A conversation with the director of “Pedro”

Nick Oceano knew making a movie about the life of Pedro Zamora wasn’t just going to be just any other directing job. But the director whose resume consisted of the film El Primo and the short Dog Tags proved that he was up to the task with Pedro, the MTV movie debuting April 1.

“I was brought on as the director very late in the game,” Oceano said during our recent chat. “This project was going on for many years in development. It was very important to so many people to tell this story authentically and with passion. So, there’s definitely a pressure – because it’s based on real people – to get the details right.”

Zamora was already a wel-known AIDS activist when he was chosen to be a part of Real World: San Francisco in 1994. His eloquence and story deeply touched viewers and when he died just as the final episode of the season aired, even then-President Bill Clinton mourned.

The houseguests from that landmark season – Puck, Rachel, Pam and Judd etc. are all played by actors in the film. But anyone who thinks the movie is some kind of silly impersonation, they are very wrong. It’s a moving film that includes Pedro’s difficult childhood coming from Cuba to the US with his parents and two siblings during the Mariel Boatlift but having to be separated from five older brothers who were forced to stay behind. Pedro’s mom died when he was 13 and he found out he was HIV-positive at 17. The movie does not spare viewers from the physical deterioration of his final months.

“We’re so impassioned about this project and so much effort was made to tell this story in a way that was honest and true to life,” said the director. “I’m very, very happy with the film. Very proud.”

The script for the film was written by Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black and Oceano feels like getting the chance to direct it was thne opportunity of a lifetime.

“What’s really, really meaningful for me is I was this gay, closeted kid in Texas growing up and was 18 when I saw Pedro on The Real World and he had a tremendous impact on me and planted the seed for me to come out,” he said. “And so, to be part of a film that not only continues his legacy but brings the story to a new audience is amazing.”