It is true that if you want something bad enough, you need to go out and get it. While some might put roadblocks in your way or squash your spirit, as long as you believe in yourself, chances are you will find success.
Busing across the country to California at only sixteen years old, Miguel A. Núñez Jr. took with him a dream of acting in film. Taking a significant risk in the process, he had no money, no home, no friends or family to support him, but only a burning passion deep inside. A story that some might say could only lead to disaster, the young, aspiring performer weathered some hard times, but through determination and positive thinking, found himself in the thick of a blossoming career within a few years. Keeping his eye on the prize, soon Núñez Jr. was starring in big Hollywood films, such as 1985’s Friday the 13th: A New Beginning and the all-time classic, The Return of the Living Dead. From here, he went on to many other roles in television and film, having starred in a massive list of movies and TV series altogether.
Still living his dreams forty-plus years later, Miguel A. Núñez Jr. recently sat down to discuss his unpredictable life’s journey, the power of faith, and more.
Cryptic Rock – You have been involved in acting for over forty years. In that time, you have been a part of a lot of interesting projects. How would you describe your career in film/television to this point?
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – I would describe my career as magical! I came out to LA looking for a dream. I achieved it through hard work and through believing and having faith in myself. That’s the key. If you believe strongly in what you are doing, nobody can change your course. If you believe strongly in what you are trying to achieve, nothing can stop you!
I lived on the street, ate out of the trash, and sold my blood to eat every day. Whatever you have to do, you have to do it if you believe what is going to happen. When I was sleeping in the streets, eating out of the trash, and didn’t have anything to eat for days, I rested on the fact that I knew what the end would be.
I rested on and lived on the fact that I knew it was going to happen. That is what kept my drive high. Some people are told they are talented and they can do it, but it wasn’t in them. Then they come out here and go through all the hardships that it takes to achieve it; they end up giving up and losing faith. It’s about truly believing in your heart what you’re going after. I knew it was going to happen! I didn’t come out here hoping or wishing I could become an actor; I knew I was going to be an actor.
Cryptic Rock – It is all about a state of mind.
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – Absolutely! You have to believe it and call it. You cannot let anybody tell you what you can and cannot do. Nobody can tell you what you are capable of or not capable of doing.
Cryptic Rock – You had to fight for what you believed in. Once you finally achieved your goal, was it that much more redeeming?
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – 100%. It’s more redeeming to help other people, though, instead of using it for yourself.
Cryptic Rock – That is a great outlook. You have worked in television and film. Some of your early roles included 1985’s Friday the 13th: A New Beginning and The Return of the Living Dead. We are celebrating the 40th anniversary of both films in 2025. Looking at The Return of the Living Dead, it has become a legendary Horror film. What are your thoughts on the legacy it has built?
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – I think it’s amazing. When you are an actor, you do a movie, but you don’t expect it to become a classic or have this big of a fanbase this many years later. Nobody knew it was going to happen. No one can predict it. There are a lot of great films out there, like The Thing (1982). The Thing is one of the greatest movies ever made, but it doesn’t get much credit. You don’t know what something is; you are just blessed to be a part of it. I feel like I was blessed to be a part of The Return of the Living Dead; it’s a great film. We are hopefully getting ready to do another one!
Cryptic Rock – Yes. It is a great film! This is the type of film that was initially shown on HBO, but it took a considerable amount of time to reach the DVD format. It has built a stronger cult following over the years, though.
It is understood that the core cast of The Return of the Living Dead are friends and get together at conventions, etc. What was it like working with everyone on the film?
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – We were all friends. We were all really young and having a good time. I know it’s corny to say it, but we were like a family. We really were, though. It was one of our first movies, and everyone was just happy to be involved. Everyone got along. It was just perfect.
Cryptic Rock – You can tell. That bled through on the screen. Everyone has their own unique character.
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – Each one of us went in, did our thing, and it worked.
Cryptic Rock – It certainly did. And your character of Spider was one of the last to survive in The Return of the Living Dead with Beverly Randolph’s Tina.
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – That is correct. I was also one of the last to survive in Leprechaun 4: In Space (1996). Back then, blacks were usually the first to die, so that was a big thing. You saw a black person in a Horror movie, you know they were going to die first.
Cryptic Rock – You are very right. Your roles broke those stereotypical tropes. Interestingly, you did Friday the 13th: A New Beginning and The Return of the Living Dead at the same time.
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – And back-to-back! When I went to California, I said, “I want to do Horror movies!” It was my favorite thing; it was what I had hoped to do first, and I actually did it. It just happened.
Cryptic Rock – That is amazing. Some people work in Horror, and it was not their first choice, but they wanted to do it. That is great.
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – I was dying to do a Horror movie when I came out here. That is what I came out to do. I was excited!
Cryptic Rock – Fantastic. So, you grew up a fan of Horror movies?
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – Oh yeah, big time! They were my favorite. I literally said before coming out to Hollywood, “I want to be in Horror movies.”
Cryptic Rock – It seems like everything you wanted to do, you manifested and made it happen.
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – Yes. I think calling it and believing is manifesting it. You have to say it, believe it, and it will happen. It was still God, though. I went through a lot of stuff, and it couldn’t have been anybody but him. I was living on the streets, and it was hard.
Cryptic Rock – It certainly can only be imagined. Sometimes you have to believe something else is coming into play. Someone was looking out for you.
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – Absolutely. I was living on the street in Downtown LA and sleeping in the park. I didn’t know anything about California. I was just lucky something really bad didn’t happen to me. It was God all the way. I sleep behind the bus station, and would sell my blood for meals. I ran away from home in North Carolina to go out there.
Cryptic Rock – It is an unbelievable story. Outside of Horror films, you have done work in other genres. Do you know that diversity?
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – I wanted to do it all. The first TV series I had was a Drama, 1987’s Tour of Duty. That was two years after Friday the 13th. It was a national TV show on CBS and a big hit. I put my Comedy in everything, too. Every job was an experience for me.
Cryptic Rock – Then you fast forward to the early 2000s, and 2002’s Juwanna Mann came about. That was a very popular Comedy, and everyone remembers that movie.
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – Everyone! I had been with Will Smith for years, and he told me, “Miguel, you have to take up golf. All the big jobs happen on the golf course. You are auditioning for those little roles. You have to get to the golf course.” I never really listened to him. Years later, the first time I was ever on the golf course, I hired this guy (who everyone hires in Los Angeles) to teach me how to swing. Less than ten minutes through, someone tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Jesse Vaughan, and I’m doing this movie called Juwanna Mann, we are casting tomorrow, and I would love to come in and do it.” That’s how I got it, on the golf course.
Cryptic Rock – Will Smith was right then (Laughs)
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – He was 100% right!
Cryptic Rock – That is really wild.
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – It is. Like I said, my career has been blessed, and I give God all the credit. I couldn’t have done anything to get on a film that will be celebrated forty years from now. You can’t cast or audition for that. You just have to be blessed to be on one of those.
Cryptic Rock – Very true. You have continued to find success. You have appeared in numerous films, as well as on television. Are those two different dynamics?
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – It used to be. I was on Tour of Duty for three years, and I was on probably eight different TV shows a year. You go in your dressing room and say, “Damn, I want to do movies.” That was back in the day when actors said, “I don’t do TV.” I thought I wanted to be all over the world, so I stopped doing TV. I worked on Street Fighter (1994) and Scooby-Doo (2002) in Australia. I was doing all these films all over the world, and after that, I said, “I’m tired of going all over the world. I want to be on a TV series so I know where my dressing room is every day.”
You say you want to be on TV or that you want to act in movies, but you do one and then say you want to do the other. I don’t have a preference. You can say you prefer movies, but after a while, you want to be steady and not travel all over the world. To me, it’s either or.
Cryptic Rock – The dynamics of television have changed a lot through the years.
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – Absolutely, it is not like it used to be.
Cryptic Rock – Do you have any new projects you can tell us about?
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – We are doing the prequel to The Return of the Living Dead, we are developing a Juwanna Mann two, and I’m also on a TV series called The Family Business. We are currently shooting the sixth season, which will be available on Netflix and BET.
Cryptic Rock – That has been an extremely successful series. What has that been like?
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – It’s been awesome! It’s a Drama, and I am playing a lawyer. I wouldn’t have normally gotten this role. Most think I am Comedy, Comedy Comedy. What happened was that I was working on a project with the writer, Carl Weber. Carl is an incredible writer, and he said, “I’m getting to do this TV series, and I have a role for you.” The director thought I would be good, too. Next thing I knew, I was given the role. I was blessed with that role as well, from God. If I hadn’t been working with Carl, I probably would have never gotten that role in a Drama as a serious lawyer.
Cryptic Rock – It shows you diversity. You work alongside Ernie Hudson in The Family Business.
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – I love Ernie Hudson. He is one of the nicest actors I have ever met in my whole life. There were good people, but the way I would describe Ernie is a better-than-good person. He is a better-than-great person. He is a genuine, honest, loving, caring, and sincere person. He is all of those things.
Cryptic Rock – That is wonderful to hear. What can you tell us about the prequel to The Return of the Living Dead?
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – I am working with Linnea Quigley. What we are shooting is a teaser for the actual film. We don’t have the full script yet. I couldn’t tell you what it’s about. All I can tell you is it is past, present, and future. I love what we shot.
Cryptic Rock – It will be exciting to see. Fans also need to be wary that someone else is attempting to produce a film based on The Return of the Living Dead.
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – We are dealing with that, and that is done.
Cryptic Rock – That is excellent news. You and other cast members from The Return of the Living Dead also have a website with some cool merchandise.
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – We are getting ready to do a lot more, too!
Cryptic Rock – That is also something to look out for. You have attended many conventions through the years. How does it feel to see the excitement from fans talking about a character you played forty years ago?
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – It’s exciting and an honor. I’m glad that what we did pleased people as it did. I think it’s all a blessing.
Cryptic Rock – Now, fans will have a new film. We will have to see how it all develops. You spoke about your hardships. Through all of your experiences, what do you think are some of the most important things you have learned?
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – Never give up and keep persistent. No matter what happens, stay the course and stay with your dreams.
Cryptic Rock – You also seem like a very humble individual.
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – That’s the key, too. Don’t let Hollywood change you. Don’t get an attitude, don’t feel like you are more than you are. Always stay who you are. Many people achieve success, and in doing so, they often change who they are to match their accomplishments. No, you stay who you are. Let success be what it is.
Cryptic Rock – Very wise. Do you mentor other actors?
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – All the time. I still do. I do private lessons online. I always help anyone who needs help, if I can. I never ask for anything either.
Cryptic Rock – It sounds like you are incredibly passionate.
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – You have to be passionate. If you don’t have passion, you won’t have the drive. That is what keeps you going. When you know what is going to happen, it keeps you pushing harder. When you are doubting, you have trepidation about going for something.
When I got on the bus leaving North Carolina, I had two dollars. I didn’t care what was going to happen, where I was going to go, or how I was going to eat. I knew I would be successful. Whatever happened in the middle of my achieving that, no matter how hard it was, I knew I was going to get through it. I saw myself getting on the bus, and where I am today. I already knew what was going to happen at the end. You have to believe that strongly.
Cryptic Rock – It is all about faith and positivity. Last question. What are some of your favorite Horror movies?
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. – The Thing is one of them. Final Destination (2000) is one of my favorites. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), too. Also, Jeepers Creepers (2001). I love that movie!
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