Wave
Danny Ramirez on Dream Jobs and Flow States
Shirt by Brooks Brothers.
It’s time to get into Danny Ramirez. He’s 29, born in Chicago, raised in Miami, and just stepped inside Tom Cruise’s cockpit for Top Gun: Maverick. Danny’s so busy, as he’s about to appear in Claire Denis’s The Stars at Noon, but he took a minute to tell all in our work questionnaire and model the tailoring look we should all be wearing right now: louche.
———
DANNY RAMIREZ: Anywhere but not everywhere.
INTERVIEW: Where are you now?
RAMIREZ: At an Airbnb, lying in bed, searching for an apartment in N.Y.C.
INTERVIEW: Who do you work with?
RAMIREZ: Storytellers and suits.
INTERVIEW: What’s your morning routine?
RAMIREZ: Watch the sunrise, chug water, stretch my calves, shower, coffee, read, Duolingo, one game of chess, and workout.
INTERVIEW: What gives you energy?
RAMIREZ: Music, coffee, love, good stories, sports, a deadline, getting challenged.
INTERVIEW: What are you made of?
RAMIREZ: Millions of decisions and moments.
INTERVIEW: How much stamina do you have?
RAMIREZ: I have 11 staminas.
Blazer by Hermès. Shirt by Bluemarble. Pants by Conor McKnight. Tie by Lindman.
INTERVIEW: What gives you stamina?
RAMIREZ: Healthy food, running, and remembering where I came from.
INTERVIEW: How do you build stamina?
RAMIREZ: Discipline, repetition, and a bit of “fuck it.” The “fuck it” helps stretch your stamina’s capacity. It’s what allows you to endure and push when it gets tough.
INTERVIEW: How many hours a day do you work?
RAMIREZ: Zero to 24.
INTERVIEW: What’s the hardest you’ve ever worked?
RAMIREZ: I did a landscaping job during high school summer break in Miami. Or fall semester sophomore year at NYU Tisch. Hamlet, Mark Antony, Hotspur, Shylock, amongst other roles while continuing to audition.
INTERVIEW: What makes work fun?
RAMIREZ: Reaching a flow state. Although sometimes the suffering to get to a flow state is the most fun.
INTERVIEW: What’s your motivation?
RAMIREZ: My family and loved ones. Others. Stories. Miami Hurricanes football to win a Natty.
INTERVIEW: What holds you back?
RAMIREZ: Not getting started. Perfectionism.
INTERVIEW: What’s your dream job?
RAMIREZ: An epic character-piece adventure that gets to shoot all over the world with incredibly talented collaborators and a story that resonates deep. Or Scarface.
INTERVIEW: When does it feel like work?
RAMIREZ: When I’m not creatively fulfilled, when it lacks greater purpose.
INTERVIEW: What got you in trouble at work?
RAMIREZ: Honesty without tact and caring too much.
Jacket and Pants by Louis Vuitton Men’s. Shirt by Brioni. Tie Sylist’s Own. Shoes by Gola.
INTERVIEW: What do you do on your days off?
RAMIREZ: Watch movies, go to a park with my soccer ball, explore the city, and catch up on all news about the Miami Hurricanes.
INTERVIEW: What’s your favorite workout?
RAMIREZ: Putting on my cleats and doing agility and movement work, plyometrics, or sprints.
INTERVIEW: How long can you last?
RAMIREZ: Two hours. Sometimes months.
INTERVIEW: What gets you up?
RAMIREZ: Love and student loans.
INTERVIEW: What keeps you going?
RAMIREZ: Love and student loan interest rates.
INTERVIEW: What makes you sweat?
RAMIREZ: Spicy food.
INTERVIEW: How do you endure?
RAMIREZ: I lean into it.
INTERVIEW: When do you crash?
RAMIREZ: Around 1 a.m.
Shirt, Pants, and Tie by Dior Men. Watch by Tiffany & Co. Glasses by Garrett Leight.
INTERVIEW: Where do you want to retire?
RAMIREZ: At a press conference.
INTERVIEW: What keeps you up?
RAMIREZ: Potential of the day. Progress for tomorrow. Perfectionism.
INTERVIEW: What do you want to create?
RAMIREZ: A ripple.
INTERVIEW: What do you want to leave behind?
RAMIREZ: A wave.
INTERVIEW: What’s your reality?
RAMIREZ: I’d let you borrow my headset but I can’t take this thing off me.
INTERVIEW: What are you made of?
RAMIREZ: Bits and pieces from all over the world. My 23andMe says so.
Shirt by Brooks Brothers.
———
Grooming by Kumi Craig using LoLavie at The Wall Group
Production: Paige Viti and FAMILY Projects
On-set Production by Ryan Keenan
Photography Assistant Myles Gouveia and Josefina Valman
Fashion Assistant Nathan Watson
