By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
"It's all gonna come back and bite me on the ass," frets John Leguizamo, who dishes to The Advocate about his forthcoming memoir, Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas, and All the Rest of My Hollywood Friends: A Life.
First off, I was surprised to learn that you killed famed acting teacher Lee Strasberg. Yeah. I was in his class for one day. That night, he perished. My acting wasn't good back then, so I know that had something to do with it.
On To Wong Foo you and Patrick Swayze came to blows on the set--in full drag, no less--because he didn't like you ad-libbing. I think we were too Method-schmethod and we started PMSing. I still got a lot of love for him.
Moulin Rouge is a huge gay favorite too, yet you write that it's hard for you to watch now. It's a great movie, but my part was supposed to be something more. I turned down a lot of stuff to do it. Now, time has passed and my career took off anyway, but when you have great opportunities that you miss, you feel like it's over.
You also write that when you were starting out in the comedy scene in New York, a lot of your colleagues were lesbian. Yes, and they were awesome--political, brave, and naked a lot. There was no labeling, no judgment. You could be anything--poetic or comic or political or angry. Whatever it was, you just had to own yourself.
What would you like to do professionally that you haven't done yet? My dream is to do what I do on Broadway with movies. To write my own movie that's deep--hopefully--and funny. To be a Latin Cassavetes or Latin Woody Allen.
