Raymond Cruz made an indelible impression on television viewers with his instantly unforgettable
performance as bad guy Tuco Salamanca on Breaking Bad.
The character proved so popular, they brought him back for the prequel spinoff Better Call
Saul.
So it's a bit surprising that Cruz hasn't gotten more recognition - until now, that
is.
Here's a look at the untold truth about the guy who played Tuco on Breaking Bad.
Gang hit
Maybe the eeriest thing about Cruz's performance on Breaking Bad is how fully and comfortably
he seems to inhabit Tuco's world of drug running and gang banging.
But there's a good reason for that: Cruz himself grew up surrounded by hardcore gang activity
on the hardscrabble streets of East L.A. How bad was it?
He told the Daily Beast that when he was just 12, he witnessed a cold blooded homicide.
"I saw someone get shot in front of me at point blank range [...] The brains came out
the back of his head."
Yikes!
By the book
As a kid, Cruz escaped the world of street gangs both literally and metaphorically through
his love of literature.
Retreating into books, he read and reread classic novels, and that passion eventually
led him to acting, thanks in part to an assist from Gregory Peck.
Cruz told Smashing Interviews,
"I was fascinated by the translation of the written word to performance.
I read Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, and it was one of my favorite books.
Then when I saw the movie, I was over the moon about it."
"That guy"
Cruz may be best known for playing Tuco on Breaking Bad and Detective Julio Sanchez on
The Closer and Major Crimes, but he's actually been toiling away in Hollywood as a classic
"that guy" since the '80s.
He got his big break in the now-forgotten 1987 comedy film Maid to Order, and has since
landed more than 80 film and television roles, from movies like Clear and Present Danger
and Training Day, to TV shows including Cagney and Lacey and Murder, She Wrote.
We love it when a character actor finally becomes a star!
Good guys and bad guys
It's not that unusual for a popular character to spin off from a show into another series.
But Cruz holds the distinction of doing it twice - and at the same time.
While playing Detective Julio Sanchez on The Closer, a role he originated way back in 2005,
he moonlighted as Tuco on Breaking Bad, working seven days a week to film both parts
concurrently.
He apparently liked the challenge, though, because after Detective Sanchez spun off into
Major Crimes, he then reprised his role as Tuco on Better Call Saul at the same time.
Given that one character is a cop and the other a criminal, is it possible we could
ever see a crossover?
He loves to cook
One of Tuco's most intriguing character traits is the fact that he really enjoyed cooking.
Not meth like Walter White, mind you, but delicious hand-crafted burritos and other
meals made with... love?
So where did Tuco get it from?
Well, from Cruz, of course, who is a bit of a chef in his own right.
Just don't bother trying to emulate his grilled pork chop recipe, because it requires an ingredient
not for sale: his mom's homemade chili.
He told AMC,
"I'll put it on a bed of lettuce with a grilled jalapeno or a small green chile, take it to
the point just before it starts to cook completely through and I'll top it with my mom's chili
and a couple slices of cheese.
Man, it's the best thing ever."
He's an introvert
Tuco might be a super-intense, in-your-face villain, but in real life, Cruz couldn't be
more different.
In fact, he's basically an introvert, preferring quiet reading to drug-fueled rampages.
He told Smashing Interviews,
"I'm so quiet, and I like to read.
I like to tinker in the garage.
I love working on motorcycles and cars.
I like to be alone.
If I'm in a room with a lot of people, I'm probably the last person you'll notice.
I'm practically invisible."
Hard pass
When Cruz was initially approached by the producers of Breaking Bad about the role of
Tuco Salamanca, Cruz had a simple answer for them: no.
Sure, it's hard to imagine someone else as Tuco now, but Cruz was concerned that filming
both Breaking Bad and The Closer at the same time would be too much work for him.
But finally they convinced him the old fashioned way: by appealing to his ego.
He told the AV Club,
"They couldn't find anyone who could do it.
I was shooting seven days a week with no rest and working on two different things.
It was crazy."
Tuco's demise
Tuco's demise was shocking, but even more surprising is the fact that it was Cruz himself
who asked the producers of Breaking Bad to eliminate the character.
Why?
Partly because of his grueling filming schedule, but also because there was at least one prominent
fan of the show who really disliked the character: Cruz's wife.
Cruz told Rotten Tomatoes,
"My wife hated it.
She hated Tuco.
She hated the energy.
Tuco is this wild beast.
My wife is like, 'Get away from me.'"
Tuco might be tough, but he's no match for an unhappy wife.