“Do you happen to know John?”
Sure, I know John Leguizamo, at least on LinkedIn.
It’s probably safe to say John has no clue who I am, but I decided to take the plunge and send him a connection request based on a suggestion from a networking site.
I haven’t really followed his career lately. My main exposure to him now seems to come from when he voices his frustrations about the lack of Latino representation in Hollywood. Interestingly, he seems quite vocal about these issues.
“The Liquor Store Gunman”
I came across an article early in his career where Leguizamo expressed feeling “humiliated” by his role as a “liquor store gunman” in Mike Nichols’ film “About Henry” (1991).
He said something along the lines of, “I’m shooting this white guy [Harrison Ford], and it feels like I’m just echoing the stereotypes they want to see, including negative portrayals of Latinos.”
It’s curious that, despite feeling embarrassed by that stereotype in “About Henry,” he later embraced another Latino stereotype when playing Benny Blanco in “Carlito’s Way.” To give credit where it’s due, Benny Blanco is arguably a more memorable character than the liquor store gunman.
Leguizamo is a one-man powerhouse who carved out a niche for portraying his own Latin characters when others couldn’t or wouldn’t. These characters often lean on stereotypes, sure, but they aren’t entirely negative. It’s somewhat of a contradiction, considering this is also the creative mind behind works like “Freak,” “House of Baggin’,” and “Spic-O-Rama.”
In a chat with NBC Nightly News, Leguizamo stated, “Latinos make up nearly 20% of the population, so I want 20% of the executives, 20% of the narratives, and 20% of the major roles to really change things.”
About “us”
By “us,” he’s referring to Latinos, although he doesn’t quite know me.
That said, I’m not convinced that a perfectly balanced distribution of roles, at least in showbiz, will satisfy Leguizamo. In a landscape where actors like Al Pacino struggle to secure Puerto Rican or Cuban lead roles, it seems unlikely he’d ever be quiet.
It’s worth noting that Leguizamo doesn’t seem to seek similar equity in other professions. Can you picture him showing up at a farm or construction site demanding fewer Latinos in those roles? I think not.
So, we’ll be about 20% of the population by 2025. But rewind to 1991, and “About Henry” wouldn’t have painted a complete picture—back then, Latinos accounted for only around 9%. That number crept up a bit to about 9.5% in 1993, the year of the Bronx’s Benny Blanco. The further back you look, the fewer Latinos were present in the U.S. It’s quite a stretch to expect a fair representation considering how few there are.
Maybe you could call him self-absorbed, fitting for someone as talented as Leguizamo, who has also done a lot for himself.
Hatewatch suspended
Now let’s pivot to his latest play, “The Other Americans,” at the Public Theater. I found out about it mostly because Leguizamo was making the media rounds.
From a marketing standpoint, his appeal worked—I ended up buying a ticket. But honestly, I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of watching him perform.
Walking into the theater, I was hoping it wouldn’t be a letdown. I didn’t want that. So, I avoided reading his “Notes from the Playwright” on the flyer, not sure if that made any difference. But as I sat down in the second row, I was immediately captivated.
The set, designed to resemble a home in Forest Hills, Queens, was really well done—complete with a fenced backyard and an above-ground pool visible to the neighbors. If the Jeffersons were Latino, this would be the portrayal of their climb from Jackson Heights.
The play touches on neighborhood changes humorously. One early debate is whether an above-ground pool counts as a real pool. It’s a light-hearted jab at the idea that only underground pools are valid.
Crowd pleaser
Leguizamo takes on the role of Nelson Castro, a Colombian-American laundromat owner, and I found myself drawn in right from the moment he walked on stage—everything, from his cocktails to the playful banter with his cell phone, felt genuine. Then, when his wife Patti, played by Luna Lauren Vélez, joins him, they start to dance like any typical Latin couple, much to the delight of the audience.
It felt like you were inside a multi-camera sitcom, with audience reactions ranging from “oohs” to giggles. I think at one point, someone even shouted, “Go, girl!” when Patty spoke.
Leguizamo once expressed a desire to create a “new type of American drama,” and the setup really does seem suitable for a television pilot, although it could definitely benefit from a bit more polish in the language department.
Complex depiction
In “The Other Americans,” Nelson and Patti are gearing up for their daughter Toni’s wedding and trying to welcome back their estranged son Nick, who’s recently come home after a stint in mental health care. He’s been through a rough patch, as it turns out—assaulted during high school, leaving him traumatized.
The trauma happened on one of their home mats, with attackers attempting to stuff him into a washing machine—absurd and horrifying. The actor playing Nick, Trey Santiago-Hudson, has a lighter complexion, which adds an ironic twist to the scene.
Nelson wants to reconnect with Nick, but as a traditional Latin father, he struggles really to engage meaningfully. Picture trying to pull emotions from a son who’s just left a psychiatric unit.
Leguizamo excels in these darker moments. His portrayal is layered; Nelson isn’t just flawed but quite complex, veering into troubling territory at times.
The plot doesn’t need too much spoiling because it’s well-crafted. But one scene compares Nelson to Sisyphus from Greek mythology, adding a clever sitcom-style punchline that reminds you of the absurdity of it all. But honestly, I see more of Tantalus in him.
Who are “we”?
Leguizamo wrote:
I wanted to write a play about race, and I wanted it to be complex. I didn’t want it to be a morality play, but rather a depiction of life as we Latinx people experience it.
There’s much to unpack in his words, but a couple of points stand out. First, the unifying “we” is misleading; Latinos aren’t a monolith. I grew up in Queens, and my family owned a butcher shop in Spanish Harlem. If you think Latinos share a single identity, try calling Puerto Ricans Mexicans and see the fireworks.
Second, Nelson in the play tends to blame his misfortunes, like his failing laundromat, on “the system,” which he equates to racism. It’s also described as “the toxicity of the American Dream.” But as Nelson’s secrets unfold, it becomes evident he holds significant responsibility for his family’s struggles.
This so-called “system” seems to have served Castro quite well. Just like Leguizamo, in many ways, the system has worked in his favor.
While “The Other Americans” may not make a definitive political statement, it undoubtedly creates a powerful piece of art. Bravo, Hermano! And by the way, feel free to accept my LinkedIn invitation anytime.
