Although Manuel Garcia-Rulfo has gained more exposure playing Mickey Haller in Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer, he has been around since 2006 when he debuted as José, a lead character in a short Mexican drama, Valle de lágrimas. He got his breakthrough a decade later as Vasquez in The Magnificent Seven, starring alongside established performers, including Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Ethan Hawke. Garcia-Rulfo has since consolidated with impressive performances in Hollywood productions like Steve McQueen’s Widows, Michael Bay’s 6 Underground, Aaron Schneider’s Greyhound, and Marc Forster’s A Man Called Otto.
Given the actor’s background, his growing Hollywood reputation inspires foreign actors looking to gain cross-border recognition. Upon choosing to become an actor, his family kicked against it, nudging him to pursue a realistic profession. Against his uncle’s advice to study dentistry and his parents’ concerns about how to help him get started in the competitive industry, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo studied acting for a year at the Los Angeles Campus of the New York Film Academy. He polished his skills afterward, taking acting classes in Los Angeles and Mexico City for an additional three years before making his debut. His resolve to pursue acting has paid off, but the Mexican actor is barely getting started.
1. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo Was Raised In A Ranch In Jalisco, Mexico
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The Mickey Haller actor was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, where he was raised on a ranch. His grandfather owned the farmstead, which was home to extended family members as well. Recollecting his early life at the ranch, Garcia-Rulfo shared that his large extended family lived in his grandfather’s 10-room house. “All the boys slept in one room and the girls in another,” he wrote in a Wall Street Journal publication.
Growing up with a learning disability — dyslexia, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo started daydreaming to create an alternate reality for himself. Through this, he discovered his passion for acting. He credits his grandfather’s ranch for nurturing his ability to visualize himself as someone else, which, for him, is at the heart of acting. “Living on a ranch helped,” he said, “I could imagine myself as a cowboy, or I could build a treehouse or be whatever I dreamed up. The more I thought about stepping into another world, the faster my imagination grew,” added the actor.
2. He Learned To Speak English At Age 12 As An Exchange Student In America
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo learned to speak English in the United States when he was 12. He participated in a student exchange program, which saw his parents leave him with a family in Newport, Vermont. They wanted a place where he wouldn’t get to associate with Spanish-speaking kids so he could learn English and ultimately chose the family in the northeastern United States. Their plan worked as the actor learned the language and how to ski. “The family was warm and loving, and their son, Mark, treated me like a brother,” recalled the actor. “We’re still in touch today. In addition to becoming fluent in English, I learned to ski,” he stated in his Wall Street Journal piece.
3. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s First Appearance On American TV Was In Ralph Inc.
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo began his career in the Mexican film industry in 2006. Six years later, he penetrated the American counterpart. His first role in an American production was in 2012 when he played Barrio Mexican in the “You Aint Kickin Nothin” episode of Ralph Inc., a comedy series produced by Joey Allen, Benjy Moran, and Pete Stamatelatos. The following year, he appeared in another American television production: he played Father Esteban in the “Eye to Eye” episode of Fox’s Touch.
Garcia-Rulfo’s first significant role in American television was in Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series. He played a recurring role as Narciso Menendez in seasons 1 and 2 of the horror television series. The Mexican actor later appeared in James Franco and Pedro Gómez Millán’s television movie L. A. Series, after which he played Gabriel Ortega in season 2 of Amazon Studios’ legal drama Goliath. These roles paved the way for Manuel Garcia-Rulfo to land the Mickey Haller role in The Lincoln Lawyer.
4. He Made His American Film Debut In Carl Franklin’s Bless Me, Ultima
The same year he first appeared on American television, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo made his American film debut as Uncle Pedro in Bless Me, Ultima, a 2012 drama film written and directed by Carl Franklin. His next American movie role was in 2014’s Cake; he played Arturo in the drama film starring Jennifer Aniston, Adriana Barraza, and Felicity Huffman alongside William H. Macy, Anna Kendrick, and Sam Worthington. His breakthrough came in 2016 when he played Vasquez in Antoine Fuqua’s remake of the 1960 American Western action film The Magnificent Seven. Since then, the Mexican actor has portrayed various characters in other American films, including Widows, 6 Underground, Greyhound, Sweet Girl, and A Man Called Otto.
5. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo Wasn’t The Original Choice For Mickey Haller In The Lincoln Lawyer
Before Netflix ordered the adaptation of Michael Connelly’s Mickey Haller novels, CBS had committed to it with American actor Logan Marshall-Green tapped to play the titular character. Following the Covid-19 lockdown, CBS backed out of the project. Netflix eventually picked it up, after which Manuel Garcia-Rulfo was cast for the lead role to recognize Mickey Haller’s Latino heritage. Reacting to that, Connelly asserted that Garcia-Rulfo is the ideal actor for the character.
“Manuel is the ideal Mickey Haller, who is following in the footsteps of his attorney father with the showmanship of his Mexican movie star mother,” he expressed in a blog post. “He brings a powerful dynamic and dimension to the role — one that aligns with the books and brings authenticity to the Latinx heritage and roots of this Los Angeles-based story,” the American author buttressed. Garcia-Rulfo shares Connelly’s sentiment. He told Metacritic that his essence is at the core of the similarities between him and Mickey Haller. When asked what’s particularly Manuel about Mickey, he said: “My essence, I guess. The other part is that in the books, Mickey Haller is half-Mexican…I really wanted to explore that side.”
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