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Interview: Ray Santiago ready for the next chapter in life – whatever that is

By Susan Leighton

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Ray Santiago is ready for the next chapter in life – Courtesy of Bleep Magazine

Ray Santiago (aka Pablo Simon Bolivar from Ash vs Evil Dead) stopped by to chat with us at 1428 Elm about his memories of the show, what is going on in his world and the future.

“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.” – David Bowie

Along Came Pablo

The heart and soul of the Ghostbeaters on Ash vs Evil Dead was Pablo Simon Bolivar, played for three seasons by the always engaging actor, Ray Santiago. We fell in love with him as the shy clerk at Value Stop who carried a torch for the beautiful Kelly Maxwell (Dana DeLorenzo). We watched him grow into the self-confident El Brujo Especial who helped his Jefe (Bruce Campbell) save the world.

It was the role of a lifetime in a legendary franchise and Santiago played it to perfection. At 1428 Elm, we were fortunate enough to sit down with the actor to discuss his memories of the show, what is going on in his world and his hopes for the future.

The Interview

In the Rearview of the Delta

Ray Santiago – In the Rearview of the Delta with Bruce Campbell – Courtesy of STARZ

1428 Elm: Hi, Ray! It’s a pleasure to be speaking with you again. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us at 1428 Elm. We loved the finale and the entire journey of the third season.  What was the mood on the set the very last day of shooting? Was it difficult not knowing the fate of the show or is that just business as usual nowadays in tv?

Ray Santiago: I think it was just one of those moments. It was difficult. No one knew if we were coming back. We did our best with the finale so that it could ultimately be the last episode while setting it up for a great fourth season if that is what happened.

For all of us, we were more than a little bit sad that we didn’t really know. If you know the show is done, you can close the chapter and walk away.

We were going through the same thing the fans went through waiting for an answer as to whether or not we would be coming back. So, we were in a very similar place to them.

Looking at a Legacy

Ray Santiago – Looking at a Legacy – Courtesy of STARZ

1428 Elm: In LA, we talked about the possibility of a spin off happening. Bruce has given you and Dana his blessing. How do you see the series continuing in the future? There has been some interest in an animated version of the show on the part of fans.

RS: I mean, listen, it’s really flattering that people want to keep these characters alive and that they generated such a fan base that people want to continue it. For me, bringing life to Pablo changed my life as Ray in a lot of ways.

So, I will always want to keep Pablo alive and keep the Ghostbeaters alive, as well as the franchise. If they call me in 30 years to do another version of this show, I would. It’s one of those series that is timeless.

I’ll be the voice of Pablo for an animated program, go for it!

1428 Elm: Were you pleased with Pablo’s story arc this season? Is there anything you wished the writers would have considered or done differently?

RS: I was very pleased with my arc. I had no idea that it would culminate in the way that it did. It was great that we got to see the evolution of a guy that started off as a sidekick and became a significant part of the team.

He became his own hero by embracing who he really is and by understanding the power he had within himself to bring to the group and to help save the world from evil. So, I was very pleased with my arc.

Ghostbeaters Never Leave a Man or Woman Behind

Ray Santiago – Pablo as a Superhero – Courtesy of STARZ

RS (Cont.):  Do I wish that the Ghostbeaters were there for the final fight? Yeah. Even though it was emotional for each person in that car when Ash sent us off, I really did feel like it would have been nice to see us in the battle with him or to see where we ended up.

Because it wasn’t like us to leave Jefe. For me, he spent three seasons grooming the Ghostbeaters so that they finally have all their strengths and they’re ready to do this and then Ash does it by himself.

It is called Ash vs Evil Dead but I would have loved to see the battle if we would have been a part of it. With that being said, it did make sense the way that they did it.

You know people want to see Ash kill that monster. I just felt bad that we left him.

Acknowledging the Journey

Ray Santiago – Acknowledging the Journey – Courtesy of STARZ

1428 Elm: I want to talk about that scene in the truck. It was very emotional. Watching you looking at Ash was heartbreaking. Were you caught up in the moment? Was that your real reaction?

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RS: I think for me since I spent so much time shooting with Bruce what you saw were tears of joy and tears of sadness. They were also tears of recognition and acknowledging the journey that we had been on together as actors and as these characters.

What we started out to do, we did and we did it in a way that was beautiful and satisfying to the fans and to ourselves. For me, it was a moment of “Oh, you may not come back to this.”

You now know that you can walk alone in your next journey because you went through this. So, yeah, that moment that you saw, it was a tough moment for me.

I was pretty mad that we had to share that window because it wasn’t very easy. When I envisioned it, the doors of the vehicle were open and you could really see us.

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