Mercersburg Academy welcomed acclaimed actor and alumnus Benicio del Toro ’85 back to campus for a special visit April 11, 2025, during which time he connected with students and faculty through academic, artistic, and community activities that celebrated his remarkable career and encouraged the next generation of storytellers and creatives.

Throughout his career, Del Toro has earned critical acclaim and widespread recognition for his remarkable performances. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic, a performance that also garnered a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA, and the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, among other accolades. His work in Alejandro González Inarritu’s 21 Grams earned him an Oscar nomination and the Audience Award for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. Read more about his career.

During his visit, Del Toro began the day immersing himself in Mercersburg’s arts program, attending painting and studio art classes taught by faculty member Syd Caretti P ’24, ’26, as well as Doug Smith’s P ’23, ’24 art cinema course.

Del Toro later appeared on stage with Smith for an all-school meeting that featured a Q&A session with clips from his past work, and trailers for two upcoming films, The Phoenician Scheme and One Battle After Another. 

“Sometimes it’s not about knowing everything,” del Toro told the students. “It’s about allowing yourself to get lost—and then finding something real in that process.” He reflected on the curiosity and discipline that have shaped his decades-long career, emphasizing the importance of patience and persistence in creative work: “It takes time to learn how to wait for the right moment to say something true in a performance—or in life.”

At the conclusion of the meeting, Alumni Council Vice President Katie Stover ’07 presented del Toro with the 2025 Alumni Council Medal for Distinguished Achievement, recognizing his extraordinary contributions to the world of film. The award was given during his visit as he will be unable to attend his 40th reunion in June, with his classmates. Upon accepting the award, del Toro credited Mercersburg for giving him the courage and the tools to succeed. Addressing the students, he said, “Have fun, and if you have to take the road, you don’t have to take the main road. It’s okay to get lost a little bit.”

In the afternoon, del Toro attended a student rehearsal of 12 Angry Jurors, part of the school’s Performance Group Activity program, before joining students and faculty for dinner. That evening, he introduced a special campus-wide screening of the 1939 Frank Capra film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington in the Simon Theatre. The movie features Jimmy Stewart, Mercersburg Class of 1928. The screening was followed by a discussion of the film. Throughout his time on campus, del Toro generously answered student questions about his career and profession, offering insights and lots of encouragement. 

“I am so grateful that we got the opportunity to have dinner with him,” said Shine Jo ’25, who is interested in minoring in film in college. “He taught us a lot about the process of going into the film industry. He talked about his studio work and also gave us a lot of tips on going to college.” 

See photos from his visit here.