Juan Pablo Raba Talks ‘Long Gone Heroes’ And Approach to Acting Roles

Juan Pablo Raba has carved out a successful acting career in television (“The Wild District,” “Narcos”) or film (“The Marksman,” “Freelance”). He joins a talented ensemble cast in filmmaker John Swab’s (“Run with the Hunted”) latest feature “Long Gone Heroes.” Raba talked about the “serendipity” behind his latest feature which was actually shot in a very familiar place.

“Long Gone Heroes” centers on Gunner (Frank Grillo), a special forces soldier who embarks on a dangerous mission to extract his kidnapped niece Julia (Eden Brolin) from South America. Julia is a determined journalist whose recent discovery leads to her abduction by General Roman Moreau (Andy Garcia). Juan Pablo Raba is Guapo, a trusted colleague who joins Gunner’s extraction unit. Josh Hutcherson, Beau Knapp, Mekhi Phifer, George Carroll, and Melissa Leo round out the ensemble.

Directed and co-written by John Swab, the Venezuelan set feature was shot in Colombia, the U.S., and Puerto Rico. Raba was in Colombia (his hometown) at the time so joining “Long Gone Heroes” was in the cards. A producer called Raba informing him about the production and he checked out (and appreciated) Swab’s film work. “The next week we were shooting in Colombia,” said Raba.

Guapo has a close bond with Gunner, and he’s the type of soldier who will stick to the mission and stay loyal to his company even if the mission goes south. “For me, it’s not it’s not about the weapons,” said Raba, who also starred in the History Channel series ‘Six.’ “It’s not about the act of going to war, which I have zero interest in. But there’s always something that really interests me about the psychology of the soldier and this idea that the real reason you’re fighting is for your brother on the left and for your brother on the right.”

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“Long Gone Heroes” hits theaters, Digital and On Demand September 20, 2024 via Lionsgate. We will be reviewing the feature on CinemAddicts Episode 260 later this week. Both Eric Holmes and I love Swab’s immersive action film, but more on that later.

Check out Eric’s interview with Juan Pablo Raba which has the actor talk about “Long Gone Heroes” and why some of the simplest acting roles are deceptively difficult: