Kamar de los Reyes.
ANTONIO VEGA is a character that can be summed up this way: You either love him or you hate him. Some see him as chivalrous, some say he's too macho. Some would call him fiercely loyal, while others think he's too full of himself.
But one thing both camps can agree on, Kamar de los Reyes has come a long way, baby, in portraying Antonio. "I am always finding ways to reinvent the character, so he stays popular with the fans and the powers that be. My character changes as my life changes. As Kamar matures, so does Antonio. As I grow as a person, I also grow as an actor."
As an actor, Reyes has had his share of growth and accolades. He was
recently nominated for an ALMA Award. While he was excited and
honored by the nomination, he decided to boycott the award ceremony to protest the fact that ABC decided to give out the Daytime Awards at a non-televised ceremony back in May. Reyes says: "While I am glad the ALMA Awards are back on the air, I felt it was a huge sign of
disrespect to hardworking daytime actors who deserve recognition too."
Reyes has also earned an HOLA Award for Midterm Lifetime Achievement. "Previous winners of this award include Antonio Banderas and Edward James Olmos, so you can guess that I am pretty excited and proud of this award," Reyes explains.
Many fans of One Life to Live are pretty excited right about now, too: Supercouple Antonio and Jessica are back together. However, this is a soap opera, so it's not going to be smooth sailing. They just found out that Nash is the biological father of Jessica's daughter (Jessica was involved with Nash as her split personality, Tess).
"Antonio loves Jessica with every ounce of his being. He wishes the child were his, but he will take care of this baby, and love her, as if she were his own," Reyes says. "Antonio is a good man. He will do right by Jessica and the baby."
"Antonio has a difficult time putting his feelings into words. I like that struggle in him." While his intentions are almost always good, Reyes explains that "Antonio is starting to realize there are repercussions for his actions. He can't always put his fist through the wall (when he loses his temper). I enjoy Antonio's loyalty and passion."
CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY
One major passion in Reyes' life at this time (aside from his family) is his work with The Gabriel Project. "Right now, my focus is saving as many children as possible." The Project was founded about 15 years ago by Mark
J. Melamed, who wanted to teach his students about civic responsibility and compassion. "It also saves children here in America by teaching them about compassion and the value of human life," Reyes says.
On July 2, Reyes will be joined by Sherri Saum, Jackie Zeman and Melamed on his flight to Africa to bring back two children who are dying of heart disease and need surgery that they just can't get in Tanzania. "I hope that by daytime actors being involved, it will bring more publicity to this very important cause."
