Julio Torres (born February 11, 1987)[1] is a Salvadoran-American writer, comedian, and actor. He is known as a writer for Saturday Night Live and as the co-creator, writer, and executive producer of the HBO series Los Espookys. He previously wrote for The Chris Gethard Show on truTV. He directed, wrote, and starred in the surrealist comedy film Problemista.
Julio Torres | |
|---|---|
 Torres in 2024 | |
| Born | February 11, 1987 San Salvador, El Salvador |
| Education | The New School (BA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2012–present |
Early life and education
editTorres was born on February 11, 1987, in San Salvador, El Salvador. His father, Julio, is a civil engineer and his mother, Tita, is an architect and fashion designer. His grandmother was told by a fortune teller that one of her descendants would be successful in New York City which his mother believed to be Torres.[2]
He grew up during the last years of the Salvadoran Civil War and remembers hiding under the dining table with his mother; however, he describes his childhood as idyllic. Torres grew up in an apartment above his mother's clothing store where she would sew both his and his sister's clothes. He had few friends in his youth and spent his time creating elaborate stories for Barbies and miniature toy cars. At age 11, his grandfather died and Torres moved with his family to a farmhouse outside the city, where his mother grew up, after his mother's clothing store went out of business.[2]
Torres attended a private high school in San Salvador after he and his sister received scholarships. After high school, he enrolled in a two-year advertising program and later worked at an ad agency. He made a presentation to his relatives to convince them to pay for Torres to attend college in New York and moved to Manhattan in 2009 after applying to Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School a second time with a scholarship. Torres majored in English literature while he also studied playwriting, graduating in 2011.[2][3]
Career
editTorres worked as a writer on The Chris Gethard Show before he was hired to write for Saturday Night Live.[4] He worked at SNL from 2016 to 2019, writing sketches including "Papyrus" and "Wells for Boys".[5][6] He was nominated for four Emmys as a member of the SNL writing team.[7] He has appeared on The Tonight Show and other late-night programs.[5][8] His comedy is frequently described by critics as "otherworldly" and "surrealist," with elements of the fantastical and a melancholy undercurrent.[9][10][11] After pitching a Spanish-language comedy to HBO, the comedian Fred Armisen brought Torres and Ana Fabrega on to co-write the series. Armisen and Torres had met when the former hosted SNL.[5] Torres was also a co-showrunner and actor on the project, which became Los Espookys. The first season aired in 2019, and it was renewed for a second season later that year.[12] Torres plays Andrés, a wealthy heir who searches for answers about his mysterious past.[13]
His comedy special My Favorite Shapes premiered August 10, 2019, on HBO. It was directed by his frequent collaborator Dave McCary and produced by Fred Armisen and Lorne Michaels.[14] Torres played the gay barista Jules in the 2021 comedy film Together Together. His first feature film, Problemista, was released in the United States released by A24 on March 1, 2024.[15] Torres wrote and directed the film, a surrealist comedy, in which he portrays Alejandro, a Salvadoran creative struggling to succeed in New York City before his work visa expires, alongside Tilda Swinton.[16]
In 2024, Ryan Gosling asked Torres to return to SNL with a sequel to "Papyrus". Although cut for time during Gosling's live episode, "Papyrus 2" was later released online in full.[17]
His mother and his sister, a designer, have collaborated with him on comedy projects. He says he has always wanted to pursue a career in writing for comedy.[18]
Personal life
editTorres is gay. He said in June 2020, "I never want to claim to speak for anybody else's experience. I am not here representing immigrants. I am not here representing Salvadorians, or Hispanics, or gay people. I can only share what's in me and that may or may not ring true with people, but I have never wanted to use any of those things as a calling card."[19][7]
Torres is in a relationship with actor James Scully.[20]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | My Favorite Shapes by Julio Torres | Self | Also writer and executive producer |
| 2021 | Together Together | Jules | |
| 2023 | Problemista | Alejandro | Also writer and director |
| Nimona | Diego the Squire (voice) | ||
| Millennial Hunter | Chaz AF (voice) | ||
| 2024 | Boys Go To Jupiter | T-bone/Gas Station Guy/Brontosaurus (voice) |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–2016 | The Chris Gethard Show | Self | 2 episodes |
| The Special Without Brett Davis | Various roles | 6 episodes | |
| 2016 | Horace and Pete | Young hipster | Episode #1.1 |
| The Jim Gaffigan Show | QED MC | Episode: "The List" | |
| High Maintenance | Art school kid 2 | Episode: "Tick" | |
| 2017–2019 | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Correspondent | 8 episodes |
| Late Night with Seth Meyers | Self | 3 episodes | |
| 2017 | Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents | Self | Episode: "Julio Torres" |
| 2018 | The Shivering Truth | Dale (voice) | Episode: "Ogled Inklings" |
| 2019 | The Other Two | Jordan | Episode: "Chase Turns Fourteen" |
| 2019–2022 | Los Espookys | Andrés Valdez | Main role; also writer and executive producer |
| 2021 | Bob's Burgers | Rodrigo (voice) | Episode: "Y Tu Tina También" |
| Shrill | Ricochet | 3 episodes | |
| Ziwe | Self | Episode: "Immigration" | |
| Tuca & Bertie | (voice) | Episode: "Sleepovers" | |
| 2021–present | The Great North | Crispin Cienfuegos (voice) | 15 episodes |
| 2022 | Search Party | Quique | Episode: "Kings" |
| 2024 | Fantasmas | Julio Torres | Also executive producer, writer, director[21] |
References
edit- ^ Yuan, Jada (June 11, 2019). "Julio Torres, Rising Weirdo: SNL's Otherworldly Secret Weapon Is about to Take over HBO". Vulture. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ a b c Schulman, Michael (December 28, 2020). "The Otherworldly Comedy of Julio Torres". Profiles. The New Yorker. Vol. 96, no. 42. pp. 22–27.
- ^ Travers, Ben (July 8, 2020). "'My Favorite Shapes' Molds Julio Torres' Imagination into a Gift for the World". IndieWire. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ Gordon, Arielle (August 6, 2018). "The Chris Gethard Show calls it quits". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- ^ a b c Leifeste, Luke (March 2, 2018). "Julio Torres Is Changing the Shape of Comedy". GQ. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ "Julio Torres". IMDb. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ a b Hereford, André (August 8, 2019). "Julio Torres: The (New) Shape of Comedy". Metro Weekly. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ "Julio Torres, BA Literary Studies '11". New School Alumni on Medium. October 24, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ Herman, Alison (August 9, 2019). "It Is Not What It Is: The Magical World of Julio Torres". The Ringer. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ Soloski, Alexis (August 16, 2019). "Comedian Julio Torres Changes His Hair Color (Again)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ Hurtado, Ludwig (August 20, 2019). "With his otherworldly comedy, Julio Torres doesn't check any boxes". NBC News. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 25, 2019). "'Los Espookys' Renewed For Season 2 By HBO". Deadline. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ a b Rodrigues, Olivia (August 16, 2019). "The Radical Empathy of Comedian Julio Torres". frieze. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ "My Favorite Shapes by Julio Torres". hbo.com. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^ Cordero, Rosy (January 18, 2024). "A24 Sets Release Date For Julio Torres's 'Problemista' Starring Tilda Swinton & RZA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ Cardenas, Cat (March 17, 2023). "The First Movie From SNL's Weirdo Genius Is a Hilarious Twist on the American Dream". Slate. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ Coggan, Devan (May 1, 2024). "Ryan Gosling encouraged Julio Torres to write 'Papyrus 2' for 'SNL'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ Associated Press (September 11, 2019). "De 'Saturday Night Live' a HBO: el salvadoreño Julio Torres triunfa como comediante en Estados Unidos". Elsalvador.com (in Spanish). Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ Kirkl, Justin (June 23, 2020). "Life is more complex than one coming-out speech". Esquire. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ Tabberer, Jamie (July 8, 2024). "'The worlds I make intertwine': Problemista's Julio Torres on working with Tilda Swinton and building a universe". Attitude. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ^ Coggan, Devan (April 30, 2024). "Julio Torres shares first look at his dreamy HBO comedy Fantasmas". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
External links
edit- Julio Torres at IMDb