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Interviewed
by LatinoStandup.com
February 7, 2003
Tell us
about your role as Zambrano on NBC's mini-series Kingpin.
My role as
Zambrano "El Lomo" is the head of the Tijuana Cartel.
He is a rich, arrogant, abrupt and abrasive individual. He eats
like a pig, loves the good life, hookers, drugs and most of all
money. He and Miguel Cadena (head of the Juarez Cartel) deal with
each other, but Miguel doesn't trust him 100%. There's always
some other motive behind El Lomo.
At what
point in the series can we see your character appear and how many
episodes of Kingpin should we expect to see you in?
El Lomo comes
in on episode 3, (Feb 9)... He establishes himself right at the
beginning and is featured throughout the entire episode. He then
returns in Episode 6, (Feb 18th). Hopefully when the series gets
picked up we can see El Lomo return in some future episodes. The
character is really a trip. Loud, heavy, and obnoxious, a real
a stretch for me (Ha Ha).
You recently
taped for the new NBC comedy pilot A.U.S.A. Tell us about your
character and the TV show.
"A.U.S.A."
is a very funny sitcom that takes place in the Assitant U.S. Attorneys
office. I had auditioned for the role of one of the Judges in
the courtroom, I read and was given the "thank you, next"
but the casting director Lisa Miller-Katz had used me on "Everybody
Loves Raymond" and she asked me to read for the role of the
photographer in the attorney's office. So I did and they thought
that it would be better to book me for that role. We taped back
in July sometime. So we'll see if they kept me or not.
There
has been some public criticism regarding Kingpin's negative portrayal
of Latinos. What are your thoughts on this?
There is always
going to be some "watchdog group" criticising negative
portryals of Latinos in the media. I think there is a definite
need and a place for these groups, but at some point they have
to be glad that Latino writers, actors, crew members, and producers
are working and have a highly visible show on network TV. These
groups say, "why do Latinos have to be portrayed as negative
stereotypes in order to get on TV?" They accuse us of "selling
out" to the man? I understand their position and I am glad
that there are groups out there to give the general public this
awareness. On the other hand, some of these groups, and I'm not
naming names, should try making some noise when a Latino actor
does portray a positive image in a TV role. I have personally
played coroners, detectives, business owners, and wardens and
I never received any acknowledgement from ANY of these so called
watchdog groups. Instead of appreciating the fact that these Latino
actors, writers, and producers work 12 to 16 hour days, busting
their chops to make a grade A quality show that gives Latinos
some visibility on a major network...these people are too busy
being self righteous and critcal! Give SOME credit to the working
staff and quit whining every time a Latino tries to advance. There
is an old analogy about Latinos, its the old crabs in a bucket
story... Every time one of us tries to get out to move forward,
there's always one that pulls us back in! The cast and crew on
"Kingpin" are not trying to belittle our race by portraying
Latinos negatively. The series is about something that is very
real and that unfortunately exists in our society. For crying
out loud its a damn TV show...CHILL!
You're
also a musician and songwriter, what inspired you to focus on
comedy instead of music as your career?
I play alot
of instruments at a novice level. As much as I tried to be like
my neighborhood heroes or other musicians that I saw on TV, I
could never get to that level. So I decided to play and write
music for myself. No one really hears it other than myself or
my wife, so its really more of a hobby at this point. Now comedy,
that was always a love of mine! I just never thought that I could
actually get started in it. But thanks to Rudy Salas (of the rock
band TIERRA) suggesting that I do some time on stage before his
band performed, and with the support of my wife (who really does
support every crazy idea I have), I started my life in comedy.
I began by opening for Tierra and the next thing you know I was
at a comedy club, then a theatre, then opening for several other
groups (Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Los Lobos, Ice Cube, etc.).
Then came television, which led me into getting an agent and then
auditioning for acting jobs. Its funny because now the majority
of the roles I play are mainly dramatic not comedy.
Your current
career is a blend of standup comedy and acting. Do you prefer
one over the other and what are the pros and con of each particular
endeavor?
I dont really
have a preference between comedy and acting. I really enjoy them
both. In comedy there is more camaraderie because you work with
the same guys all the time on the same circuit. You develop many
different friendships and you get to travel to places that you
never dreamed you would see. In comedy, you get that instant response
to your work and it's a good feeling. In acting, its a different
gig all together. You get to change into a character and pretend
to be somebody else. They're both great. If I could maintain an
acting career, at this point of my life, I would. Standup is always
gonna be there for me, and the road gets tough after a few years.
People think being on the road is glamorous. In reality, you do
your gig, get paid and bring home ALL of your dirty clothes. Then
you sleep for the next 48 hours because wherever you were, it
sure enough was not the same time as it is here at home! Home
is always the best. Sometimes we take it for granted, but when
you're in Korea or Dallas for that matter, you ALWAYS at some
point wanna come home and crash! To entertain and get rewarded
has always been a dream of min. There are not alot of people that
can say that they really love their job. We comedians are a very
fortunate group to do what we do, but its not all laughs and money.
There is a lot of work behind it all, and I plan on doing this
for a very long time. Dude, I get to work at my desk in my pajamas!
What was
it like winning the Latino Comic of the year in 1998?
Winning the
Latino Comedian of the Year was a really cool acknowledgement,
but basically it was just a title. It looks great on your bio
or resume, but in reality it could have gone to any of the comics
that were in that competition that night.
Tell us
about performing overseas?
I performed
in South Korea along with my friend and fellow comic Johnny Sanchez.
We were there for 10 days and did 10 different camps. These guys
were just glad to see anybody from the States and they treated
us very well. We had no idea where we were half the time. I remember
one time when it got real quiet in the car on the way to a show
and about 10 minutes later the driver took a sigh of relief. He
then informed us that we had just left the "DMZ" (the
demilitarized zone) where it was very dangerous and that they
were looking for snipers in that area from North Korea. Needless
to say East LA never sounded so good.
Tell us
about some of the charity work you are involved in.
The charities
I am involved in are many, but the majority of my work happens
during the Xmas holidays. I created the KOMICS FOR KIDS toy drive
and we have been very successful over the past ten years. We brought
in over $40,000 in toys and gifts for underpriviledged kids at
the Childrens Hospital of LA, Padres Contra Cancer, Maravilla
Housing Projects, The East LA Youth Center, and the Bienvenidos
Family Crisis Center to name just a few. I also get help from
all the guys without any hesitation. Gabriel Iglesias, Jeff Garcia,
Gilbert Esquivel, Carlos Oscar, Debi Gutierrez and the rest of
the usual suspects all help out every year. We all want to give
back to our communities so we all get involved.
How did
it feel the first time you saw yourself on TV?
The first
time I saw myself on TV was on a show called Comedy Compadres
which was produced by Jeff Valdez. They told me not to wear any
plaids, stripes or black and white clothing. So I wore a bright
yellow shirt and a LOUD purple coat with a yellow and purple tie.
Those clothes, along with the makeup they put on, made it look
like I just got off a gig with the circus! Anyway, I saw myself
on the tube and thought that I had made it... from now on its
limos and money, straight to the top... What an awakening I had!
The folowing day I got a gig for the opening of a laundromat in
La Puente, CA ! Oh Yea, professional showbiz baby!
Tell us
about some of the comedic influences in your life?
I have several
comedic influences in my life. From the beginning, I would have
to say my mother. She was incredible at making fun of people or
imitating them and she was very quick witted. My dad on the other
hand was so dry at joking, that he never really realized how funny
he was. I lost them both in 1993 and I miss them very much. They
were great to grow up with and be around. Other major influences
were Richard Pryor (the genius), Cheech Marin, George Carlin,
Jerry Lewis, Paul Rodriguez and George Lopez. There are not alot
comics out there that are unique in their styles but these guys
were. Damon Wayans once said "If you haven't stolen from
Richard (Pryor)... then you're not that good"
Do you
prefer dramatic or comedic acting roles?
As far as
preference in acting, I think I prefer dramas. Only because you
can play an array of dramatic characters but when you do comedies
on TV there is a tendency to portray the role as a buffoon instead
of a "funny" guy. I'm not saying that all comedies have
buffoons in them, but unless you're the star or the lead the other
character(s) really don't get to show his or her chops. They're
always there strictly for comic relief.
 
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