Woodlands native Carlos Pratts lands role on FX's 'The Bridge'

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- When Carlos Pratts, Texas native and The Woodlands High School alumnus, walked into his audition for FX’s new television show, “The Bridge”, he was hopeful that he would succeed.

“I knew from the moment this role came out that it was mine,” Pratts said. “I literally called my agent and said ‘If you get me in, I will get this role’. It took a while to get an audition too, but eventually I went in and the casting directors called my agent right after I left and said to him that they wanted me to come in again tomorrow and read with everyone!”

“The Bridge” is a remake of a European series of the same name. It follows two police detectives (Diane Kruger and Demian Bichir) in their attempt to solve a case involving a serial killer that is terrorizing the border between El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. Pratts plays the son of the Mexican police detective (Bichir), Gus Ruiz. So far, only four episodes have aired since the series premiere on July 10, but Pratts promises big things for the upcoming season.

“I can’t say much but things are about to get very crazy and my character 'Gus' goes through one hell of a rollercoaster ride this season,” Pratts said.

Even though he had the opportunity to watch the original series, Pratts decided not to, so that he could make the character his own.

“The way he [Gus] was written and his dialogue with his father really had me intrigued,” Pratts said. “I just knew there were so many elements to this character that I could really sink my teeth into… and I was right!”

This is the actor’s first role in the mainstream business and his transition has been exciting.

“I’ve done guest spots on different shows and small independent films but this is a huge transition,” Pratts said. “[It’s] overwhelming at times because I had a life before and now I have to blend the two together. Reading a lot of scripts, having meetings with network executives, working on two different projects at the same time, and then trying to also live my life, stay in touch with friends, etcetera."

Pratts keeps a very humble attitude towards his newfound fame, however it also has many perks.

“I do get to do some awesome stuff as well that I never would have been able to do,” Pratts said. “I mean last night I was at a Celebrity Poker event as one of the ‘celebrities’. I’m not a celebrity! The only people that think of me [as one] are my parents and my 8-year-old little brother! To everyone else I’m just Carlos. It’s a little weird but I’m taking it slow and enjoying these new opportunities that are coming my way.”

Although The Woodlands High School has a thriving theater department, it was not until after high school that Pratts decided to actively pursue acting as a viable career choice.

“When I was a kid I wanted to be an actor but that changed everyday,” Pratts said. “At one point I wanted to be in the NBA and other times I wanted to be a Power Ranger or a Ninja Turtle. When I was 19 I decided to move to California to chase this dream and I’m glad I did.”

Unfortunately, acting is not something one can just fall into successfully on the first try and the road to achievement was not always smooth for Pratts.

“Waiting tables trying to pay your bills only goes so far,” Pratts said. “A lot of times I would have to miss shifts to go to auditions which made my life so financially stressful. But I’ll tell you firsthand, every strawberry lemonade refill was worth it! I learned a lot about life and it makes me appreciate this time in my life that much more.”

Tune in to “The Bridge” every Wednesday at 10 p.m. on FX. For more information on Carlos Pratts’ previous and upcoming projects, visit his IMDB page.