2016 is Spanish actor Oscar Jaenada's official Hollywood crossover year

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Oscar Jaenada talks about 'The Shallows'

Never heard of Spanish actor Oscar Jaenada? You will. The year of his Hollywood crossover starts June 24 with the release of

Oscar Jaenada may not be a household name in the U.S. yet, but wait a few months.

With feature parts in "The Shallows," the Roberto Duran bio-pic starring Robert De Niro called “Hands of Stone,” and a yet-to-be titled film with Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn, the Spanish actor figures to put himself on the map in the coming year.

“This is the life of an actor. You learn from the people. You keep learning. This is my job. I don’t what will be my next step. But I do know I’m doing what I like and cinema as I like to see it,” Jaenada told Fox News Latino.

Jaenada, 41, is a Goya Award-winning actor – the Spanish equivalent of an Oscar. He won it for Best Actor in “Camarón” in 2005, and he won a Goya nomination for his role in “Noviembre” in 2003.

He’s been in several U.S. films: “Che: Part Two,” “The Limits of Control,” “The Losers,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”

Born in Barcelona, Jaenada started in Spanish television and made his feature film debut in "Lisastrata." Word of his talent spread among directors, and 40 films later, the movie deals began pouring in.

In his newest movie, opening Friday June 24, “The Shallows,” he co-stars with Blake Lively, playing Carlos, the man who escorts Lively to an isolated surfing spot that will change her life forever.

Jaenado says it’s not a movie about a shark. Instead, it's about how a person struggles with a life-or-death situation, and how they would respond to it. In this case it’s a shark, but it’s not about the shark, he said.

In another new film, Jaenada is thrilled to be working on a new film with Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn in a still untitled mother-daughter comedy.

“The director, Jonathan Levine is huge. I fell in love with this work, when he called me, I just said yes,” Jaenado told FNL.

When it comes to the diversity, or lack of it, in Hollywood, Jaenado takes it all in stride.

“Here in the U.S., I play a Latin lover or a drug dealer. But I think it will change.  I’m trying to find different characters. I’m a world citizen, I’m not a Spaniard,” Jaenada said.

“We have a lot of markets in Spanish languages. I don’t care. I’m just looking for good characters and if the characters in the U.S. are all the same, I’ll just go to another place,” he said.