Speaking Out

Raised in the ultraconservative bubble of Orange County, John Solis fell enamored with film through a lavish gift from his low-income mom: a beta player with two horror movies, A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Exorcist. Within minutes, he was fascinated by all there was to see: the sets, the costumes, the story. He knew that film, in whatever role he could partake in, was his natural calling. At the age of fifteen, his parents became involved in the Mexican entertainment industry as producers, and, in turn, he became a child actor in low-budget Spanish-speaking action films. By twenty-one, he had headlined over fifty films and became a household name in the action genre on the Mexican screen.

But, with the twists and turns of life, shadowed by an unspoken trauma that altered his existence, John took a break from the industry to lead himself to a similar but more creative pathway years later: directing. Putting himself through Los Angeles Film School to further learn the ropes, going from in front to behind the camera, he knew his don was to create, humanize, and tell stories. And, it was destiny to find himself as the Director and Producer of Speaking Out, a documentary that has overcome trauma in exchange for beauty, compassion, and healing.

To this day, John lives in Los Angeles, right next to the Academy Museum, with his trusty one-eyed dog named Bice. He’s always searching for a long-gone beta player and his next film project.