Features - Humble Living
AND SO HIS STORY BEGINS...
“Back in the day I use to do a lot of street
theater on the Lower East Side (LES) and for
me it was nothing but a hobby. If someone
was to call me up and say ‘yo Lu you wanna
read this part in this play?’ I’d go ‘yea I aint
got nothing to do.’ It was a hobby. I’d do
favors for friends of mine and we’d put it up
in a street festival in the neighborhood.” Not
knowing that Luis was about to embark on a
life changing career he continued doing theater
and small roles that friends called upon
him to do. He was a natural. It wasn’t hard
for him to fall into any role he was given.
And although Luis himself didn’t seem to
recognize the depth of his talent, others did. “What really launched me into this career
I have now is that I ran into Miguel Piñero
(the late controversial actor/poet/playwright)
back when I worked in the LES as a community
activist. I worked with young people
and when I was looking for a couple of teenagers
that didn’t show up to my program I
saw him and he told me there was this TV
show that was casting in New York. I gave
him my number and got an audition. Next
thing I know I got a role on the season premiere
of Miami Vice.”
The show was a hit and Luis was a part
of it. But even that didn’t sway him into
thinking he’d be a star. “I didn’t know what
I was doing. All I know is that I wanted to
get me enough money to buy me a used car
to drive to Orchard Beach [in the Bronx] on
the weekends so I didn’t have to take the
train or bus. That’s the God’s honest truth.
If it would have been the first and last [professional
acting] that I ever did I would have
been okay.”
But it wasn’t the last professional acting
Guzman did. In fact, his resume started to
fill up with supporting roles in some of the
most memorable films to date. Even though
his acting experience dates back to 1977, Guzman impressed audiences with roles like
Panchanga in 1993’s Carlitos Way and Maurice
TT Rodriguez in 1997’s Boogie Nights.
Two totally different characters of which Luis
played to a tee. Essentially becoming the
roles he played, the former LES activist had
undoubtedly made it to Hollywood. “Honestly
I don’t even know if I prepare. You tell
me you wrote something and tell me ‘okay
Luis you’re the club owner’ my whole attitude
is I’m a club owner. And I’m not going
to act like a club owner I’m going to be a
club owner.” With so many great roles the
modest boricua from NYC claims he can’t
pick a favorite, “I could tell you it was Maurice
TT Rodriguez in Boogie Nights, I could
tell you it was Ray Castro in Traffic (2000),
I could tell you it was Alexandre Dumas in The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), I could
tell you it was Ismael in Maldeamores (2008),
I have quite a few. I’ve had so many that I’ve
enjoyed.”
LOVE SICKNESS
Fast forward to the present and you can find Luis beaming about what he calls “the best experience in my career.” Directors Carlos Ruíz Ruíz and Mariem Pérez Riera bring a talented all Latino cast to life in the roller coaster comedy/drama Maldeamores. Guzman leaves a lasting impression as he plays the role of Ismael and well…I’ll let him tell it. “When I played [Ismael] in Maldeamores I was this man who had a family, who cheated with my wife’s cousin, and not to say that I’ve been there but I know other people who have and it’s not the best feeling in the world.”
Set in Puerto Rico, the entire movie - which will hit theaters this March - is in Spanish and tells the tale of stories intertwining and tangling all at the expense of love. Right smack dab in the middle of the controversy is Ismael who Luis interprets as a quick witted, anxiety driven, ball of nerves who still manages to have a few soft hearted moments with his son. I don’t want to give too much of it away but the film is amazing and the fact that it’s told in all Spanish (English subtitles included) adds to the story’s authentic Latin flavor. “It was a beautiful script, getting to shoot in Puerto Rico a place I was born, working among great people. Doing something that’s totally different and getting to do it puro boricua all in Spanish,” he says with passion. “The Spanish language is such a beautiful, poetic language that when you listen to how it’s expressed it’s a very romantic and passionate thing. That’s why besides the performances of all the other actors in this movie that all just added to the flavor and to the magic of that film.”
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