My mother's a Peruvian Indian from Lima who raised me and my four brothers and sisters as a single mom.

I've made a career over the last seventeen years of mostly playing men in uniform, especially cops. The one thing for an actor that is death, is if you're bored. The boredom will show in your work.

I've always felt that acting is acting, at the end of the day, so whether you're doing comedy or heavy drama or anything else in between, you always have to bring a semblance of honesty to it. It's all make believe.

I've always said that Miguel Pinero's story is a quintessential American tale. An immigrant who comes to this country, is immediately marginalized to the lowest economic level and persecuted because of his skin color and, in spite of all the obstacles put in his way, he becomes a huge popular success.

I'm used to the fact that the world views movie actors as personalities. I'm in the extremely fortunate position of making a living at something I'm passionate about. It's all about choices. By the nature of what I do, I make a choice. I invite them in.