I've always studied our empires to empower myself, you know, and to have ammunition against anybody who could try to put me down.
I think I always have Woody Allen in mind whenever I'm creating anything. He's such a genius, and I think 'Annie Hall' is one of the greatest movies ever written.
I was familiar with that and 'Rio Bravo.' 'Rio Bravo' was what John Carpenter did, that brilliant move of taking a western and turning it into an urban flick. And from there you got, you know, all the cop genre movies of the time.
All artists draw from their lives, except they mask it and camouflage it... which is the smarter way to do it.
Chopin or Billy Eckstine or Miles Davis - that stuff helps me, more when I've already written and I need a little energy to keep editing.
I was always writing. I was writing in high school because it was a really competitive school for class clowns; I used to have to write all of my snaps and my disses the night before and then act like I was making it up the next day.
We need to stand up and become a united front against a common enemy. It's important for us to not be divided.
Movies, like old-school TV, are cheesy, corny. Movies are not exciting anymore. They're not cutting edge.
Imagine if Lin-Manuel Miranda had tried to do 'Hamilton' first in Hollywood. They would have told him, 'The forefathers weren't Latino or black. They didn't speak in hip hop.' That would never had gotten going in Hollywood ever. But theater let Lin-Manuel him do it, and he created an incredible masterpiece.
I like drama. I love being in a drama where I get to be the funny guy. That's what I really love the most.
Independent film is for actors that love to act.
I love independent films, it's the only place as an actor you're totally allowed to breathe.
Working with Michael Shannon and Taylor Kitsch was incredible.
I was growing up and maturing at a time where we were invisible, man. We were nowhere except negative. Any time you saw a Latin person in Hollywood or on TV, they were some sort of negative character.
I'd love to do some period pieces and some historic work; I just feel like no one's tapped into Latin history and Latin contributions to the making of America, and we've been there over 500 years.
I feel I don't get credit enough for it, the pioneering I did in comedy.
Latins for Republicans - it's like roaches for Raid.
Most of the great directors I've worked with - De Palma, Spike Lee - like rehearsals.
Rehearsals make a huge difference.
