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An American Story: Everyone's Invited
Read by the author.
A love letter to America from the pen of actor, producer, immigrant, and activist Wilmer Valderrama.
In this timely memoir, Valderrama looks back on his journey from a tiny pueblo in Venezuela to the big city of Los Angeles-how he discovered his calling as an actor and later as a USO Global Ambassador, found work in Hollywood as an unproven Latino actor, and used his determination and success to build a new life for himself, his family, and many others.
Raised by two hard working parents as they navigated their family through a rapidly changing country and the rise of Venezuela's controversial former leader Hugo Chavez, Valderrama delves into his family's flight from their home and the challenges of emigrating to the United States.
After being cast in a school theatre production, Valderrama knew he had found his calling and began thinking of ways to help support his struggling family. He would attempt the impossible: find work in Hollywood as an unproven Latino actor. Following countless auditions and frequent criticisms of his accent, he created the personality that would eventually land him the role as Fez on That 70s Show.
It catapulted him to stardom.
Over the coming years, he would create the smash show, Yo Mamma, voice the lead character in Disney's Encanto, and eventually join the cast of NCIS. But it was through service to others and his first USO trip where Valderrama found his further calling-entertaining and encouraging U.S. troops around the world.
The saga of a determined soul, An American Story: Everyone's Invited is an exploration of America through the eyes of a young immigrant from Venezuela who had a dream to change the world, a talent for entertaining, and the resolve to build a new life, taking as many as possible with him on the journey.
"This is my way of showing my love, my gratitude to the country that changed my whole life."
The photo insert can be found in the audiobook companion PDF download.
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An American Story: Everyone's Invited
Read by the author.
A love letter to America from the pen of actor, producer, immigrant, and activist Wilmer Valderrama.
In this timely memoir, Valderrama looks back on his journey from a tiny pueblo in Venezuela to the big city of Los Angeles-how he discovered his calling as an actor and later as a USO Global Ambassador, found work in Hollywood as an unproven Latino actor, and used his determination and success to build a new life for himself, his family, and many others.
Raised by two hard working parents as they navigated their family through a rapidly changing country and the rise of Venezuela's controversial former leader Hugo Chavez, Valderrama delves into his family's flight from their home and the challenges of emigrating to the United States.
After being cast in a school theatre production, Valderrama knew he had found his calling and began thinking of ways to help support his struggling family. He would attempt the impossible: find work in Hollywood as an unproven Latino actor. Following countless auditions and frequent criticisms of his accent, he created the personality that would eventually land him the role as Fez on That 70s Show.
It catapulted him to stardom.
Over the coming years, he would create the smash show, Yo Mamma, voice the lead character in Disney's Encanto, and eventually join the cast of NCIS. But it was through service to others and his first USO trip where Valderrama found his further calling-entertaining and encouraging U.S. troops around the world.
The saga of a determined soul, An American Story: Everyone's Invited is an exploration of America through the eyes of a young immigrant from Venezuela who had a dream to change the world, a talent for entertaining, and the resolve to build a new life, taking as many as possible with him on the journey.
"This is my way of showing my love, my gratitude to the country that changed my whole life."
The photo insert can be found in the audiobook companion PDF download.
A love letter to America from the pen of actor, producer, immigrant, and activist Wilmer Valderrama.
In this timely memoir, Valderrama looks back on his journey from a tiny pueblo in Venezuela to the big city of Los Angeles-how he discovered his calling as an actor and later as a USO Global Ambassador, found work in Hollywood as an unproven Latino actor, and used his determination and success to build a new life for himself, his family, and many others.
Raised by two hard working parents as they navigated their family through a rapidly changing country and the rise of Venezuela's controversial former leader Hugo Chavez, Valderrama delves into his family's flight from their home and the challenges of emigrating to the United States.
After being cast in a school theatre production, Valderrama knew he had found his calling and began thinking of ways to help support his struggling family. He would attempt the impossible: find work in Hollywood as an unproven Latino actor. Following countless auditions and frequent criticisms of his accent, he created the personality that would eventually land him the role as Fez on That 70s Show.
It catapulted him to stardom.
Over the coming years, he would create the smash show, Yo Mamma, voice the lead character in Disney's Encanto, and eventually join the cast of NCIS. But it was through service to others and his first USO trip where Valderrama found his further calling-entertaining and encouraging U.S. troops around the world.
The saga of a determined soul, An American Story: Everyone's Invited is an exploration of America through the eyes of a young immigrant from Venezuela who had a dream to change the world, a talent for entertaining, and the resolve to build a new life, taking as many as possible with him on the journey.
"This is my way of showing my love, my gratitude to the country that changed my whole life."
The photo insert can be found in the audiobook companion PDF download.
2024-07-10 A respected actor/social activist reflects on how being the American-born son of two South American immigrants has influenced his life and career.
Born in Miami, Valderrama was 3 when his family moved to Venezuela. He spent time riding his horse, watching TV, and dreaming he was Zorro while his father worked the farm he had bought. After Hugo Chavez came to power several years later, Valderrama’s family fled to Los Angeles. "You'll need to learn English," the father warns his son, who was flunking that subject in school. In LA, his parents struggled financially while the author faced the daunting task of learning a new language as he navigated school, a part-time job, and an environment that sometimes judged immigrants unfairly. Yet these difficulties only made him more determined to succeed and to assist his parents. A straight-A student by high school, Valderrama poured his energies into acting and began auditioning for commercials and television bit parts. His junior year he unexpectedly landed the part of the foreign exchange student Fez onThat 70s Show, a role that fueled his steady rise to fame and helped him support the family he loved. Yet even as Valderrama lived professional dreams of developing successful TV shows likeYo Momma andZorro and starring in successful films likeFast Food Nation andLarry Crowne, he found himself equally drawn to activism in support of causes that empowered the Latinx community and that “creat[ed] a national celebration of democracy.” Recapping Valderrama’s star-studded accomplishments, this book is no different from other celebrity memoirs. Its greater interest lies in his presentation of his life as a demonstration of the fact that America’s greatest strength lies in its diversity and in the immigrants it at times underestimates or undervalues.
