“Dutton Ranch” Season 1 has a cast full of seasoned actors, though some faces might be hard to place at first. One actor whom some viewers have seen before is J.R. Villarreal, who plays Azul Ramos. A foreman on Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler’s (Cole Hauser) ranch, Azul helps keep everything in order amid their rivalry with 10 Petal Ranch.
Although not a super-well-known actor, Villarreal has appeared in a few projects that some will remember or will want to see after watching Paramount+’s “Yellowstone” spin-off. Villarreal started his Hollywood career as a child, first earning recognition for playing Javier in the 2006 movie “Akeelah and the Bee” alongside Keke Palmer, Angela Bassett, and Laurence Fishburne. Over the next decade, Villarreal mostly took on small roles in lesser-known movies and TV shows.
In 2022, Villarreal starred as Black Scorpion in the Disney series “Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion.” One year later, he portrayed Tio Tonio on Netflix’s teen dramedy “Freeridge,” which was canceled after one season. Yet Villarreal’s next TV ventures would provide him with higher-profile work.
Paramount+ subscribers can see J.R. Villarreal on Landman
Just two years before J.R. Villarreal made his debut on “Dutton Ranch,” he was featured on another Paramount+ Western drama produced by Taylor Sheridan. A neo-Western series set against the backdrop of the Texas oil industry, “Landman” has already aired two seasons, the first of which includes Villarreal as a supporting character. In Episodes 3 to 6 of Season 1, the actor plays Manuel, a crew member at the oilfield.
Manuel emerges in the plot when he assaults Cooper (Jacob Lofland) and gets a beating from Tommy (Billy Bob Thornton) in return. He concludes his “Landman” Season 1 arc by being arrested for his offense. In an interview with LRM Online, Villarreal described Manuel’s strengths and faults. “He’s a little hard to like, but he’s got a good heart,” Villarreal said. “His heart’s in the right place, and he’s just standing up for his family at the end of the day, so however people take that, they’re gonna take it. But he’s a little rough on the edges.”
Now figuring among the “Dutton Ranch” main cast, Villarreal has returned to the gritty world of the Western TV genre. But this time, his tenure has the potential to last many seasons.
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