Esai Morales
Esai Morales
Esai Manuel Morales, Jr.is an American actor. He played Bob Morales in the 1987 biopic La Bamba. He also appeared in the PBS drama American Family and in the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Lt. Tony Rodriguez on NYPD Blue and Joseph Adama in the science fiction television series Caprica...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionTV Actor
Date of Birth1 October 1962
CityBrooklyn, NY
CountryUnited States of America
I remember doing 'La Bamba' and thinking, 'Do you really think that Latinos will be accepted in mainstream?' and I said, 'Someday I hope so, but there is no guarantee.'
I believe if people understood each other more, if people took the time and realize it's not 'all about me' and I'm on a big planet with a lot of other people and concerns, maybe we can learn how to get along with each other.
We understand 'Roots,' and that experience was mind-boggling, and it changed the way society viewed race relations. It was incredibly important. With 'Roots,' I was just as proud as anybody else that people of color were getting their stories told.
I'll never lose the sense of being an underdog. I'm capable of a lot more.
I'm a very romantic person.
I don't get paid like a person that everyone knows, but I get paid so much more in so many ways.
My character Esteban is a guy who really didn't think he was gonna be there at this point in his life. He's in his early 30s. He's got a son. He's raising his son as a single father.
I like the Beatles. They're at the core of my musicality. And John Lennon's my spiritual father.
In order to be a lieutenant, you've got to have authority in your voice. No matter how young your face looks, you've got to let your guys know that you're in charge.
If you don't look like the ruling class, bring your inhaler.
Well, actually yes, in 1988. There was a warrant for me because my assistant hadn't paid a ticket of mine.
In New York, just standing still on the sidewalk is a weird feeling. You have this incessant need to do things. Los Angeles is about kicking back, relaxing, your inner child, peace.
Being an American is a state of mind, and to be in a family is to feel the power of belonging, the power of your roots. Family is a tree, the strength of a tree, the roots, the leaves, the past and the present, the future, the fruits, the seeds.
Anytime you do something Latino, yeah, I love the color, the spice.