Lately, it feels like everyone in the media is somehow connected to a famous person. In a time where the entertainment industry is overrun by nepotism babies, it’s refreshing to see creators dominate with years of trials and tribulations under their belts. Actor, comedian and director Brian Jordan Alvarez is one such figure. To limit Alvarez as just an independent creator shows little appreciation for his work; his sheer comedic and artistic genius places his work in a league of its own. The breakout “M3GAN” star has grown a substantial following on social media for his uncanny accents and hilarious skits. But Alvarez’s work has a much longer history than what has gone viral online. From his beginning as a theater student to writing and producing an award-nominated short series, the rise of Brian Jordan Alvarez is one trend that just keeps going viral.
Born in Manhattan, New York City, to a Colombian mother and American father, Alvarez began pursuing acting during his childhood. He spent most of his adolescence in Tennessee, where his mastery of the Southern accent played an enormous role in creating the characters and voices he’d use in his later content. Alvarez attended the University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. There, he collaborated with College Humor on an episode called “Gay Men Will Marry Your Girlfriends.” After college, he performed in various roles for television shows, including “Jane the Virgin,” “2 Broke Girls,” “Life in Pieces,” and “Hot in Cleveland.” He is best known for guest starring in 13 episodes of the hit sitcom “Will & Grace” where he played the character Estéfan Glória. His costar Sean Hayes, who played Jack McFarland on the show, has appeared in multiple videos written and produced by Alvarez on his YouTube channel. Alvarez has also starred in three YouTube movies, two of which he wrote and directed: “Webseries: The Movie,” “Grandmother’s Gold” and “A Spy Movie,” which his colleague and fellow actor Stephanie Koenig wrote and produced.
Perhaps the most famous web series he has written and directed is “The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo” (2016). The short series follows Caleb Gallo, played by Alvarez, who is a young, gay theater student living in Los Angeles. The series touches on deep subjects such as monogamy in LGBTQIA+ relationships, struggles with sexuality and the pressures to conform under heteronormative societal expectations. However, it presents these topics through hilariously quick-witted scenes that are exceptionally performed. The film stars Alvarez’s colleagues and fellow actors: Stephanie Koenig as the straight best friend Karen, Jon Ebeling as the confused-about-his-sexuality straight guy Billy, Antonio Marziale as Caleb’s monogamous partner Benicio and Jason Greene as the hilariously enchanting gender-fluid character Freckle. Alvarez, who played multiple roles in the production of this piece, mentioned to critics “Essentially, I love doing everything myself, so as the production grows, it’s a process finding people who I trust to take on parts of the workload that I am no longer capable of doing.” The series gained widespread recognition on social media and LGBTQIA+ online platforms. Jude Dry, a reviewer at IndieWire, captures the chaotic yet grounded-in-reality nature of the series, stating “Dates are walks, siblings are different races, gender is whatever, and sexual preference is something to be tried on like a fabulous hat.” The series played at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2016 as part of its New Online Work category. It was nominated for the Gotham Award for breakthrough series – short form and was also named IndieWire’s number one web series of the year.
While his work and acting skills have gained the recognition of reputable media outlets, nothing compares to the astronomical attention Alvarez has received on social media. Recently, his TikTok account has catapulted him into stardom, where he’s amassed a whopping 386,000 followers and over 14 million likes. His content presents an array of hysterical characters with spot-on accents, from a southern aunt to a reserved English fellow. Undoubtedly, his most famous character is his self-titled “TJ Mack” guy, a middle-aged South American husband who is infatuated with surplus merchandise stores like Marshalls and TJ Maxx. His characters have gained the attention of celebrities such as Joe Jonas and LGBTQIA+ icons Trixie Mattel and Jinkx Monsoon.
Following the extraordinary success of his work online and his brilliant portrayal of hilarious characters on television, his talent has reached the silver screen. Alvarez worked alongside “Get Out” star Allison Williams in 2022’s sci-fi-horror film “M3GAN.” Alvarez is already being hailed as a new horror star for his role as Cole, a robotic engineer tasked with fixing the quirks in M3GAN’s hardwire. The film has grossed $173 million at the box office, with a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an outlandishly funny sketch on Saturday Night Live. In an interview with Them magazine, Alvarez discussed the magnitude of working on a major motion-picture set: “When they were shooting scenes that I wasn’t even in, I would watch the monitors, because Gerard is a very precise director, and I loved watching it. And the doll — I mean, from the first time I saw that doll, I was like, ‘This is a captivating image.’ And I think that’s what created that huge initial internet boom, even when the trailer came out, because it’s like, ‘Wow, what a striking image,’ and what a good concept of what an AI doll like that for kids might look like in the next 10 years. That really is what people would buy!”
I had the pleasure of running into Alvarez in Manhattan a few weeks ago, and I can confidently say he’s just as charismatic in reality as he is on screen. With the incredible success of M3GAN and the growing recognition of his immeasurable talent, it’s only a matter of time before Brian Jordan Alvarez completely dominates the entertainment industry.
