Last weekend, Mercersburg Academy buzzed with excitement as Academy Award-winning actor Benicio del Toro ’85 returned to his alma mater. Best known for his iconic roles in Traffic, The Usual Suspects, and Sicario, del Toro brought personal stories and thoughtful advice to campus for current students.
Del Toro shared candid reflections, saying, “For every success you see, there [are] so many rejections and doubts. To survive all that, I think I developed short-term memory—because you have to turn the page and move on.” Originally a business major at the University of California-San Diego, del Toro enrolled in an acting class because it seemed “easy.” Instead, that class sparked a lifelong passion for acting that would shape his life and career.
Returning to campus, del Toro reflected on Mercersburg's impact on his journey: “[While] I’m looking at the campus, and I'm looking at this ecosystem where I grew up, I thought about myself here. Because of Mercersburg, I got the tools to become an individual—[to] have my own thoughts, my own ideas—and later, when I left Mercersburg, everything came into place.”
Science teacher Jim Malone coached del Toro on the varsity basketball team during his time at the Academy. Malone recalled the actor’s days as a student-athlete: “He was a real leader. He was a happy kid. He was a fun kid. He was a responsible kid. I coached him in basketball, and his senior year he was team captain—he led the team on the scoresheet and in the lockers. [He was] a great student of the game.” Regarding del Toro’s most recent return to Mercersburg, Malone said, “He's stayed in touch. I’m always delighted to spend a few minutes with him when he's here.”
Del Toro’s visit extended beyond being interviewed by school archivist and Film Studies teacher Doug Smith, with a special screening of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, a film featuring fellow Academy Award winner and Mercersburg alumnus Jimmy Stewart ’28, followed by a Q&A session.
The movie was appreciated by the Mercersburg community. Shine Jo ’25 said, “I love the movie. I feel like his expressions are just priceless. You can't have that good of an expression Jimmy Stewart has, and even though the movie is black and white, it still had so many emotions and colors. Benicio and I talked about the hat, which meant a lot in that movie, representing his whole emotional journey throughout the movie.”
Many students were left with lasting impressions and lessons learned. Maddie Weiss ’25, who interviewed del Toro for her senior capstone project, said, “He said some really insightful things. He constantly said throughout that he always loves an underdog. I think the film he showed really reflected his humbleness and how down-to-earth he is.”
His presence was also felt through more personal interactions throughout the day. Director of Capstones JD Bennett stated, “What I've enjoyed the most is watching him interact with students. He's been so patient and so gracious; he must have posed for 500 photos today. He was signing autographs when he met with Stoney Batter. How engaged he's been with everyone has made the day feel really inclusive.”
Jo added, “I'm going to a big college, and he also gave me a lot of advice on how to meet people, and that it's okay to be alone sometimes, just not lonely. It was a lot of life advice, especially from someone so experienced.”
Weiss echoed the sentiment: “As someone who's going to NYU Tisch next year and studying at the same studio he did [the Stella Adler Studio], what he told me about his experience there just makes me even more excited.”