This summer, Enrique Murciano, best known for the role of FBI agent Danny Taylor in the CBS series Without a Trace is starring in two very significant and vastly different films. First is the moving independent drama Water & Power, directed by Richard Montoya and produced by Edward James Olmos. The film is now playing in selected markets, expanding nationally.

Next up he is one of five humans is the summer blockbuster Dawn of the Planet of The Apes, sharing the screen with Gary Oldman and Kerri Russell. The film opens July 11.

Along the way he’ll appear in Power, the new Starz series from producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson premiering June 7.

Murciano’s film career includes roles in the Academy Award-winning Traffic, Black Hawk Down, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous and The Lost City.

Water & Power tells the story of twin brothers who share those nicknames. Water (Enrique Murciano) is a rising political star and California state senator, while Power (Nicholas Gonzalez) is a top cop in the LAPD elite upper chain of command. Following an unexpected and unavoidable tragedy, the brothers find themselves in a seedy motel room on the eastern edge of Sunset Boulevard on a dark and rainy night. From the blue-collar housing projects of the city’s Eastside to the very corridors of power where deals are made in the City of Angels, Water & Power explores a cautionary tale. The story is told in the classic L.A. noir style – with a darkly humorous tone.

HOMBRE: What can you tell us about your character, Water?
Enrique Murciano: Water is the more conservative of the two brothers. He is the one that wears the suit and tie every day. He is the one at first glance you would think is the straight shooter, and he is in many ways. But in actuality you know everyone has their own way of doing things, and in the movie you see how he basically attempts to help his brother out. He has to compromise his life long goals and what he wants out of life. It was an interesting part. 

H: How was the production?
EM: The whole movie takes place over the course of one night. Every time we’d shoot, we were shooting at night. When you have family it can be rough, you get home from work and everybody is getting up to go live their life. So physically it was a tough shoot, but that being said creatively it was great. I really enjoyed working with Richard and Nicholas, and it was an amazing opportunity. I consider myself very fortunate. I am honored that Richard chose me to play the title role. It was a real vote of confidence on his part and I will always be grateful.

H: How long did it take you to complete the shoot?
EM: I think, three or four weeks.

H: What is the significance of water and power in the film?
EM: Water and Power are the utilities part of the government. In Los Angeles the Department of Water and Power has played a pivotal role in how Los Angeles was laid out. The city was basically built in a certain way where water has to be brought from somewhere else. The two brothers highlight the political temperature of Los Angeles and the history. I think Montoya did a very good job writing this film and nurturing it for years, but he also did a great job directing.

H: You said that Montoya chose you, how did the script come to your hands?
EM: I didn’t have to audition for the film actually. I met with him at a restaurant and we had a great conversation. I think he had someone in mind, and I luckily happened to fit that description. He really just took a leap of faith with me and decided I’m going to shoot with this guy. I think he met me, he liked me, we got along great and we have a similar sense of humor.

H: Beside the shooting schedule, what other challenges did you face in making the project? 
EM: At the time I had just suffered a very significant loss, so it was very easy for me to channel those emotions with the way that I was feeling. I was in a very dark place, a very bad place. It really helped with the mood of the movie and the overall tone of the film that we were trying to bring to the screen. That’s where I drew my inspiration, that was my emotional well.

H: Did this project take you out of the darkness to find answers to whatever was going on?
EM: I’d love to say this movie helped me, but I would have filmed the movie when I was in a better place. I was exhausted for weeks. I was emotionally drained and then I actually went on to work on something right after. So no, it wasn’t one of those things where I say, thank God the movie saved me, ha, no, this movie almost killed me (laughs). But I’m very proud of it, and I would never trade that experience for anything.

F: Why should audiences see Water & Power?
E: I for one, as a moviegoer, I love movies, it’s what I do for a living, but it’s also what I do when I’m not working. For a movie I’m looking for a good story and something that’s going to really make me feel, make me cry, make me laugh, and make me think. This movie definitely checks each one of those boxes. It really takes you for a ride, which is one of the reasons I’m so proud of the film.

H: Speaking of your career, as a successful actor, what advice can you offer aspiring actors?
EM: It’s so funny that you say that, because I don’t feel successful. I’m on a set right now, a very good set, and I still don’t feel successful. Sometimes I wonder if Johnny Depp thinks he’s successful.
My only advice for a young actor is advice Andy Garcia gave me years ago. He said, If there’s anything else in the world that you could choose to possibly do, go do it.
The second thing he said was that there are absolutely no short cuts. It doesn’t work that way. It works by being really present and passionate, and, yes, there is talent involved and a lot of other things involved.
The third thing he said was, congratulations. now you get to spend the rest of your life looking for a job.

So that advice I would pass on to the next generation. If there is anything you could see yourself doing, do it. Its a hard road, I’m on set right now and everyone thinks my world is so glamourous. Right now I’m doing a TV show for Netflix. Its a very cool show. It doesn’t have a title yet because it’s so new. We’re doing the pilot. But we’re going to do the entire season of the show. So I’m working with real quality actors, and at the same time starting work at 8 o’clock at night, and I’m going to finish at 8 o’clock in the morning, and I’m going to be swimming in waters tonight, and I might get a cheap cup of coffee and a Snickers. People always think that I’m sitting in some trailer somewhere. But that’s not the case.

H: You mentioned Andy Garcia, what actors did you admire growing up?
EM: Gary Oldman. I just did a movie with him, I saw him act and he is just incredible. He’s not acting, he’s never acting. He’s just brilliant.

F: Did you look up to him now or before working with him?
EM: No, I always looked up to him. I remember seeing ‘The Professional’ and watching the stuff that he did in that movie and thinking this is someone I want to work with. This is someone that I want to be like, or hope to be like. I always looked up to Andy Garcia. How he managed to have a very successful career and still keep his head on his shoulders. Raise a beautiful family and just be who he is. He’s always been somebody to depend on, he’s a class act.

H: The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes opens July 11, what can you tell us about your role in that film?
EM: I’m one of five humans in that movie, and that’s all I can really say. They’re so serious about keeping everything top secret. It’s a huge movie. When you see the movie you’re going to be taken into a whole other world.

H: What are the similarities in your acting between Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Water & Power?
EM: I’m also doing the series for Netflix, and I’m doing Power (Staz). Every show and every movie has its own vibe, its own pace, every set has its own chemistry. Every movie is a pursuit.

H: What do you do to unwind? 
EM: I spend time with my woman. She is my favorite person in the world. I’m not much of a unwinder. I’m always planning something. I have little projects, my head’s always busy. I’m always thinking of the next thing to keep me occupied.