We have to start this text by asking you the following: does the name Victor Rasuk sound familiar to you? No? Well, it’s about a little-known American actor. Perhaps you locate him by his character of Víctor Rodríguez in the saga of Fifty Shades, or as Chico in The Mule. The point is that he also appeared in a film that has become cult and in which he plays a living legend of skateboarding, Tony Alva. Is about Lords of Dogtown.
That film was well received by the public in 2005, the year it was released. The reason? It portrays the beginnings of skateboarding as a lifestyle in the Californian youth of the seventies through the Z-Boys, a celebrated group of skateboarders who created all the culture that is known today of skateboarding.
With the inclusion of skateboarding in the Olympics, Lords of Dogtown It became more relevant because it is one of the few fictional cinematographic works that focuses from start to finish on the universe of skateboards. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the film also gained fame after the death of Heath Ledger, an actor who participated in this title as the main character.
In Spoiler we had the opportunity to talk with Tony Alva, a legendary skater who was visiting Mexico City to inaugurate the House of Vans headquarters in that city. We talked about the movie where his figure was recreated by Víctor Rasuk in a story that is based on reality, but ultimately it is fiction.
Tony, over time, now that skateboarding has gained more relevance in sport and culture, what is your opinion? Lords of Dogtown? You like me?
I prefer the documentary (Tony Alva Story) than fiction. But the fiction of Lords of Dogtown I think it’s phenomenal, it’s a movie that kids love a lot. I think they are fascinated by it because what is being said is interesting and original (which is the rise of skateboarding in California). It is a movie that they can also watch over and over again because they find the story entertaining and they know those places, or they can feel identified.
It’s hollywood
What these types of Hollywood movies have is that they tell stories well and motivate kids to watch them many times, either because they loved a scene or they liked some detail.
The only question that jumps me with these Hollywood productions is that people can come to believe that what they are seeing is true, but reality as such was not counted. Elements are added or removed to make it fiction. Wow, it’s entertainment, just entertainment.
What feeling do you have with the documentary of your life?
It is a totally different story. With the documentary Tony Alva Story, Unlike Lords of Dogtown, people know more about me from me and other voices about everything that was and is around my life as the 64-year-old skateboarder that I am. Produced by Vans, this work is more of an exploration of myself as it relates to skateboarding.
It was performed at Sundance and other festivals. It was very well received by critics and the public. It is a film that personally has left me a lot.
I have come to the conclusion that now my heart has a mission of love, to motivate the new generations by telling them that if they feel like doing it now, whatever they want to do, do it. Today is the time.
This documentary is also a reflection so that before anyone has a vision of fame, money and power, the main thing is to learn to follow what a passion dictates. For that it is important to connect that passion with the heart and with the soul to transcend.
From that 70s skateboarding that appears in Lords of Dogtown to the current one, what has changed?
There is more technology, there are more people skateboarding and there are more places to do it. It is important to note that in some cities, the architecture takes into account the tracks or skate parks as part of the social environment. Skate culture has progressed. The revolution that began in the 1970s has borne fruit.
