Román Zaragoza

Actor, Director, and Producer Román Zaragoza has quickly become "one to watch" in the entertainment industry, bringing diverse stories to life on stage and screen. This year, Zaragoza can be seen starring in CBS' highly anticipated, upcoming comedy series "Ghosts." The show, adapted from the hit 2019 BBC One series of the same name, follows Samantha (Rose McIver) and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) a couple who receive a beautiful country home, only to find it is falling apart and inhabited by a number of previous deceased residents. Zaragoza shines as Sasappis, a blunt troublemaker who tries to fill eternity by having fun and creating drama. "Ghosts" debuted on CBS on October 7, 2021. On the film front, Zaragoza serves as a producer on the upcoming short film "This Is Their Land," which is in post-production at the moment. The film takes place during the Modoc War of 1872-73 and follows the brave, Modoc Civic Leader Captain Jack as he negotiates for peace in his homeland against the U.S. army, and the sacrifices he is forced to make for the sake of his people. "This Is Their Land" is slated to hit the festival circuit in 2021-22. As a director, Zaragoza most recently co-directed a music video entitled "Change Your Name" for artist Raye Zaragoza, one of his two sisters, which was inspired by their mother's life and the intersectionality of changing names during the immigration process. Born in New York City, Zaragoza was raised in a melting pot of culture. He identifies as mixed race, being of Akimel O'otham and Mexican descent on his father's side and Japanese and Taiwanese descent on his mother's side. His father, acclaimed actor Gregory Zaragoza and mother, college business professor Shirley, supported Zaragoza's love of theatre, film, and television from a very young age, with one of his earliest childhood memories spending time backstage watching his father star in the 1999 Broadway revival of "Annie Get Your Gun" alongside the legendary Bernadette Peters. Zaragoza and his family moved to Hell's Kitchen when he was nine, where he would take the subway to school and pass by all of the major Broadway shows, which would become a huge influence on his future career. By the time Zaragoza turned 11, his parents decided to move the family to the West Coast, settling in southern California where he would continue taking acting, dance, singing, and improv lessons. When Zaragoza was 15 he started working with Native Voices at the Autry, the only Equity Native American Theatre company. It was there that he met his mentor, Randy Reinholz, who made an influential impact on Zaragoza's life as well his show "Off the Rails" at Native Voices which was later selected to go to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Zaragoza attended California State University Northridge where he graduated with a degree in Film Production. He is a proud member of CSUN's American Indian Student Association and continues his involvement post-graduation. While in college, he took time to go work with the prestigious Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF - 2017, 2018, 2019) where he was able to further hone his craft. Zaragoza notes that his time working with the company aided in discovering more about his identity, specifically his racial identity, bringing characters to life that were a vessel for Native, Asian, and mixed identities. Upon graduation and finishing his time with OSF, Zaragoza landed his biggest role to date, starring on CBS' "Ghosts." Additional credits for Zaragoza include appearing on ABC's "Stumptown" (where he worked alongside his dad for the first time professionally), "Those Who Can't," and "Austin & Ally." When he isn't on set, Zaragoza works on his poetry and essay skills. He is passionate about telling stories that focus on mixed representation in film, television, and theatre. He also recently started rock climbing, has trained in martial arts and boxing, and has played soccer since he was little. He has supported a handful of charitable organizations over the years, including: Seeding Sovereignity, Black Lives Matter, Return to the Heart Foundation, and IllumiNative, an initiative created and led by Natives to challenge the negative narrative that surrounds Native communities and to ensure accurate and authentic portrayals of Native communities are present in pop culture and the media.