February 2021.

Actor Steve Louis Villegas, simply dubbed “Stevie” by those closest to him, is known best on-screen for his brazen, rough-around-the-edges persona. Though, free from the callousness of his roles while off-screen, he reveals a soft underbelly. 

Having starred in HBO’s Spilling Into Darkness, appearing in The Tax Collector alongside Shia LaBeouf, as well as set to feature in the upcoming fourth season of Netflix Original On My Block, one would expect Villegas to enter a room with a boastful swagger. Instead, the 34-year-old actor enters quietly, eyes coyly scanning the room, before making the effort to hug and shake hands with those around him—a rarity in the time of Covid-19.

“I’m beyond grateful,” Villegas said of his success in 2020. “But at the same time, it’s hard to let myself be proud [of it all] when I know there’s a lot of people out there who are really struggling [during this pandemic].”

Sporting a heavy, black overcoat, slicked-back hair, and a sharp, intense gaze, Villegas’ seasoned experience in playing hot-headed tough guys begins to make sense.

Villegas laughs at the proposition that his character “Sad Eyes,” who he plays in Netflix’s On My Block, could have been created and named specifically for him. 

 When asked about how he chooses specific roles, Villegas says he strives for roles he can play with authenticity. 

“As corny as it sounds, I can’t take on a project that doesn’t speak to a part of my soul, my character, or my principles,” Villegas said. “Whether it’s a good or bad part of me, sometimes I’ll read a script and think: ‘Oh, that’s real. That’s human.’ “

The actor’s Instagram, @villegas_0712, where he boasts over 50-thousand followers, showcases Villegas smoldering alongside several Hollywood heavy-hitters, such as Will Smith, Chris Tucker, and George Lopez. One particularly quirky shot even depicts Villegas with his arm casually draped over the shoulder of Dennis Graham, the father of prominent rapper and four-time Grammy award winner Drake. 

Now sitting in his brother’s snug Alhambra apartment 23 miles from Villegas’ current filming location in West Los Angeles, the limelight couldn’t feel further away—the actor carefully eyeing the amount of butterscotch-flavored creamer he mixes into the coffee before him. 

His niece, 19-year-old Leanna Villegas, passes him a spoon before sitting next to him. When asked how she feels about her uncle’s mounting notoriety, the teenager jokingly rolls her eyes.

“I remember when On My Block first came out [in 2018], all my friends in high school couldn’t believe that it was Stevie who played Spooky’s friend,” Leanna said, “...but once they started calling him cute it got so cringe.”

The two laugh.

Villegas, donned in khaki shorts and white tube socks, is the first face audience’s see in the opening scene of the Netflix Original series.

However, the actor touts his most proud role as the one he played as Juanito, nicknamed “Jay”, in 2020’s Slipping Into Darkness. 

In a Virtual interview with the Los Angeles Film School, director Alex Munoz Ferrufino discloses that he sought to cast individuals based on their personal background, ensuring that they were familiar with the world he wanted to illustrate.

“That opportunity was so perfect for me,” Villegas said, “because I literally grew up in East Los Angeles. I consider Boyle Heights my roots. And so, I took the whole project really personally. There’s a piece of me and all my experiences in that film.”

The 30-minute film, which hopes to shed light on gun violence in Latino communities, went on to win HBO’s Latinx Short Film Competition. 

Spilling into Darkness is available to stream on HBO Max.