Caribbean dream
An unknown actor, now living in Salem, contends with major-league ambitions
SALEM - Algenis Perez Soto sits in his apartment and reflects on the curveball life has thrown him.
Two years ago, the aspiring professional baseball player had given up his dream of being discovered and began taking English and computer classes in his native Dominican Republic. One afternoon while he was playing a casual game of softball, filmmakers Anna Boden of Newton and her husband, Ryan Fleck, happened by. They were looking for someone to play the lead role in their movie "Sugar," about a fictional baseball prodigy drafted into the American minor leagues, where he loses his cultural and professional bearings.
The film, which opens this weekend, is Soto's acting debut, and it is earning rave reviews.
Soto, who now lives blocks away from Salem's witch-themed tourist attractions with his girlfriend, Julie Perez Diaz, is finding his own way in New England. He hones his English with textbooks and television, and enjoys navigating Boston and learning Salem. He's looking forward to playing baseball in adult leagues in Lynn when the weather warms.
He is also hoping that "Sugar" will open the door to more acting roles. Whether on camera or on the field, Soto said he believes luck plays a role in success.
"You need the right opportunity to showcase your talent," Soto said in his native Spanish. "There are players who have talent who don't get signed. I always knew that just because I played baseball, that didn't mean that I was going to play professionally."
The middle of three children, Soto was reared by his parents in a Dominican Republic suburb of San Pedro called Quisqueya. Like most of his friends, he grew up with an eye on baseball. He saw the sport not just as a game but as a means for financial survival. In his late teens, he spent three years training in a baseball program with hopes of being recruited by the big leagues. It never happened.
"I got disillusioned with baseball," Soto said. "It's a 50-50 shot."
At 20, he refocused, learned English, and worked as a front desk clerk at a hotel. But he couldn't outrun his love for baseball and continued playing for recreation.
His older brother told him about a casting call for a movie about young baseball players, but Soto skipped it so he could play softball with friends. Boden and Fleck, who wrote and directed 2006's "Half Nelson," were holding their auditions nearby and decided to stop by the field where Soto played.
"We knew he was pretty special," Fleck said. "It was his quiet confidence and that he seemed calm, and didn't seem to be performing or trying to impress us with anything."
Soto said he went along with the audition process out of curiosity. "I was number 452," he recalled. "They saw 500 guys. When I saw my number, I thought I didn't have a chance. I had never acted before."
The next day, Boden and Fleck called Soto back.
"After that initial interview, we gave him a scene and he would read with us and we'd do some improv and walk around and get to know him," Boden said. "We became more and more confident that this was somebody who could carry a movie."
Soto said he was surprised when Boden and Fleck cast him as Miguel "Sugar" Santos, the shy baseball sensation. "I still didn't believe it," said the rookie actor with the lanky build. "It was something that wasn't in my plans."
When Soto read the script, he immediately connected with the story, one often told in his island Caribbean nation where beisbol isn't just a game but a ticket to a better life. The country is known for its baseball academies, farms where teen boys are groomed to be drafted by professional American teams. The Dominican Republic has delivered top players such as Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz.
"I never played professional baseball, but I knew Miguel's story," said Soto, who sports cornrow braids, in contrast to the tight fade haircut of his character. "I have many friends who were signed to professional teams in the United States, and they end up working in jobs not related to baseball. People in the Dominican Republic know someone like this."
Filming began July 2007 in the Dominican Republic, with production moving to Arizona, Iowa, and New York City. Soto appears in every scene and used his basic English, although some scenes are in Spanish with subtitles.
He found that the most challenging part of the movie wasn't acting, which came natural to him. Soto said he had trouble playing a pitcher. He grew up playing shortstop and second base. To portray a pitcher, Soto trained with a professional coach to perfect his curveball. "We had to repeat those scenes over and over," Soto said. "There were times I couldn't lift up my arm. I was so sore."
Soto also remembers the long hours. In Iowa, where many night scenes take place, Soto began his work at midday to film the baseball scenes and returned to his hotel room at 4 a.m.
His favorite scene, one of the more endearing in the movie, featured him and fellow players drinking and singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Soto recalls with a big smile how he and fellow actors spent two hours filming a scene that only runs a few minutes in the movie. "We would laugh so hard," said Soto. "It was fun."
Soto has also been having fun promoting the movie. He attended the Sundance Film Festival and traveled to London, Los Angeles, New York, and Tampa for interviews. He also got to meet some of his Dominican idols. Sammy Sosa, Pedro Martinez, and David Ortiz attended the movie's premiere in the Dominican Republic last November. Last year Soto moved to Salem to live with his girlfriend. They met through mutual friends while she was traveling in the Dominican Republic.
Soto said he had such a positive experience making "Sugar" that he wants to pursue acting full time. He said he hopes moviegoers will walk away with a realistic portrayal about dreams unfulfilled, whether they happen in the Caribbean or Boston.
"The movie talks about baseball, but it's not just about baseball but immigration and adapting to a new culture when you don't know the language," he said. "For the baseball fans, I want them to see how hard it is to break into the professional league. They will see the story of people who never make it, the stories no one ever hears about."
Johnny Diaz can be reached at jodiaz@globe.com. 