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John Leguizamo

John Leguizamo Quotes

Actor

John Leguizamo, born on July 22, 1964, is an American actor known for his versatility in film, television, and Broadway. He gained attention for his performance in 'Tony Tony Chaz' in the 1980s. Leguizamo's career has spanned various genres, including comedy, drama, and action.

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Famous John Leguizamo Quotes

“It takes time to understand yourself, to go inside yourself and to question yourself and really take yourself to task. That's self-expression.”

Self Expression Tasks Take Time Self Expression It Takes Time

Author:John Leguizamo

“Teachers are everything. I mean, you're a poor kid from the ghetto, your parents are busy working 24/7, working like a Mexican.”

Mean Kids Parent Poor Teacher Busy Mexican Ghetto

Author:John Leguizamo

“Don't confuse the beginning of my world with the breakup of yours.”

Author:John Leguizamo

“I love life, man, and I embrace every minute of it so maybe I bring that on the set. I love people and I want to have a good time.”

People Men Want Minutes Embrace Good Times Love Life Having A Good Time I Love Life

Author:John Leguizamo

“Acting is kind of a calling for me so I'm just happy to be there and do great work.”

Kind Acting Calling Great Work

Author:John Leguizamo

“That's the happiest I am, when I'm doing great work.”

Author:John Leguizamo

“You can't really walk anywhere. Where are you going to go? Everything closes at a certain hour and it's a highway with bars on it; that's what it is.”

Certain Hours Walks Bars Highways

Author:John Leguizamo

“My mom [comes] to see my shows because she's so proud, but I'm talking about losing my virginity, my ex-wife and our sexual problems, and she's sitting in the front row smiling. I just go, "Mom, you can't sit in the front row, you can't smile. You have to go way in the back and dress in black. If I see you it's like you're breaking in when I'm having sex with my wife. It's just wrong."”

Ifs Way Shows Problem Sex Black Talking Wife Fronts Like You Mom Proud Losing Sitting Dresses My Mom My Wife Exes Virginity Having Sex Ex Wife

Author:John Leguizamo

“So many people, my friends and family, were all saying, "You're so funny. Why don't you become a comedian or an actor?" But it wasn't a reality at the time, it wasn't a road that Latin people were accepted in.”

People Reality Actors My Friends Accepted Comedian Latin Family And Friends

Author:John Leguizamo

“I was always writing. I was writing in high school because it was a really competitive school for class clowns; I used to have to write all of my snaps and my disses the night before and then act like I was making it up the next day.”

Writing School Used Night Next Class High School Next Day Clown Snaps

Author:John Leguizamo

“I love life, and I embrace every minute of it.”

Minutes Embrace Love Life I Love Life

Author:John Leguizamo

“I grew up with a lot of cats like that and they always were so surprising, magnetic, and electrifying. You can't be with them too long because they burn you out but the energy, the impulsivity, and the freedom connecting them to their animal energy is just so powerful to watch. It's dangerous to live like that but it's riveting to watch.”

Long Energy Animal Powerful Watches Dangerous Grew Grew Up Cat Surprising Connecting Magnetic

Author:John Leguizamo

“Tennessee Williams, one of my favorite playwrights, [lived] down there. You always heard about the Keys and how amazing they are and, well, it's like a highway with some bars on it.”

Wells Heard Keys My Favorite Bars Highways Playwright Tennessee

Author:John Leguizamo

“It might have been really cool back in the '50s when it was less populated but I don't know.”

Knows Has Beens Might Might Have Been Really Cool

Author:John Leguizamo

“I knew Linda Cardellini from when we did ER together - she was always great, such a cool spirit.”

Together Spirit

Author:John Leguizamo

“I had to work with Ben Mendelsohn who's one of the great actors of our time. I had a lot of scenes with him and I was thrilled to be on the set with him; I just wanted to see how we were going to play it.”

Play Wanted Actors Scene Our Time Great Actors

Author:John Leguizamo

“I don't know if tennis players feel like that but when you have a great opponent - although I didn't feel like he [ Ben Mendelsohn ] was an opponent - you just know your game is going to jack up and it's just going to raise the bar. I couldn't wait for that elevation.”

Ifs Knows Feels Games Waiting Player Raises Bars Opponents Tennis Elevation Tennis Player Raising The Bar

Author:John Leguizamo

“When I started performing I was like, "Holy hell, how am I going to survive this?" I was giving it my all in 15 minutes but now I had to do it for two hours.”

Giving Two Hours Hell Minutes Holy Performing

Author:John Leguizamo

“I wasn't even in a theater because I guess nobody believed in me, so I was in the hallway of a theater on a platform that they would move so the main stage show could go on at eight o'clock and I'd be gone.”

Shows Moving Gone Stage Goes On Theater Eight Clock Platforms Hallways

Author:John Leguizamo

“The New York Times made you or broke you.”

Made New York Broke New York Times

Author:John Leguizamo

“I was working at Kentucky Fried Chicken when my math teacher said, "You're failing in school, you're messing up, why don't you just try this?" I said, "Alright, let me try it," and I started going to acting classes and I loved it. I thought, "I may not make it but I love doing it."”

Trying May Said School Acting Class Teacher Failing Let Me Math Chickens Alright Kentucky Acting Classes Fried Chicken Math Teacher Messing Up

Author:John Leguizamo

“I'd be terrified even now for a Latin kid wanting to be an actor, but back then? Forget it. They must have thought I was going to be working in restaurants and driving cabs for the rest of my life.”

Kids Actors Forget Driving Restaurants Latin Terrified Forget It Cab

Author:John Leguizamo

“First I went to C.W. Post and I was a psychology and theater major and then I transferred to NYU's Tisch School of the Arts as a drama major.”

Firsts Art School Psychology Drama Majors Theater Posts Nyu

Author:John Leguizamo

“I would be jokesmithing. I had files with tons of disses that I would try to write as I was on the train going to school.”

Writing Trying Would Be School Train Files

Author:John Leguizamo

“At Murry Bergtraum [High School] if you were really funny you sat at this table at with all of the funniest dudes, the toughest, the coolest - everybody sat at that table. It was like the ghetto Algonquin Round Table. [Comedy] was my entry, my membership card.”

Ifs School Comedy High School Tables Rounds Cards Sat Ghetto Entry Membership Algonquins

Author:John Leguizamo

“It was at a performance art space that's no longer around, Gusto House... All of these great performers from all over the country lived on the Lower East Side, and they would take somebody's living room that opened right onto the street, open the door and charge tickets and put up chairs.”

Art Country House Sides Space Rooms Doors Streets Performances East Chairs Performers Tickets Living Room Performance Art East Side Gusto

Author:John Leguizamo

“I did the bible as told through Hispanic people and they laughed and applauded. I thought, "Oh my god, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life."”

People Want Laughed Hispanic

Author:John Leguizamo

“I think Brad [Furman] crafted an amazing film [The Infiltrator]. It's so complex, it's incredibly thrilling, incredibly touching and it's what people have been trying to do for years in Hollywood, is to try to capture what it's like to be undercover, what is that duality of life? And I think that Brad really caught that.”

People Thinking Trying Years Has Beens Film Hollywood Complexes Caught Touching Capture Thrilling Duality Brad Undercover

Author:John Leguizamo

“I did Brad's first film The Take and I'm glad Brad [Furman] has not calmed down. I don't want him to ever calm down.”

Want Firsts Film Calm Glad Want Him Brad Calm Down

Author:John Leguizamo

“I love his [Brad Furman] ferocious desire for perfection and his love of vitality, it feeds me, man. It feeds him and it feeds the whole crew. And he's got huge respect for talent. And that's why talent goes in and gives it 300% percent.”

Men Giving Whole Desire Talent Huge Percent Perfection Crew His Love Vitality Brad

Author:John Leguizamo

“[Brad Furman] is incredibly collaborative, man. He's so respectful of talent, he has so much admiration for talent. He nurtures you, he lets you give input. Of course we'll debate if we disagree, that's just a healthy atmosphere to air your differences.”

Ifs Men Giving Courses Differences Air Talent Healthy Debate Atmosphere Admiration Disagree Nurture Respectful Input Brad

Author:John Leguizamo

“[Brad Furman] wants to try stuff, he's willing to try stuff. And he wants electricity on the camera. And that's what I want, I want electricity whenever I'm performing.”

Want Trying Stuff Willing Cameras Performing Electricity Brad Willing To Try

Author:John Leguizamo

“It's a product of being an actor, you know? A lot of your work doesn't end up on camera and some of the best things aren't always in the final product. But yeah, a lot of my stuff got cut and it was painful, but I know it was for the better of the movie.”

Knows Ends Actors Stuff Cutting Products Cameras Yeah Finals Painful Best Things

Author:John Leguizamo

“Bryan Cranston has got such an incredible light touch. He comes in egoless, but with bold opinions, and he wants to play. He wants to play. And that's what I've seen in great actors all my life and what I've always tried to nurture and keep in myself is that joy of playing.”

Want Play Light Joy Actors Opinion Incredibles Nurture Great Actors Bryan

Author:John Leguizamo

“You just want to go off and be intuitive and wild, and that's what Bryan Cranston brings to the game.”

Want Games Intuitive Bryan

Author:John Leguizamo

“Bryan Cranston is generous, he's funny. When we did a wedding scene [in The Infiltrator ], at the end of the movie with a big set piece, he put the veil off the bride, he put it on, he pretended like we were getting married, he's just a goof.”

Ends Bigs Pieces Scene Married Generous Veils Brides Getting Married Bryan Goofs

Author:John Leguizamo

“Pablo Escobar is one of the great stories of all time. It's a bizarre, dark version of success.”

Stories Dark Versions All Time Bizarre Pablo Escobar

Author:John Leguizamo

“It's the flip side of illegal success. This man [Pablo Escobar ] turned a small-time drug thing into a large industry. An international, successful industry. And he almost took a country, Columbia, he took it almost hostage, took over it. It was incredible.”

Men Country Sides Successful Industry Drug Incredibles International Over It Illegal Flip Hostage Columbia Pablo Escobar

Author:John Leguizamo

“I've been hurt so many times I don't have the balls for it anymore.”

Hurt Balls Been Hurt I've Been Hurt

Author:John Leguizamo

“I had my neck hurt for like five years, I could barely move my neck from doing this stunt, I almost died twice doing stunts, it's really dangerous.”

Years Moving Hurt Five Dangerous Died Five Years Necks

Author:John Leguizamo

“The more times you do something, the more likely it is you're going to get it wrong.”

Author:John Leguizamo

“I read that 36% of Latin kids drop out of high school, and we're the most bullied minority in schools right now. And my son had troubles in elementary school. So that made me really question being Latin in the United States.”

Made States Kids School United United States Trouble Son Right Now High School Minorities My Son Latin Bullied Elementary School

Author:John Leguizamo

“The difficulty of being a Latin kid, a Latin man in this country [U.S].”

Men Country Kids Difficulty Latin

Author:John Leguizamo

“I'm hoping my play opens up conversations, I hope it makes people question textbooks, I hope it makes #OscarsSoWhite and #HollywoodSoWhite question things. I hope my play sparks conversation between Latin kids and Latin parents and people start doing their own due diligence as well, I think it's everyone's responsibility.”

People Thinking Wells Play Kids Parent Responsibility Conversation Dues Latin Sparks Diligence Textbooks Due Diligence

Author:John Leguizamo

“I gotta tell, that's one of the things in Hollywood that has not been a barrier. I've gotten lots of offers, and I did try my hand at it, I directed two commercials. I won best commercial of ad week [laughs] on my first try.”

Trying Firsts Two Hands Laughing Week Offers Hollywood Barriers Ads

Author:John Leguizamo

“I did an HBO movie called Undefeated that I directed. It was too hard.”

Hard Hbo Undefeated

Author:John Leguizamo

“I had a whole new respect for directors.”

Whole Directors

Author:John Leguizamo

“I really love it, I love working with directors that are very collaborative and allow me input. I've done over 75 films, it's just like you're an apprentice. You learn so much about camerawork, lenses, and I'm always talking about DPs and directors and they always give me lists. I think pretty soon, I'll be ready to move away from being in front of the camera.”

Thinking Giving Done Film Moving Talking Fronts Ready Like You Directors Give Me Cameras Lists Lenses Input Apprentice

Author:John Leguizamo

“Rehearsals make a huge difference.”

Differences Huge Rehearsal

Author:John Leguizamo

“With kids, the days are long, but the years are short.”

Inspirational Years Long Kids Parenting

Author:John Leguizamo

About the Author

Born: July 22, 1964
Known for: Actor
Quotes: 107

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