Exclusive! 1-1 with John Ortiz

By George 'El Guapo' Roush on February 15, 2008

This morning I once again received one of my random celebrity phone calls. While I normally hang up on them, (Especially Vin Diesel. Please stop calling me! I don't want to play Dungeons & Dragons!) I decided this morning I would actually chat with one for a bit.

John Ortiz has been acting for a long time now, and his most recognizable roles recently was playing the sheriff in the Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, one of the bad guys in Mann's Miami Vice, and Russell Crowe's junkie partner in American Gangster.

Coming out on DVD Feb. 19th, John talks a bit about his role in American Gangsters, his theater group in New York, and moving out to Los Angeles. He also talks about his upcoming film projects including Public Enemies where he plays that badass mobster Frank Nitti and also talks a bit about the upcoming Fast and the Furious sequel.

How was your Valentine's Day?

Ortiz: It was actually really nice. It was nontraditional in terms of the romance or whatever part that it's associated with [laughs]. I went to the Museum of Natural History with my wife and kids. So it was kind of romantic in a whole other way which was really sweet.

I find the best Valentine's Days are the ones you're not forcing the romance. [Unless she's really, really putting up a struggle of course -Ed.]

Ortiz: Yeah. It was really cool. We just chilled and got to be together and then all of these other things, like you said, happened without it being forced.

Are you in New York right now?

Ortiz: Yeah. Where are you?

I'm in Los Angeles.

Ortiz: I'll be there in a couple of weeks with the family shooting something. That'll be exciting. We just found a house in Santa Monica which is really good. I'm actually looking forward to it. It'll be a nice change of pace.

Can you talk a little bit about your background and how you got started in acting?

Ortiz: Well, it was a big accident actually. My background is that I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York to a Puerto Rican mom and pop. We're what's described as a New Ricans. So that's my roots. I was actually studying to be a teacher in college and I kind of got sucked into it and to make a long story short I got cast in a professional show in this kind of indirect way. I did it because it was during the winter recess. I decided that I better give it a shot. It kind of felt like more than just a happy accident. That's kind of how I got my start.

So that was a start in theater?

Ortiz: Yeah.

So you were a member of The LAByrinth Theater Company then?

Ortiz: I was actually a co-founder of it and now I'm co-artistic director of it. I didn't have any formal training and theater was how I got my very first start and so I figured I wanted to create a space where I could help out, but also selfishly I could find my training and improve as an actor with the company and in doing theater. Even though I got my first film two years later in '93, or a year later, I kind of, I guess, always knew that theater was a place that I could just become a better actor. All the actors that I respected and looked up to came from a theater background. I thought I could use that opportunity to my advantage.

Have you ever talked with Phillip (Seymour Hoffman) about opening up a West Coast branch of the company?

Ortiz: We never talk about it seriously just because it takes so much energy and it's such a challenge to keep it going in New York, but because we have a lot of members that live in L.A. and go out there a lot the conversation occasionally comes up. It just becomes too much. The danger is that you lose the core of keeping something going if you branch out too much into different locations especially if you're doing theater where it's so immediate. Especially nowadays it's one of the hardest things to do, doing theater and do it in a productive way. So we just keep the channels open with our L.A. members and friends as much as we can. We keep that communication going and thankfully nowadays that a little easier with email and stuff like that.

Is it difficult for a Latino actor to get good roles in Hollywood?

Ortiz: Well, I think so. The short answer is yes, but I think what might be more accurate to say is that for Latino actors there's less of a variety. It seems like pretty much you're running across the same roles.

You're branching out in that you're going to be playing a Sicilian soon.

Ortiz: Yeah, exactly, but that's like a rarity. I'm really grateful, but again it took working with Michael [Mann] to get that opportunity. The one time that I worked with him it was playing a role that could've scared other actors away because it was the villain. He was also tied into drugs. I'm really lucky that I had that chance and that I was able to read between the lines of that character and trust Michael's vision of it. I knew that it was more than just a stereotypical role, a lot more. He was actually a pretty complex guy, I thought. Going through that channel is what got me the opportunity to play something that's wildly different.

What's more important to you when you're accepting a role; is it more the character itself or does the script have to be good or is it important the director is good? What if you find a character you fall in love with, but you feel like the movie might be shit? Do you still take that to challenge yourself as an actor?

Ortiz: I mean, in the past, like you've said there are so many different factors, a lot has had to do with the director, the writing and the role. A big factor is what I just came from doing. If I just came off of a bigger budget movie then I'll take a chance if the character is different and interesting on a smaller film where there might be a bit more unknown in those factors at play. Maybe there's less experienced people involved. Sometimes I might want to do theater because I feel like I just need to work my muscles in a certain way that I can't in film. I mean, there are so many different motivating factors.

You've got 'American Gangster' which comes out on DVD Feb. 19th. Have you seen the extra footage on that yet?

Ortiz: I haven't seen it yet. I'm actually waiting for it in the mail. I thought that I was going to get it yesterday. I'll probably get it today.

So you'll get to take a look at what you missed the first time around.

Ortiz: Yeah, it seems like a pretty cool package that they put together there. I was really lucky with the theatrical cut in terms of my stuff. Everything pretty much that I did made it into that cut. Unless there are a couple of lines here and there I'm not expecting a lot more of me or something really different, in terms of my own personal scenes in it. But like the scene with me and Russell [Crowe] in the car where we're talking about what to do with the money, that actually was cut a little bit. So maybe that'll be in there. Russell has this really great speech, trying to take my mind off the money and taking the money that starts off that scene which I think is really great. We get into that a little bit more. There's a bit of a build to that scene. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing if some of that is in there.

You've got a lot coming out too. What's 'Anatomy of Hope', directed by J.J. Abrams, about?

Ortiz: That's an HBO, hopefully, series coming out about cancer [laughs]. It's about a lot of people living with cancer, both survivors and patients that are in a terminal situation and about the doctors that treat them.

That's a rough thing for people.

Ortiz: Yeah. It's really heavy and it's just something that's so out there in the world and it's something that's been a big taboo forever, in terms of talking about it. I think that it's actually, in a weird way, that we're attempting to present something that is hopefully inspiring to people. A lot of the stories in the show have to do with living with it, actually surviving it. It's kind of refreshing in a major way.

You've got to be excited about playing Frank Nitti in 'Public Enemies'.

Ortiz: I am, yeah. He was a bad mofo, man.

How much research do you do for that? That guy's whole life is so fascinating and the whole movie could just be about him, there's so much stuff there.

Ortiz: I'm going to start doing a lot of reading. I just started a little bit. I just sort of broke into on the computer last night and was getting off on looking at pictures from back then. It's kind of like walking through a museum. That's how I like to, at least, start, checking that out and seeing what that does to my imagination and my feelings about it. It's a pretty exciting thing.

That era is fascinating to everyone, I think.

Ortiz: Especially with how much an influence cinematically it's had and continues to have. It's had an impact. When I see how far it's reached the thought of going back to the origins of it is, like I said, really, really exciting.

You've been cast in the new 'Fast and Furious' movie. Have you read the script?

Ortiz: I'm actually expecting the new draft pretty soon, since the strike over. We had the final draft before the strike which was pretty good actually, but now that the strike is over and time has passed a lot of ideas are being developed and coming into play in the newer version of the script.

Are you the bad guy in the script?

Ortiz: [laughs]  Yeah. I'm going to be a bad guy in it.

You're also getting to work with Oliver Stone in 'Pinkville'.

Ortiz: Yeah, but that film is kind of on hold now because of the strike. They kind of put that on hold, UA did. So I'm not sure when that's going to come back, but we were supposed to be in Thailand right now shooting that. That's one that hopefully will come back soon because it was pretty intense, an intense script.

What are you going to be shooting out here in Los Angeles in a few weeks?

Ortiz: 'The Fast and Furious' at the end of March. That'll be in Los Angeles and I think that we have a couple of weeks in Mexico and then during that time I'll be – in my downtime – trekking out to Chicago and Wisconsin, I think, for 'Public Enemies'. So I'll be doing some double duty.

Are you hoping to do a lot of driving in the movie, not relying on the stunt guys?

Ortiz: [laughs] I'm actually more excited about getting to drive in 'Public Enemies', believe it or not, getting to check out the older cars.

Then you've got 'Blue Blood' directed by Brett Ratner.

Ortiz: Yeah, that was actually really cool, really great. In the pilot I'm just kind of guest starring in it. I got a little cameo in there, but I actually know that I had a great time doing it. I wasn't expecting to have that good of a time. There are some really good folks in that, some great young actors. Brett was like a real revelation to me. I heard a lot of great things about him, but working with him, I just got pumped. I think that combined with them being happy with what I did I might be able to come back and pop up every now and then on that show. I totally didn't know it, but I did some research for that with the book 'Pride and Glory' which was a film that's still scheduled to come out, soon hopefully.

Who do you play in that?

Ortiz: I play a cop that's in the same team as Colin Farrell and some of the other guys that are in a sense being investigated.

What's your role in the film 'Two Lovers'?

Ortiz: In that I play Joaquin Phoenix's best friend. His best and only friend.

You're not trying to steal his girlfriend in that?

Ortiz: No. He keeps me away from the girlfriend, but we play childhood friends who now have gone their own ways and still occasionally hangout. I try to advise him on his love life and he also places bets with me because I'm a bookie on the side.

You're getting to do a lot of really fun characters.

Ortiz: Yeah. I'm really feeling good about everything, and like I said, am really grateful.

Thanks to the guys at Universal and Robert Hernandez from thinklatino.net for the chat!

Hope you didn't pop your Valentine's date! For plastic repair tips e-mail: george@latinoreview.com

Source:Latinoreview

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