Franklin Grad in New Movie With Dermot Mulroney

I always try to give some recognition to El Paso actors at the start of their career.

Who knows? Maybe one day they’ll win an Oscar and thank me in their acceptance speech.

Melissa Diaz is a native of El Paso who went to Franklin High School. In just her first year auditioning in Hollywood, she landed a starring role in an action-adventure movie called “Ruthless” with well-known stars Dermot Mulroney (“My Best Friend’s Wedding”) and Jeff Fahey (Stephen King’s “Lawnmower Man”, “Lost”).

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Melissa’s story of show business success is a short one, but similar to many: saw a musical, fell in love with it, decided to pursue it and give it her all. Here’s the story and interview our news partners at KVIA ABC-7 did with the young actor.

“Ruthless” was released just last month. It stars Diaz as a high school wrestler who is abducted. Her coach, played by Mulroney, is some kind of secret John Wick who makes it his mission to rescue her. It’s like “Taken” if it had been direct to video.

Diaz says she studied theater in Mexico City and that being bilingual and raised in a border community are things she thinks will help her on her Hollywood journey. Here’s wishing Melissa all the best.  The actress has also had smaller roles in 2 other movies, all since 2022. She also has an episode of “S.W.A.T.” from 2020

“Ruthless” is streaming now on Apple-TV Plus and Amazon Prime.

Here is the trailer for the movie: