2018 | LA Edge Film Awards[2] | Best Supporting Actress | A View From the Mountain (short) | Won |
| 2018 | Silverstate Film Festival[1] | Best Actress | A View From the Mountain (short) | Won |
| 2019 | Rising Star[22] | Industry Award | Won |
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Silver State Film Festival 2018 Awards". Silver State Film Festival. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
- ^ a b "Winners". LA EDGE. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
- ^ a b c "National Awards – The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival". web.kennedy-center.org. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
- ^ a b "Los Angeles Collegian". Issuu. Apr 30, 2012. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
- ^ a b "Los Angeles Collegian". Issuu. Mar 13, 2012. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
- ^ a b c "Issue 1 Spring 2011 Volume 164 Feb 23 | Egypt | Student Financial Aid In The United States". Scribd. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
- ^ "Cheryl Aranda Finds Inspiration in Her Children and in Song". calstate.fullerton.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
- ^ Gutierrez, Guerra (July 2, 2009). "Legacy Obituaries". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b "What Show Business Looks Like In Your Twenties". Ms. In The Biz. 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
- ^ Aranda, Rene Michelle (2019-05-20). "Remembering opening the Bram Stroker Dracula-inspired collection in the @Woodburyfashion Neo-Tribes Runway Event, May 2013". @therenearanda. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
- ^ "Ren Aranda". Spotify. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
- ^ "Ren Aranda on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
- ^ "Ren Aranda on iHeartRadio". iHeartRadio.com.
- ^ "Reading to Kids Monthly Reading Club Recap". ReadingtoKids.org.
- ^ "Reading to Kids - 2017 Sketchers Performance Los Angeles Marathon". ReadingtoKids.org | News. 2017.
- ^ Midnight in the Switchgrass - IMDb Full Cast & Crew, retrieved 2020-09-22
- ^ "Rene Michelle Aranda (aka Ren) on Instagram: "I missed set meals like this. #lunchat8pm #becausefilmmaking #masksuntilseated #midnightintheswitchgrass #i❤️acting"". Instagram. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
- ^ "Midnight in the Switchgrass - Google Search". Google. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
- ^ "Emily or Oscar". IMDb. 2022. Archived from the original on Jan 20, 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ^ Services, Matts Marketing. ""Our Broken Family," Becomes Multiple Award Winner". PRLog. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ Fuente, Anna Marie de la (2023-02-22). "Oscar-Nominated Yalitza Aparicio to Executive Produce Sweatshop Drama 'Dreamer' with Infinity Hill (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ "Rene Michelle Aranda Wins the Rising Star Award at the 2019 HSSF". Eye on Entertainment.