>>> WELCOME BACK. JOHN LEGUIZAMO, ACTOR, COMEDIAN,
FIM MAKER AND PLAYWRIGHT.
>> LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS, HIS
LATEST SHOW, OFFERS A RAPID FIRE
LESSON IN OVERLOOKED LATIN
HISTORY.
HISTORY. >> AFTER A SUCCESSFUL RUN ON
BROADWAY THE SHOW IS HITTING THE
ROAD.
ROAD. >> AND JOHN LEGUIZAMO IS HERE TO
TELL US ALL ABOUT IT.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> I WAS TILLING YOU OFF CAMERA,
YOU HAVE 70 MILLION PROJECTS
HAPPENING RIGHT NOW?
>> THAT WASN’T SUPPOSED TO
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN. >> LET’S START WITH THIS.
YOU HAD A SERIOUS REASON FOR
WANTING TO DO THIS.
TELL US HOW THIS CAME ABOUT.
>> WELL, MY SON WAS BEING PICKED
ON AT SCHOOL, RARNLLYCIALLY PROF
BY THE KIDS.
>> HOW OLD?
>> AT THE TIME HE WAS 12.
AND SO I WANTED TO GIVE HIM LIKE
AMMUNITION.
AMMUNITION. I WANTED HIM TO FIGHT WITH
WORDS.
WORDS. SO I STARTED DOING ALL THIS
RESEARCH ABOUT LATIN HISTORY.
SO HE COULD BE PROUD OF HIMSELF.
>> GOOD IDEA.
AND IT HELPED A LITTLE BIT.
IT HELPED ME A LOT MORE.
I AM THE ONE THAT REALLY LEARNED
THE MOST OUT OF IT.
I UN-MORE ONIZED MYSELF.
>> WHAT WAS SURPRISING AS YOU
WERE DIGGING THROUGH LATIN
HISTORY?
HISTORY? >> WELL, THAT 10,000 UNKNOWN
LATIN PATRIOTS FOUGHT IN THE
AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
PUERTO RICANS, CLOMANS.
HE GAVE 70,000 WEAPONS TO GEORGE
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. >> IT’S AMAZING.
YOU READ THE REVIEWS.
YOU LEARN SO MUCH.
IT’S FUNNY.
IT’S FUNNY. YOU DO IT ALL.
HOW DO YOU DO IT ALL IN BUN-- ON
SWOOP.
SWOOP. PEOPLE ARE LAUGHING.
THEY ARE SMARTER.
>> HOW DO YOU CHOREOGRAPH ALL
THAT WRITING ON THE CHALKBOARD?
>> THAT’S A LOT OF PRACTICE.
I PRACTICE ALL THE THINGS I’M
DRAWING, THE AMERICAN MAP.
SO I LOOK LEGIT, YOU KNOW.
AND THE LATIN MAP, TOO.
I DIDN’T KNOW THAT ONE AS WELL.
AND THERE IS A LOT OF ANATOMICAL
PARTS I DRAW.
I HAVE TO PRACTICE THAT AS WELL,
BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
>> THERE IS IN VOKELIZING THING
YOU DO BEFORE EACH SHOW?
>> OH, YEAH.
I GOT TO WARM UP BECAUSE I WANT
TO BE ABLE TO YELL AND SCREAM
AND CONNECT WITH THESE PEOPLE.
SO I START DOING ALL OF MY --
EVERYTHING I LEARNED IN COLLEGE,
YOU KNOW.
YOU KNOW. AND FROM MY VOICE TEACHER.
>> ARE YOU OKAY IN THERE?
>> THEY WENT DEAF.
>> YOU GOT A HIT.
>> I LOVE IT.
>> NOW, PART OF THIS TERRIFIC
SHOW ON NETFLIX, "WHEN THEY SEE
US," A LOOK AT THE "CENTRAL PARK
FIVE," WASHAT WAS THAT LIKE
RELIVING THAT?
RELIVING THAT? >> IT WAS ROUGH.
IN THE READING WE BROKE DOWN.
I MEAN, JUST READING THE SCRIPT
OUTLOUD.
OUTLOUD. I HUNG OUT WITH THE FATHER,
SANTANA SR.
SANTANA SR. AND THE SON.
WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TOGETHER
TO BOND AND PORTRAY WHAT REALLY
HAPPENED, HOW CONFUSED THE
FATHER WAS AT THE TIME, THAT HE
REALLY THOUGHT THAT THE
INNOCENCE OF HIS SON WOULD CLEAR
HIM EVEN IF HE SIGNED PAPERS TO
THE CONFESSION.
THE CONFESSION. HE THOUGHT SOMEHOW INNOCENCE IS
LIKE A MAGIC BULLET, BUT IT’S
NOT.
NOT. >> YOU KNOW WHAT GOT ME, YOUR
STORY, IT TRANSCENDS THE
POWERFUL STORY THAT IT IS.
THE PART THAT MADE ME CRY IS
YOUR PART WHERE YOU TALK TO YOUR
SON ALL OF THE TIME WHEN HE WAS
IN, MONO MATTER WHAT HAPPENED.
AS A FATHER, YOU WERE ALWAYS
THERE.
THERE. >> YEAH, HIS DAD WAS A BEAUTIFUL
DAD.
DAD. HE WAS SO INTO HIS SON’S LIFE
AND TO BE A PART OF IT.
AND IT’S A HARD TRANSITION.
I MEAN, THISESE KIDS WERE INNOCE
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN. THEY WERE CHILDREN.
AND THEN THEY CAME OUT THROUGH
THE PRISON SYSTEM.
NOW THEY ARE DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
AND YOU HAVE TO BRING THEM INTO
YOUR LIFE AND HELP THEM
REHABILITATE.
REHABILITATE. >> SWITCHING FROM THAT ROLE TO
THE STAGE ROLE, HOW DO YOU
SWITCH LIKE THAT?
SERIOUS ACTING TO YOUR COMEDIC
ACT?
ACT? THAT’S PART OF THE ART?
>> YEAH, YOU TAP A DIFFERENT
SIDE OF YOURSELF.
YOU HAVE YOUR PARTY SIDE AND
YOUR SERIOUS SIDE.
IT’S KIND OF LIKE THAT.
>> YOU ARE ABOUT TO KICK OFF
YOUR TOUR NEXT WEEK?
>> AT THE LEGENDARY APOLLO
THEATER JUNE TO20th AND 21st.
>> WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO
BRING IT AROUND THE REST OF THE
COUNTRY?
COUNTRY? >> I THINK THIS INFORMATION
NEEDS TO BE HEARD.
AND I THINK YOU CAN CHANGE THE
COUNTRY IN THE WAY PEOPLE ARE
SEEING ACROSS AMERICA, THAT WE
HELPED BUILD THIS COUNTRY.
WE ARE THE ONLY ETHNIC GROUP
THAT’S FOUGHT IN EVERY SINGLE
WAR AMERICA’S HAD AND WE ARE THE
MOST AWARDED IN EVERY SINGLE --
AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY, CIVIL
WAR.
WAR. WE HAD THE FIRST TRANSGENDER