Actor, writer, and Emmy winner John Leguizamo sat down with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN on Drink Champs for a career-spanning conversation touching on his Pablo Escobar series, decades of groundbreaking film and stage work, and his outspoken advocacy for Latino representation in Hollywood.
Before Hollywood, There Was Queens
Growing up in Jackson Heights meant growing up around the world. Leguizamo looked back on a neighborhood filled with immigrant families from every corner of the globe. As one of the first Latino families on his block during a period of white flight, he said racism found him early. Sometimes, all it took was beating white kids in a game or on the field. Looking back, those experiences became some of the earliest lessons that shaped his outlook long before Hollywood ever entered the picture.
The Pablo Escobar Story Nobody Has Told Before
This was not another Pablo Escobar story. Leguizamo revealed that the series was made with the direct involvement of Escobar’s family, including his son, who shared personal stories and home videos to help shape the role. That level of access gave him a side of Escobar that most audiences have never seen.
The goal was never to glorify one of history’s most notorious drug lords. Instead, the series explores the paranoia, isolation, and complicated family life behind the public image. Filmed entirely in Colombia with a Latin American crew, the project earned the family’s trust by committing to telling the story with honesty instead of turning it into another crime legend.
Hollywood Still Has Work To Do
The numbers never made sense to him. Leguizamo opened up about the gap between the size of Latino audiences and how rarely they are represented on screen, behind the camera, or in studio leadership. He admitted he spent years accepting that reality before realizing just how unbalanced the industry really was.
He also looked back on releasing a memoir early in his career and speaking openly about his experiences in Hollywood. While he cannot say for certain what happened afterward, he believes that honesty may have closed some doors. It is one of those reflections that carries extra weight coming from someone who has spent decades navigating the industry firsthand.
Breaking Barriers One Role At A Time
Long before Hollywood started opening more doors, Leguizamo was already proving people wrong. He looked back on his breakout run in the ’90s, then shared how Broadway initially doubted a Latino-led one-man comedy could draw an audience. The shows packed theaters anyway and proved there was a much bigger audience than the industry expected.
Another career-changing moment came when Spike Lee cast him in a leading role that took him to the Cannes Film Festival for the first time. Looking back, Leguizamo sees it as one of the opportunities that changed everything.
The Kind of Representation He Waited For
Encanto meant more than just another movie. Seeing an all-Latino cast lead a global Disney hit was a moment Leguizamo never took for granted. He talked about the pride of watching a story inspired by Colombia connect with audiences everywhere, then pointed to one detail he believes deserves just as much attention. The film showed a Latino family with different skin tones, hair textures, and identities, pushing back against the one-dimensional image that has often dominated Hollywood.
That same feeling came rushing back while watching Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rico residency and Super Bowl performance. For Leguizamo, those moments reflected how far Latino culture has come while reinforcing why authentic representation still matters.
Building “Benny Blanco” and Other Career-Defining Characters
Some of Leguizamo’s most memorable characters came from doing far more than memorizing lines. Looking back on the role that introduced audiences to Benny Blanco, he shared how he studied people from his own neighborhood to build the character, then credited the film’s director for giving him the freedom to keep exploring until it felt right.
That same commitment carried into later roles, where authenticity became just as important as the performance itself. It also shaped the way he views casting today. Leguizamo believes stories are strongest when the communities being represented have the opportunity to tell them, a perspective that reflects both his approach to acting and the changes he hopes to see across the industry.
One Big Regret and One Big Warning
Even after decades in Hollywood, there are still a few decisions John Leguizamo wishes he could take back. One of them was turning down a supporting role in Mr. & Mrs. Smith after being offered a salary he felt was far below what it should have been. Looking back, he admits he regrets passing on the film, offering a rare glimpse into the difficult decisions actors sometimes have to make behind the scenes.
That honesty carried into a conversation about AI and where the industry is headed next. Leguizamo warned that voice cloning and digital dubbing have become so convincing that most audiences would never notice the difference. As the technology continues to evolve, he believes the bigger conversation is no longer whether AI can do it. It is what happens to actors if it does.
More Than Just A Career
Some of the most personal moments had nothing to do with Hollywood at all. Leguizamo opened up about the role therapy has played in his life, explaining how years of feeling overlooked or constantly on guard can shape the way people see the world. He even shared a story from one of his own sessions that changed how he thinks about those deeply ingrained reactions.
It was a fitting way to close the conversation. After decades of breaking barriers across film, television, and Broadway, Leguizamo made it clear that the work is bigger than his own career. He is still pushing for more authentic opportunities, more representation, and more voices from the Latino community to be part of Hollywood’s future.
Trust us, the best moments didn’t all make this article. Watch the full episode here!