I’ve known I was going to be an actor since I was five years old. My abuelita used to call me el artista, and I guess she was right. A passion for storytelling and a deep curiosity about both my inner life and the world around me have led me down a rich and rewarding path.

I’m a West Coast kid at heart, born and raised in Northern California. I was named after my uncle Eddie—my mom’s brother—one of five Irish Catholic siblings who left their family farm in Iowa and made their way west. The “Lopez” comes from my dad, a big-hearted Spanish chef who came to the U.S. after meeting my mom in the flamenco caves of Sacromonte, in his hometown of Granada, Spain. This blend of familial and cultural histories has profoundly shaped my worldview.

I earned my BFA in Acting from the theater school at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in 2007. CalArts was a place of bold experimentation and rigorous training, where I had the privilege of learning from such visionary directors and educators as Fran Bennett, Mary Lou Rosato, Lew Palter, Denise Woods, Marissa Chibas, Lars Jan and Richard Foreman.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival became my artistic home in 2008, when then–Artistic Director Bill Rauch invited me to join the Tony Award–winning acting company. Over the course of 13 seasons across nearly 18 years, I’ve found a true home in this extraordinary repertory company, collaborating with influential artists like Lisa Peterson, Bill Rauch, Karen Zacarías, Rebecca Taichman, Sharifa Ali, Amanda Dehnert, and many more.

Outside of Ashland, I’ve had the privilege of performing on some of the most storied stages in the country—from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to Boston’s Colonial Theatre; from A.C.T. in San Francisco to the Denver Center, the Geffen Playhouse, and the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.

When I’m not on stage, behind a microphone narrating a novel, or in the classroom working with aspiring theater artists, I’m often exploring the world. Whether trekking in Nepal, meditating in India, walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain, or practicing Capoeira in Brazil, I feel most alive—and most myself—when discovering new places, learning from new people, and connecting those experiences to my craft as an artist and storyteller.