The documentary American Masters: The Boomer List premieres on PBS Tuesday, September 23, and the documentary has director/photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders spotlighting 19 boomers from this highly influential generation.
One of the interviewees is John Leguizamo, an actor whose diverse career includes acclaimed on man shows and such standout films as Carlito’s Way, The Counselor and, more recently, Chef.
In the documentary, Leguizamo talks about the scant projects that were offered to himself and fellow colleagues Benicio del Toro and Luis Guzman (Leguizamo and Guzman starred together in Carlito’s Way). “If there is a really great Latin role, it didn’t go to us,” Leguizamo said during the interview. “It went to, you know, Al Pacino or De Niro. I just knew that Latin people were really funny. My family was really funny to me. And we had incredible stories to tell. Where is that on TV? Where is that in movies? Where is that in plays?”
Even though showbiz has its share of challenges, Leguizamo pushed through and has carved out a successful acting career. During his Chef interviews John Leguizamo explains how “cooking is like acting.”
“You have to really pay attention – be in the moment. There is a generosity that happens in cooking because you’re nurturing. I think acting when it has that the generosity and you’re giving instead of trying to take, it’s the best acting you’ll ever see.”
To hear Leguizamo’s full answer, and why Chef is an analogy to the film business, click on the Soundcloud bar below:
Along with Leguizamo, Samuel L. Jackson, Billy Joel, David LaChapelle, and Maria Shriver are among the 19 subjects featured in American Masters: The Boomer List.
