John Leguizamo can laugh about it now, but he says an early movie role left him “humiliated” for perpetuating stereotypes about Latinos.
The actor and comedian appeared on the Fly on the Wall podcast with SNL alums Dana Carvey and David Spade, where he discussed his career and being typecast when he was just starting out.
An immigrant from Bogota, Colombia, and raised in Queens, New York, Leguizamo got his start with small roles in movies like Die Hard 2 and Hangin’ with the Homeboys
When asked about his role in Mike Nichols’ 1991 film Regarding Henry, Leguizamo said, “I was kind of humiliated by it.” He played a robber who shoots Harrison Ford’s character, a lawyer who loses the ability to speak after the attack.
J.J. Abrams penned the screenplay. According to IMDb, Leguizamo’s character was written as “liquor store gunman.”
“I did it because I got no jobs. There were no jobs for Latin folk. There just weren’t,” he told Spade. “There were no opportunities.”
Related: John Leguizamo Urges Emmy Voters to Avoid ‘White Wash’ of Awards
Leguizamo described Hollywood at the time as “like Jim Crow,” with roles for Latino actors limited to “Latino drug dealer” while most other parts went to white actors.
He said during the ’90s, he begged his agent to get him in the room to audition for other projects so he could perform David Mamet monologues, but he was told he wouldn’t even be seen.
Carvey and Spade joked about the scarcity of Latino actors in Hollywood, mentioning Freddie Prinze, Paul Rodriguez, and Desi Arnaz as rare examples from earlier generations, that only happened “every two decades.”
“It was like, I’m perpetrating what they want to see, which is negative Latino images. I didn’t want to participate in that, but I really wanted to meet Mike Nichols because he’s one of the greats,” Leguizamo said, adding: “Even talking about it gives me PTSD.”
His first starring role came as Luigi in Super Mario Bros., which led to parts in Carlito’s Way; To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar; Romeo + Juliet; Spawn; Moulin Rouge!; Summer of Sam; and as Sid the Sloth in the Ice Age series.
Since then, Leguizamo has been an advocate for Latino representation in Hollywood.
During the 2024 Emmys, he delivered a speech emphasizing the need for more the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“What I see here tonight makes me almost happy and certainly less angry,” he said, calling the event among the most diverse in Emmy history.
Despite progress, he stressed that there is still work to be done. Recent reports show Latinos make up nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population, yet get only 4 percent of lead roles in U.S. films.
Most recently, through his MSNBC show, Leguizamo Does America, he highlights Latino chefs, artists, writers, activists, politicians, and scientists.
Listen to the interview above. Leguizamo discusses being typecast at the 8:56 mark.
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