palabras ZAYDA RIVERA

“Back in the day I use to do a lot of street theater on the Lower East Side (LES) and for me it was nothing but a hobby. If someone was to call me up and say ‘yo Lou, you wanna read this part in this play?’ I’d go ‘yea I ain't got nothing to do.’ It was a hobby. I’d do favors for friends of mine and we’d put it up in a street festival in the neighborhood.” Not knowing that Luis was about to embark on a life changing career he continued doing theater and small roles that friends called upon him to do. He was a natural. It wasn’t hard for him to fall into any role he was given. And although Luis himself didn’t seem to recognize the depth of his talent, others did. “What really launched me into this career I have now is that I ran into Miguel Piñero (the late controversial actor/poet/playwright) back when I worked in the LES as a community
activist. I worked with young people and when I was looking for a couple of teenagers that didn’t show up to my program I saw him and he told me there was this TV show that was casting in New York. I gave him my number and got an audition. Next thing I know I got a role on the season premiere of Miami Vice.”

The show was a hit and Luis was a part of it. But even that didn’t sway him into thinking he’d be a star. “I didn’t know what I was doing. All I know is that I wanted to get me enough money to buy me a used car to drive to Orchard Beach [in the Bronx] on the weekends so I didn’t have to take the train or bus. That’s the God’s honest truth. If it would have been the first and last [professional acting] that I ever did I would have been okay.”

But it wasn’t the last professional acting Guzman did. In fact, his resume started to fill up with supporting roles in some of the most memorable films to date. Even though his acting experience dates back to 1977, Guzman impressed audiences with roles like Panchanga in 1993’s Carlitos Way and Maurice TT Rodriguez in 1997’s Boogie Nights.


Here's Louie in Punch Drunk Love, giving a prize-winning look at Adam Sandler

Two totally different characters which Luis played to a tee. Essentially becoming the roles he played, the former LES activist had undoubtedly made it to Hollywood. “Honestly I don’t even know if I prepare. You tell me you wrote something and tell me ‘okay Luis you’re the club owner’ my whole attitude is I’m a club owner. And I’m not going to act like a club owner I’m going to be a club owner.” With so many great roles the modest boricua from NYC claims he can’t pick a favorite, “I could tell you it was Maurice TT Rodriguez in Boogie Nights, I could tell you it was Ray Castro in Traffic (2000), I could tell you it was Alexandre Dumas in The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), I could tell you it was Ismael in Maldeamores (2008), I have quite a few. I’ve had so many that I’ve enjoyed.”

The rest of this article appears on urbanlatino.com