Word and Images by DeWayne Rogers
The Traveler
Life is good if you’re Lazaro “Laz” Alonso. Not only are you set to play FBI Agent Will Moreno in the highly anticipated NBC series “Deception,” but you’re also spending most of your spare time bouncing around the globe, immersing yourself in foreign cultures and acting as a travel ambassador for American Airlines and their travel portal BlackAtlas.com. So as Alonso takes a moment to admire the artistry of the Escadaria Selarón steps in Rio de Janeiro, the gravity of his life’s accomplishments suddenly begin to wash over him like a wave of euphoria.
“Being able to travel and see the world really makes me appreciate the blessings in my life,” he says in thoughtful reflection. “There are so many people that will never get a chance to see some of the things that I’ve seen during my travels. I’ll never take that for granted.”
Moments like this happen often while on the road with Alonso as rolling out discovered on our travels with the award-winning actor. From La Romana to Cabo to Rio, you can always count on a moment where Alonso takes a step back to think about and absorb the blessings of being a serious player in Hollywood. One such moment came two weeks before our exploration of Brazil, as our bus rode through a small Dominican village where the neighborhood leaders had gathered everyone to hold a dance competition in an effort to keep the kids off the streets. As the van drove by, Alonso asked the driver to pull over to give him an opportunity to speak to the kids.
