He is probably considered one of the more recognizable Latino actors in Show business for the past 40 years and at almost 70 years young, Hector Elizondo still has the chops to go the distance. In my 1 on 1 interview with the screen legend, we sit and talk about the last 40 years and how it all began, his love of the theater and how well prepared one is when theater trained. Aside from not being able to stop singing during our interview due to his undeniable passion for it, we also talk about his latest venture, the Princess Diaries 2, and what it was like working with Gary Marshall for a 14th time. The Thespian also talks about his upcoming film, The Celestine Prophecy, where he plays the Peruvian Cardinal Sebastian, and his first play in 12 years that is being directed by Gary Marshall called “Wrong Turn at Lung Fish” that will begin next month here in Los Angeles, if you have chance, I recommend you go and watch him perform!

You’ve been in showbiz for how many years?

Hector Elizondo: 42? That’s what they tell me. I don’t count but math wasn’t my strong suit. Actually not many people know this but if you go back to my first gig, I had a hint of what I was gong to eventually do in life back then. It happened in 1946 or 7, someone saw me singing in the school play, and I was a little skinny Puerto Rican kid who could sing and had chops. I always had singing and I was ten years old, and I had this class project, everyone in class had this project they had to do for the end of the year. I was in the class singing and I had to sing this song (proceeds to sing “St. Louie woman”) and on the day I did it turns out that the composer, W.C. Handy was in the audience! Blind as a bat, little old black man, I’d never heard of him, and my family never heard of him, being that we were culturally illiterate. Later on though, I found out who he was. And boy, was it a treat. Later that same man, wanted to find out who I was singing that song. He said; bring that little kid to me, and so I go and meet him and there I am looking up to him and he says “young man, music is God gift to you and developing is your gift to him”, or something like that. After that, all our information was exchanged and sure enough there I was working my first gig as a youngster. It was for the “Okie Dokie Ranch House with Wendy Barry.” She was the hostess.

Do you still remember your first check?

Hector Elizondo: Oh yea of course I do. I remember it came to our apartment in the upper west side and my father got the check and looked at it, and my sister and mother were just looking at my father holding it and looking at it. It said NBC, whatever Dumont, I don’t remember, and then my dad starts saying, “no, no, esto no es bueno, no es bueno esto, esto no es bueno, mira mira”, he then shows it to my mom and she goes, “hay bendito cea dios, hay dios mio, pero que cosa?” and my dad says, “This is too much money for a child this age. Grown men have to work very hard for this kind of money”, for a young person to make $27 dollars. That was a lot of money back then. We use to pay $ 40 dollars a month for rent. Guys use to work all week to make that kind of money. So he took it and never discouraged me but didn’t like it for me. The good thing is that he put away all the money I made form those gigs.

Are there more roles now for Latinos? And also are there more Latino actors in Hollywood?

Hector Elizondo: Sure it’s a big industry. They’re coming out of the wood work but they’re not ready for it. Not many of them have theater training. I was lucky, I had to do theater. You use to earn your stripes in this business but nowadays you step off the bus and they say you’re a star this week and they put wings on you! And you really...they don’t know how to walk and talk at the same time. What you are is a commodity, the flavor of the month. Being flavor of the month is very dangerous because one day you’re going to be asked to really do something. And then suddenly you’re out of fashion.

Did you ever have to fight for roles because you were Latino?

Hector Elizondo: I’ve lost roles back then, quite frankly we were scarce in Hollywood, and there were no good roles. I still have to remind my Latino brothers and sisters that long before, not in this order in New York City, working in show biz was Rita Moreno, Jose Ferrer, and Chita Rivera, Henry Silva maybe doing gangster roles. On the West you had Ricardo [Maltaban], Anthony Quinn, who really was crossed over later on, because he was exotic looking, and had no accent. I was the only one doing non Latino roles because I was on Broadway doing theater.

You did a nice job in this film [Princess Diaries 2] and it’s a lot better than the first.

Hector Elizondo: Thank you we are very happy with it. A non polluting product, we were able to create an environment in a country that has no oil, its all fake. (Laughs) I think it’s a badly needed movie. There’s a good market for it.

This is your 12th movie with Gary Marshall?

Hector Elizondo: It’s my 14th move with him.

Wow, 14 that’s a lot. Does it ever get old for you?

Hector Elizondo: No because we don’t hang out together. (Laughs) um, something works, you mix a little olive oil and mix a little vinegar and you have balsamic vinegar, right? You mix a little sugar and a little honey and that’s not so good. Although we are basically from the same time and the same part of the world, which is basically New York City, we’re two different people. It s something about our differences that’s very complimentary. So at some point when you figure that out and trust that, you keep hitting that ball.

Most of the cast for this film said that it was more like coming back to a family. What do you think of that?

Hector Elizondo: Usually coming on to a movie is a daunting situation, although I’m one that’s not intimidated by that, because I’m too dumb sometimes. I’ve been trained in the theater so I’ve done some pretty hard work. So for something like this you come prepared, but mostly the environment on a movie is a foreign environment because you don’t know the people involved, you don’t know the team, you may know some producers, or some directors, and some folk’s have better social skills that others. But Gary Marshall knows how to do that, and he includes his whole family on the same project, he raises nepotism to a whole new level (laughs)

Is it hard working with Gary?

Hector Elizondo: Well you first have to know his Gary-isms. He will be like “ok, here we go, and do you want some cake? You don’t want some cake? Here, have some cakes, did you drink water? Get him a glass of water, ok, did you memorize those 2 pages of lines? You did? Ok good, we’re not doing those pages so forget about them!” And then he has these very small ideas about something, and you know simple ideas for a character and then I go and add a little flavor to them, and change them to my style, and that’s what works. Because you know, in comedy, comedy is hard! Have you heard the story about the old actor that’s dying? He’s on his death bed and he’s expiring and his actor friends ask him, what’s it feel like to die? And he opens his eyes and looks up and says, “Comedy is harder!” (Laughs).

Do you bring your theatrical background into the movie?

Hector Elizondo: Of course, sure. You know how the wardrobe people know you’re from the theater? When they come collect your clothes at the end of the day, theater people always hang up there clothes. Theater is good training. You learn, you have an apprenticeship, you do your own make-up, and you have to be early. You take care of your own props. If you use a glass of water in your scene, that glass of water is your responsibility and you better have it with you at the end of the day when you turn in all your stuff. Repertory Theater is especially hard because you’re rehearsing one show during the day and then doing another play at night.

Do you like being in independent films? I mean in front of the camera and not behind?

Hector Elizondo: Well I was in one a while back called tortilla soup and it was very gratifying. I loved that. That was a story man, I cry for stories like that. Stories that make you laugh and cry and maybe if you’re lucky make you think. I actually did one like that with The Flamingo kid.

Why don’t you do more independent films? Is it a time issue or money?

Hector Elizondo: I rather do a play. And also nowadays with independent stuff the food is lousy and besides I don’t have to work right now. So you know, the clock is ticking, I’m almost 70 years old so I don’t have time to fool around. So I have to catch up to a lot of reading, and music that I want to hear, I got to count clouds and fly some birds. I definitely think we should do a number three.

Talk to me about your upcoming film, Celestine Prophecy.

Hector Elizondo: Celestine Prophecy, I’m not suppose to talk about it, but it’s a very big book, very widely read book and everyone is waiting for it, it’s a cult favorite. It’s like the way kids are waiting to see Princess Diaries 2, that’s the way people are waiting to see this one. I speak Spanish totally in the film. They wanted at first to just have me speak English, but I said you know if I’m the Peruvian Cardinal, I wouldn’t be speaking English to these people, I’d be speaking Spanish you know? Put sub-titles under it. Why am I speaking English with a Spanish accent? Right? It’s a cameo but it’s a good costume.

When is it coming out?

Hector Elizondo: I don’t know when, wish I knew, but I’m excited about doing a play with Gary Marshall. Wrong turn at lung fish, it’s an evolutionary term, man. It was a play written for me 12 years ago but I was too young then. So Gary tells me, we got to do the play before we forget! (Laughs) So we start rehearsing Sept 27th for a week, and then open in October. I’m also doing an independent film called ICU.com. After that I think I’ll do another play in March called “A Picasso”, where I play Picasso during a certain term in his life in Paris, when the Germans were in Paris.