“It was a blessing to be able to bring that flavor to something like a commercial for the NFL,” the Hamilton star tells PEOPLE
Before he appears in the Transformers franchise and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Anthony Ramos is starring in a new NFL campaign honoring Latino culture.
“I think it’s important to celebrate that because it’s also remembering and paying respect and homage to our ancestors that came before us and the culture that shaped us,” Ramos tells PEOPLE of his new video with the NFL called “The Celebration.”
The spot premieres on Sept. 15, just in time for the start of Latin Heritage Month, which will last until mid-October. In it, Ramos — wearing his hometown New York Jets jersey — celebrates the Latino fanbase of the NFL.
“It was a blessing to be able to bring that flavor to something like a commercial for the NFL,” the Hamilton star says. “I don’t know if there’s ever been a Latin-centric commercial for the NFL, really. Or if there has been, I haven’t seen one in a while, so I feel grateful that we can make something.”
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For Ramos, a Latino actor who will star in the upcoming Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and as the villain “The Hood” in Marvel’s Ironheart series, commemorating “la cultural” was something significant for him.
“It’s because of where we all come from, that’s the DNA inside of us,” he says. “That’s the thing that gets us moving… it’s that flavor.”
Ramos is a longtime Jets fan and says was largely influenced by his older brother to root for the team (instead of their rivals, the New York Giants).
Also a fan of the New York Mets, Ramos will be tossing out the first pitch at their stadium this weekend.
“It’s bananas,” he says of the lifelong dream coming true. But, he adds, he still hasn’t practiced for the pitch just yet.
“I’m going to try to practice that day,” he says while laughing. “I’m seeing if I can toss that day, but I have not been practicing. So I’m praying to God that I just throw a strike. Even if I throw anywhere near the strike zone, I’ll [be happy].”
With several big projects in the works, Ramos says he is excited to be continuing to pave a path for other Latino actors, just as how actors such as Benicio del Toro and Jimmy Smits have done for him.
“I think for me, that’s a big deal and I don’t take it lightly, I don’t take that for granted,” he says. “I think that’s just how we get out there. It’s a blessing. That’s how the stories expand. That’s how we spread the culture.”
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