Edgar Ramirez

“The truth is not a bidimensional thing; it's not flat. It's rounded; it's like a sphere, so there's always a hidden face. There's one that is revealed because there's light reflecting on it, but there's always a hidden one, and once you go around to see the hidden one, it moves, and that's life.”

“There's never a dull moment on a David O. Russell set. But that's the beauty of it. That's the magic.”

“I'm definitely interested in exploring human contradictions. Contradictions are what make us human - it's what defines us as human beings. Contradictions are what make characters interesting, and I've been lucky to be presented with characters who have a lot of contradictions.”

“Bodhisattva is enlightened in the Buddhist philosophy, religion, tradition. He's enlightened. It's fine - I don't really fight it - but many people use the term 'zen' and terms like 'nirvana,' 'enlightenment' in an almost superficial way. It's not that complicated.”

“To portray not only a boxer but a boxer like Roberto Duran, I needed to understand all the difficulties and the pressures of the sport itself.”

“If my subject is alive and is willing to talk to me, I will do it. But I always try to find people who were close, like lovers and family members and work colleagues - because we are what we think we are, but we're also the perception that others have of us. The truth is a sphere. There's always a hidden face.”

“I thought I knew how to work out before I immersed myself into boxing. I now know what an extreme workout really is.”

“I have a huge promotion: you've heard from me on 'Vantage Point' and also with 'Cyrano Fernandez' - that is a Venezuelan movie that I star in and co-produced, and it's based on the romance of Cyrano de Bergerac. And it's set in a Venezuelan slum. It's a free version of the French play.”

“For me, no ideological or political conviction would justify the sacrifice of a human life. For me, the value of life is absolute, with no concessions. It's not negotiable.”

“One of the pillars of 'Cyrano' is recreating a love story and, like any archetype, these great stories tend to be captivating, among other things, because they are made of those universal things that move us.”

“War is a tragedy. It's not pretty, and in my opinion, there are no winners. Everybody's a victim, from the one who's suffering pain to the person inflicting it.”

“I believe in the will. I believe in discipline. I believe in the organization. I believe in the rigor that gives us work. I believe in love as an engine of all things. I believe in the light. I believe in God. I believe in kindness.”

“In order to understand the mindset of a boxer, I needed to become a boxer myself.”

“I've never lived in an English-speaking country, ever, but I lived in Austria. So, my second language is German. And when I went to school, I had a lot of classes in English.”

“What drew me to the character is that Roberto Duran is the son of an American soldier - a Marine - stationed in Panama and a humble Panamanian mother, and he was abandoned.”

“Boxing combines, in perfect proportion, strength, speed, and endurance. Normally, most sports are either about one of the three: either about speed or endurance or strength. Boxing combines all three of them. It's really intense.”

“It's been a teenage fantasy of mine to play Bodhi.”

“Who said that being Latino is to be a stereotype? Characters are stereotypes when making plans or without shades. I do not believe in the picture or model established in the movies.”

“I'm not an aggressive person at all. But I know how to fight.”

“Bolivar's legacy has always been a part of the Venezuelan/Latin American imagery, especially in the countries that he liberated or he helped to liberate. He's been a very prominent figure.”