John Leguizamo has opened up about the rules he lives by when it comes to tipping waiters and valets.
And what he had to say is heartwarming.
The actor joined Good Morning America for a conversation about his newest science fiction programme, The Power.
And he addressed a lot of topics.
One being how much he tips, admitting he’s “not a cheapskate.”
This comes after Leguizamo previously addressed some troubles he’s had with his career in the past.
Now, it’s sadly no surprise that Hollywood has a colorism problem…
John Leguizamo has shared what he had to go through to stay ‘relevant’ in the industry. And with a career spanning over thirty years, he has some knowledge and, unfortunately, first-hand experience on the lack of representation.
The 62 year-old Encanto actor recently spoke to Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and shared something pretty disturbing…
And people were understandibly shocked.
Leguizamo admitted that he has “benefitted from being light-skinned,” and that there is still an ongoing issue within Hollywood when it comes to Hispanic/Latino characterization…
“I stayed out of the sun so I could work,” he said. “I definitely would not go in the sun for years.
“It was a conscious thing because I could work. And all the Latinos that made it so far, a lot of them were all light-skinned.
“What happened to all the Afro-Latinos and the majority of indigenous Latinos? They don’t get a shot, you know. So, there’s a lot of things we got to deal with in Hollywood, and we got to fix, and we got to speak out and we got to speak up.”
He first realized that he wasn’t given the same opportunities as everyone else in his class at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts…
“Here I am in NYU, an A student. I had fixed my accent a lot by this point. And all the white kids in my class were going to five auditions a day.
“I was going to one every five months and I was like, ‘Wait a minute, I’m working as hard as they are. I got better grades,'” he recalls.
“And then I realized, ‘Oh my god, I don’t have the same opportunities as they have.’ And I realized that it wasn’t an equal playing field. It just was never going to be. And it disillusions you.”
He added, “You’re a young man, and you realize, ‘Oh my god, life is not fair.’ Just because of how I look, how I sound, my economic class that I come from, it’s just not a fair playing field…
“No matter how talented you are, it doesn’t matter. But I thought talent was the great equalizer.”
And to make matters worse…
The roles he did get offered consisted of stereotypical criminals and back street drug dealers.
He also discussed the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, which found that only 7 percent of movies between 2007 to 2019 featured a Latino/Hispanic main or supporting character.
“Not only are we invisible, but when we are seen, it’s a negative portrayal,” Leguizamo stated. “Things are improving. I think COVID made us really look at ourselves in America. Black Lives Matter was a huge awakening for America, a reboot for America to look at themselves and see what’s going on.”
“I think everybody’s trying to do the right thing and hire many more people of color.
“What I want to see, I want to see 20% of the roles in front of the camera and the crew. I’m not asking for extra,” he said. “I just want what’s due to us.”
The star also confessed his desire to run for Governor of the Academy to help enforce a positive change…
“You have to step up and make a change and change it from within. I feel like if you’ve achieved a certain amount of success, it’s your duty to give back.”
There is clearly a long way to go, but this is thankfully a step in the right direction.
And now, Leguizamo has shared his latest project.
He opened up on Good Morning America about his latest show The Power.
The tv show that is based on the 2016 best-seller The Power by Naomi Alderman.
Prime Video has adapted the 10-part series for television.
The basic concept is that teenage girls and young women all across the world begin to develop the capacity to generate electricity, shifting society’s balance.
“Can you imagine a world where women take over? It’d be a great place. So that’s what this series is,” Leguizamo said of the new show.
“Teenaged girls develop an organ through evolution to protect themselves, and it gives them electricity.
“Static shock for some girls, nuclear blasts for other girls – and men are afraid.”
He added: “It’s a great, scary, powerful series.”
And while everyone is excited for his new show…
It was his comments about his tipping habits that really caught people’s attention.
He admitted during the interview that he frequently keeps a few hundred dollars with him in case he needs to tip waiters, valets, or other personnel.
“Come on, this ain’t the ’70s,” Leguizamo said. “You can’t tip with $20 bills. People are going to throw that back at you.”
He continued by saying that he does this to ensure that those who depend on tips are compensated fairly for their labour.
“You’ve got to give back,” he said. “If people are giving you their best service, and you don’t tip them? Come on, who are you?”
