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Q: Where is your family from?
A: Cuba and I was born in Miami.
Q: Your claim to fame is that you can change a tire in one minute 19
seconds?
A: That's true. I have a love for old and exotic cars and they break
down a lot. In order to really enjoy them you have to get good with
them. If you plan on spending a Saturday afternoon with a girl you
are crazy about and you are going to go for a drive along the coast
in your convertible then the chances are your tyre is going to go,
the radiator is going to blow.
Q: Doesn't it ruin the date if you have to get all dirty changing a
tyre?
A: They love it. Ask any woman in the room - how sexy is it when
their guy is all sweaty and has oil all over his face.
Q: How about being the sensitive guy in the movie?
A: It was treat being able to play a guy who isn't the tough guy. It
was nice to play the sweet, innocent guy and let other people do the
crazy stuff.
Q: And you don't play an obvious Latino role in this movie?
A: You don't want to limit yourself - you want to grow. You want to
be able to play all those roles. I love what guys like Denzel
Washington and Andy Garcia have done. They have crossed the line.
Denzel plays the same roles that Tom Cruise would. Hopefully, 20
years from now, we will be talking about my 18th movie. To just play
the same thing over and over would be scary. People expect me to be
the Latino. So in this film to play a role like Jeff Foreman who is
a small town sweet guy was fun. So hopefully people will think this
is a cool change.
Q: Is there a showbiz background to your family?
A: As a kid I grew up around music, my uncle started The Miami Sound
Machine in the 1970s. And my family was always very close with Andy
Garcia, so as his career was growing I had the opportunity to be
around and share that excitement. But although I was always an
entertainer I never thought of myself as an actor. I played music
and whenever I had the chance to perform live I would. But it was
always for my pleasure for myself than a career choice. I play
piano, guitar and drums...I love it.
If I was better I would be a rock star. I never had plans to be an
actor, I was in law school, I was engaged I was about to get
married, lease a BMW and send my kids to school. And I was ready to
do it until I was miserable for six months. It was a dark winter in
Boston.
Then I went to a bar and as I was having a bowl of soup it hit me!
It was as clear as day - got to LA and be an actor. I heard a voice
and the next day I sold my car, dropped out of law school and went
to Los Angeles. Now seven years later I'm still here.
Q: When you did Speed 2 and were on the set for six months for one
line did it seem like you'd made a mistake?
A: It was a helluva line....'I took my pants off.'.. [laughs] No I
never thought that I'd made the wrong decision. I don't know if it
was faith or being naive but I always knew that things would work
out. I still feel that now. It's not like I've made it but I hope I
will continue to grow and have opportunities like those I've had.
Q: You have worked with Andy Garcia in his directorial debut on Lost
City, what was that like?
A: Knowing him when I was young was different to sitting with him in
a tobacco field at 3am, it's raining and the cameras are
rolling...you are doing a scene; you're holding each other and
crying! It was a dream come true. To look at a call sheet that said
... Dustin Hoffman, Bill Murray, Enrique Murciano! It was an
absolute treat.
The movie takes place in Cuba in the 1950s and tells the story of
two brothers - one takes a conservative approach to revolution, the
other follows Castro and Che. I play the second character. It tells
the story of what the revolution cost a lot of families.
I think Andy Garcia has done a great job at telling an honest story
and illustrating how much was lost. It is daring for me to say this
but it is the Cuban version of The Godfather. It's a big movie. The
acting is impeccable. I've never seen Bill Murray be this good and I
love him, he is one of my favourites.
Q: Have you been to Cuba?
A: No I won't go until the time is right for me to go. My family
lost everything years ago. It's a very touchy topic with myself. It
would be hard for me to go and enjoy the rum and cigars and be able
to ignore that there are people who live a miserable existence. But
I would love to go, I dream of Cuba every day.
Q: You said your family lost everything?
A: My mom moved to Johnston City, Tennessee in 1960 with eight
sisters and $9. It was tough. It was about losing your history and
identity.
Q: When did you do that Cuban movie?
A: At the same time as this. I did this, the Cuban movie and my TV
show all at the same time. I didn't speak for three months after
that. It was difficult but at the same time it was like being a
fisherman who goes out and the fish are biting and you have the
thrill and excitement that keeps you going. As an actor to play
three different roles in three movies that I am so proud of was
marvelous. If the fish are biting you keep pulling them in the boat.
Think about being tired afterwards.
Q: You worked with Sandra on Speed 2, is she still the same person
today?
A: I think the reason Sandy is so successful is because she's
Sandy... period. I don't think she has ever let success or the way
people perceive her change who she is. There is a reason why people
love seeing her movies...it's because you go to see Sandy and it's
like seeing an old friend. You hope that friend won't change and I
haven't seen her change one little bit.
People think of her as the girl next door - my neighbor doesn't look
like Sandra Bullock! Neither is she a producing power house like
Sandra. Nor does she have the comedic skill or timing or chops as an
actress to achieve the things that Sandra Bullock does.
Q: Is Sandra funny all the time during filming and was it hard to
stop yourself laughing?
A: Every day. It was very difficult to keep a straight face. But I
learned a lot from her, not just about the acting but as a human
being.