Red Carpet Ready – Ricky Rico of Katy Joins Cast of Television Show

Katy viewers who tuned in to the new CBS situation comedy Rob, which aired on January 12 in the 7:30 pm time slot, may have noticed a familiar face among the cast:  Alexander Elementary fifth-grade student Ricky Rico. Rico joined the cast after testing against other actors for the role. He actually replaced an actor who had been originally chosen for the part. The show decided Rico was the right choice. Other cast members include title character Rob, played by Rob Schneider, Cheech Marin, Lupe Ontiveros, Claudia Bassols, Eugenio Derbez, and Diana Maria Riva. The premise of the show revolves about a man who marries into a Mexican-American family.

Rico is a natural when it comes to acting. He has the personality, drive and ambition that seems to open doors for him, and it runs in the family. His family was chosen to participate in NBC’s Great American Road Trip, a reality show that aired in 2009. Since then, he has racked up numerous television commercials and signed with an agent, the same agent who represented Jonathan Taylor Thomas of the popular show Home Improvement.  “She loved him right away,” says mom Erica Rico about Ricky’s agent. Erica is a local celebrity herself as a co-host of Houston’s 93Q Morning Zoo radio show. “She told us that Ricky had something really special about him and more charisma than any of the other child actors she has  ever represented.”

Now Ricky is ready to hit the Red Carpet after being picked up for more episodes and being asked to attend the premiere and press junkets. He especially loves having the catered food on the set, a dressing room with his name on the door and his own designated parking spot. Erica says that she prefers his acting to be during the summers only so that he can still have a normal school life. Ricky is an avid reader, and enjoys science and social studies, but like many his age, ranks recess and lunch at the top of his favorites list. He also stays busy with baseball, soccer, football, fencing and taekwondo.

One thing he misses while he is away from home is the friendly people in Katy. He is a very giving child and likes to help others. He donates ten percent of his earnings to the Snowdrop Foundation to help their fundraising efforts to support patients and families at Texas Children’s Cancer Center.

Ricky is lucky to have a very loving, close family, and it would be a surprise to no one if they ended up on another television show in the near future. In the meantime, he still has his chores around the house and homework to keep up with. That is, until Hollywood starts calling, and he heads out there to make sure his dressing room is just the way he left it, with his name and a star in big letters on the door.