Edward James Olmos is an eminence among actors, but especially in the Latino community. Born in California, of Mexican descent, Olmos has always been true to his culture. "I am a Latino first who was born and raised in the United States," he says.
With almost 40 years of a successful acting career, and memorable roles in Battlestar Galactica, Miami Vice, Stand and Deliver, Blade Runner and Selena, Olmos doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
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His signature style and aesthetic that he applies to every artistic endeavor, often grounding his characters in reality and his dedication to his craft has brought him attention from the industry and audiences worldwide.
His most recent role is Papi Greco, a Mexican drug lord that turns out to be the least scary of villains in the new movie "2 Guns," an explosive action film that track two operatives from competing bureaus who are forced to work together without knowing the real truth behind their partnership.
Include in the mix some explosions here and there, $43 million dollars that went missing, the CIA and a drug cartel led by Edward James Olmos' character.
Latin Times sat down with the actor in an exclusive interview to talk about his new role in the Baltasar Kormakur film.
1) How would you describe your character in "2 Guns"?
"I'd have to say that he's a man that really knows what he's doing, what exactly is his part in this world that he's living in. He doesn't have any false illusions of what he's doing."
2) What challenges did you face playing Papi Greco?
"To make him not a cartoon, but to make him have a strong presence, and present the realities they're working under."
3) What would you say are your character's best features?
"He's a very strong, ambitious human being, concerned about protecting the cartel. He appreciates people who don't see things his way, he respects them."
4) What made you take part in "2 Guns"?
"A couple of things. One there's the writing. It's very good. You think you know what's happening and then you get twisted around. Also it's a comedy that's built with action situations that people will like. It's a strong movie with a lot of humor."
5) Would you say Papi Greco is a stereotypical Latino character and what did you do to not make him the typical "Mexican drug lord"?
"The humanity of what he's doing is what's most important. The stereotypes come from truths, and the problem is that if the stereotype is the only thing you ever see, that's when it becomes a stereotype. You don't see anything other than that. What happens in this movie is quite interesting, he's very protective of his cartel, and I gotta tell you, this guy will fight to death to protect his empire."
6) You said stereotypes come from truths, but you're actually one of the first Latino actors to break the Latino stereotypes on TV and film, did you have to turn down roles before being cast in ones that portray Latinos as any other individuals?
"I had to create them, I did not have to turn them down, they were not even offered to me. I either had to produce it, write it, direct it or something, as well as act. In most things it was a case of choosing the material, but in this case (2 Guns) they chose me."
7) What would you say has been the most challenging character you've ever portrayed?
"It would be... In "Selena" the father (Abraham Quintanilla). It was difficult to be doing the story of a person who was murdered, who was so iconic in her world, and it was only about 14 months after her death that we started shooting it. It was very difficult to be happy because we already knew where we were going with the story."
8) Where will we see you next after "2 Guns"?
"I have a film with John Sayles coming up that's called "Go for Sisters," which is quite an interesting piece of work."
9) What kind of roles would you like to do next, having covered almost the full spectrum of characters?
"I think the hardest roles to make in this lifetime is to create the vehicle that projects a story where the lead character is Latino and that he or she is a true hero."
Don't miss Edward James Olmos in "2 Guns," the hottest film of the summer, in theaters now.
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