Bayardo De Murguia: Letting Go For More Ease
On the scale of emotions, calmness is the tipping point to move easily to any positive state of being. The process of becoming calm starts with looking within, consciously breathing to soften our physical focus and thoughts, and applying that stillness to everything we choose to give our attention to. In that state, we are less reactive and more proactive.
Mexican-American artist Bayardo De Murguia currently stars in season two of the Apple TV+ series Acapulco, portraying Fabian Solares, a colorfully-expressive host, and producer of the popular TV-magazine program Espectacular. When asked to describe the essence himself, Bayardo says, “I have a calming energy that has a lot of positivity.”
Our cultural background is the embodiment of stories that have been passed from generation to generation, an imprint of diverse perspectives that we integrate and make our own. Being exposed to more contrasting variations of those stories stretches our mind to naturally include more of ourselves and be more inclusive of others. It stimulates us to be on a quest, so then we can discover new angles of who we are continually becoming.
“Being bicultural, at first you never feel as though you fit fully into either culture. You’re not Mexican enough, or you’re not American enough. So, it was a challenge. Growing up, we always talked about our Latinidad like our identity. But as I got older, I realized that I am a mix of everything, and I’m proud of it. Having moved from Mexico to San Diego and trying to assimilate different cultures, I also met people from different backgrounds and classes. And it created this openness in me to meet everyone and accept everything as I was introduced to many different cultures outside my own. It made me proud to be not only a mix of what I am, but also proud to meet others and be open-minded. And it definitely established who I am now,” shares Bayardo.
Everything we choose to experience in our lives carries the ripple effect of being of value to us. Every experience in our lives brings us clarity about what we want next. Every experience we have ever focused on and created brought us some new process or tool we could apply to what excites our experience next. It’s always our choice to follow our inspiration and highest excitement, which can change or expand.
Bayardo describes how being an American football player benefitted his acting: “I went on to play American football in college, which was a lot of fun, but then, that’s when I ended up falling in love with theater. So, I stopped playing football and started acting full-time. I was so used to the performance aspect of football that maturing into the artist I am now, I’m very comfortable with my body movement and performing in front of people to evoke emotions. Although some actors don’t like to watch their performance on tape, another thing being a football player benefited me is watching myself on the video to see what to improve and what I did well.”
Often, we believe that by letting go, we might be letting go of our desire. But letting go means letting go of the resistance, the doubt we might have in our desire. And doubt and fear, creates a bigger gap and delay between now and what we want to experience in our physicality. Letting go feels easy. Letting go feels trusting that any outcome is perfect, because that is what we are ready for. Letting go feels allowing the natural flow to be effortlessly, more enjoyable, and fulfilling. We let go of the fear, the attachment to the specific outcome, so we can let things happened to be more satisfying.
“The way I grew up, especially being in between different cultures and understanding where I am in them both, has affected me as I’ve gotten older because one of the biggest things for me is letting go and letting things happen. As an actor, there is a lot of rejection; there are a lot of times when things do not go our way. It’s been teaching myself to let go and knowing that something else will arise out of it. Usually, it’s a learning experience. And sometimes, for me, it was very hard. I would obsess, or it would be very challenging because I would focus on what went wrong. Why did this go wrong? Why did this not happen? Where in reality, if you could flip these questions into, ‘Okay, what did I learn from this? How can I be better prepared if this happens in the future?’ Then slowly but surely, you can manifest an opportunity that is perfect for you. Letting go is very important,” Bayardo pauses, and then continues, “I would apply the concept of letting go strongly to Fabian, the character I play in the show Acapulco. This role was completely different than anything I’ve done before. And especially Acapulco being a very colorful, lovely comedy set in the 80s, I had to, in a way, create a character that I thought would fit the mold. Fabian was introduced into this season of the show. So, when I auditioned, I was already a big fan of the show, and I just had to let go. Walter Mercado very much inspired Fabian’s movements and mannerisms, the way he is, and his persona on and off camera. So, for me, it was letting go and having a bit more fun with myself because, especially with dramas, you have to be super grounded, and you have to be serious, and you have to be still. Whereas Fabian is a more loosey character that goes with the winds. I had to tune more into that part of myself. It’s just so fun to play Fabian. I always look forward to putting on the wig and being him.”
Photography // Keenan ReedWe can judge others on how they choose to act. But first and foremost, the feeling of judgment is experienced by us. Judging or resenting others is judging ourselves for looking in the opposite direction of who we are, love. Regardless of how terrible we perceive the things that other people do, all of us are doing the best we know at any given moment. No one who loves and feels worthy would ever take advantage of anyone. And no one ever who feels good will be a villain to others. When we feel good, we are aligned with the essence of who we are. Therefore, sending equal love to the takers and the ones being taken from will enlighten them all with that love.
Bayardo expresses, “As a bilingual show, Acapulco does a great job at keeping the humor in both English and Spanish. Fabian could be seen as the season’s villain, especially in the relationship he tries to establish with Maximo. And so, for me, especially in the comedy, it’s a matter of how I can get into this character being somewhat of the villain but also being as real, genuine, and natural as I can be. I really tried to juggle both sides, the on-camera persona Fabian is as a TV host on the show, who’s super flamboyant. Then the off-camera persona is a person trying to get by and keep moving ahead, you know, in his business, and so forth, and what he can do to use others to get what he wants. But the greatest thing is that the show’s writing helps so much. And then to be able to say these words, it’s so much fun. The writers do an amazing job, and all my co-workers are great. I think what is great is that throughout the season, even though it may seem like Fabian’s trying to take advantage of Maximo, at the conclusion of it, you realize that we’re all just normal people, and we’re all trying to do our thing. And there’s a proper way to deal with every situation that is realistic. No one has to burn bad bridges, no one has to hurt anyone else, and no one has to be malicious in intent. The show’s beauty is that it deals with all these real situations that we go through, but it brings a lighthearted touch to it. Everything can be dealt with accordingly and in a great way.”
There are infinite tools available that brings us to a state of ease. Relaxing into any experience means flowing our way through life with satisfaction. For Bayardo his desire is “to ride a motorcycle from North America to South America! It’s very therapeutic. It is something I would love to share, whether through videos or taking someone with me would be amazing. But it’s also for me because you’re traveling, and you get to know so many people. There are a few motorcycle rides that I’ve done. One of them was actually when I was filming Acapulco. I rented a motorcycle and went on a trip from Puerto Vallarta all the way down the coast for about four or five hours, then into the mountains and back up the coast. We weren’t looked at every place we stopped as tourists but as adventures. And that’s just so much fun. It’s just a very magical experience. And that was one of the biggest takeaways that I got.”
By saying ‘yes’ to ourselves, we are consciously directing our energies that create worlds towards more fun, more joy, more satisfying day-to-day life experiences. It’s empowering to calibrate ourselves in the direction of more variety, therefore more stimulation that brings new asking and new desires to be born.
“My favorite aspect about myself is that I can be very easy going, open-minded. I will most likely say yes to everything because I am always down for a new experience or adventure. And sometimes I’d like to see that in others as well. Even if we’re having a bad day and things are not going our way, there will still be nice things that present themselves to us. And we have the free will to say yes or no. If we let go, and we’re a little more easygoing, you’ll realize, ‘Wow, I had so much fun, or I really needed that.’ If we all touched that nerve a little more, I think we’d all be happier.”
Like Bayardo, are you ready to embark in the adventure of letting go for more ease, fulfillment, and satisfaction?
Photography // Keenan Reed