John Leguizamo has impressed his audience with his versatile roles that came long after he continued to encircle around typecasting which he has often talked about. He has recently touched the topic once again by mentioning how his iconic film would have been out of his hands had he not heard of an Academy Award winner who starred in his widely acclaimed project.
He has been credited with more than 100 film projects and 30+ television appearances making him among Hollywood’s most visible Latin actors. Given his strong portfolio of projects, he got candid about rejecting the 1993 film, Carlito’s Way thrice before eventually accepting the offer.
Carlito’s Way Was Unable to Seek John Leguizamo’s Interest!
John Leguizamo got his breakthrough in the industry by playing Benny Blanco from the Bronx in Al Pacino-led film, Carlito’s Way. The latter is one of the iconic actors of the 20th century so to work with him was a great deal.
But for the former, Pacino’s name was not enough to consider his role in the project. The John Wick actor in an interview with GQ, revealed that he considered passing on his breakthrough role. However, the reason was quite simple. Given his acting trajectory at the time, he shared that he was getting fed up with another dark role.
“I’m a Latin guy and I didn’t wanna play another drug dealer. I was just kind of sick of that kind of routine.”
He further added about turning down the offer not once but “three times” before finally saying yes to the role.
What Made John Leguizamo Accepting The Carlito’s Way?
The 62-year-old actor continued to decline the offer only to accept it the fourth time when he learned that Benicio Del Toro was also starring in the film. For the unversed, the latter is among Hollywood’s Hispanic gems who is known for his portrayal as the Collector in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the codebreaker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017).
The Ice Age actor told in the interview,
“The producers said, ‘Look, this is the last time I’m coming to you. We’re gonna go to Benicio.’”
He eventually accepted the offer which was definitely a great decision for his career as it only expanded his opportunities in the industry. He is prominently known for his role in John Wick and its sequel among the several acclaimed roles.
Brian De Palma directed the crime drama film which received a positive response from critics at the time that subsequently become a cult classic.
Carlito’s Way is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: GQ
