With his curiosity,
energy, and charisma, it’s no wonder that Esai Morales has become one of the
most familiar faces on both the big and small screen. He is talented, eloquent
and multifaceted.  Few will guess that he
speaks some Russian and Japanese. “Language has always fascinated me,” he says
during a roundtable for “Gun Hill Road,” a film he both stars in and
executive produces.

Morales made his big screen debut in “Bad Boys” in 1983, and some of his best
known roles include Lt. Tony Rodriguez on “NYPD Blue,” Joseph Adama in the TV
series “Caprica,” and Richie Valens’ older brother in “La Bamba.” He once again
proved his mettle as an incredibly versatile actor in “Gun Hill Road,” a
powerful, moving portrayal of a Latino family living in the Bronx with a
transgendered child. The film explores the bonds of a family whose former head
of household just got out of prison and returns home to a wife who is distant
and a son who is not the child he remembers.

Morales is the tormented father
and husband Enrique, and Judy Reyes, portrays the mother Angela. Filmed on
location this is director Rashaad Ernesto Green’s first feature length film. Same
goes for Harmony Santana, who delivers a heart-wrenching performance as
Michael, the son.

Being of
Puerto Rican descent and having grown up in the Bronx, Morales was a perfect
fit for the film.  

HOMBRE:
How do you think the Latin audience responded to “Gun Hill Road”?

Esai
Morales: You’ve got infidelity, you’ve got joblessness…we’ve got a lot of
issues the characters are dealing with but the central core is gender identity,
which is different from sexual orientation, which some people feel is more of a
choice…gender identity is like a 3yr old child looking in the mirror, a little
boy saying “I see a girl.” I think what Rashaad’s film does is really
bring to our community the room to respect people for who they are regardless
of whether they fall into the neat male or female box. That’s why Judy Reyes’
character is so important. Because she is similar to the real person or even
Harmony’s mom, who said, I’ll help you choose your name… How beautiful is
that?

H: Why
do you think the Latin community has such a difficult time dealing with issues
such as gender identity and sexual orientation?

E.M: You
know, the word macho comes from Spanish. The men are men, and the women are
traditionally submissive. When you have a gay child, that throws everything out
the window, and the implication is, “we’ve done something wrong.” Maybe that’s
in my genes, is what’s implied. And {my character}Enrique thinks, “We
can’t have that.” Trying to help your own family, you can hurt them.

As a self-proclaimed “actorvist,” Morales is involved with various charitable
organizations and environmental causes. The National Hispanic Foundation for
the Arts, which he co-founded along with Sonia Braga and Jimmy Smits, actually
found “Gun Hill Road” director Rashaad Ernesto Green and helped him bring to
life his first film. Esai’s advice to newcomer Green is advice that any
aspiring artist would be wise to follow: “I keep telling him he’s growing; I
can’t wait to see his future work. Because if this is how he’s starting…wow! I
tell him, always strive, no matter how much people tell you you’re great and
everything. Keep learning and growing, and never be satisfied.”

Esai Morales Photographed exclusively for HOMBRE by Brad Thurber

Imaging: Imre Fejes

Location: Loews Regency Hotel, New York, NY