Esai Morales

“Well, actually yes, in 1988. There was a warrant for me because my assistant hadn't paid a ticket of mine.”

“I always pull over for people who need a push.”

“We hear a lot in this country about family, and 'American Family' just shows us a portrait we haven't seen as much of yet. 'American Family' lets us know that being American isn't about the color of your hair or eyes or skin: it's really a state of mind.”

“Frankie is my baby. He is the sweetest dog in the world. Frankie is like the son I never had. He keeps me healthy; I walk and run him. I always feel that I need to spend more time with him and give him more attention. I find myself unloading my emotions on him.”

“In order to be a lieutenant, you've got to have authority in your voice. No matter how young your face looks, you've got to let your guys know that you're in charge.”

“Do I have to see movies and television about the English throne or the Holocaust every year? There are multiple multi-million dollar movies with the same backdrop. But our Holocaust - meaning Latino - aren't ever told.”

“I think the legacy left behind by 'Battlestar' speaks for itself. I thought that these avid fans, most of whom were skeptical at first... to turn them into a fan of 'Caprica' as well is a daunting task, a big challenge.”

“My mother taught me when you go someplace, you leave it better than you found it.”

“We understand 'Roots,' and that experience was mind-boggling, and it changed the way society viewed race relations. It was incredibly important. With 'Roots,' I was just as proud as anybody else that people of color were getting their stories told.”

“Shows like 'Seinfeld' and 'Friends,' they have, like, one or two damn characters throughout the whole series that are minorities.”

“I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor get to be the hero?”

“I'm a very romantic person.”

“How often do you get a movie where the coolest character has your own real last name? I played Bob Morales as a cross between my own father - the passion, the fury - and the real Bob Morales. I loved that movie. People, kids always come up to me and tell me how much they still love 'La Bamba.'”

“When you have a little 10-month-old who is climbing up your leg because you are their mountain - there's no nobler reason to get out of bed every day. There's no better reason to live, to make sure you provide as much guidance and as much room for that child to thrive.”

“Anytime you do something Latino, yeah, I love the color, the spice.”

“We as Americans of Latin descent are just as American as anyone else of any other descent.”

“I remember doing 'La Bamba' and thinking, 'Do you really think that Latinos will be accepted in mainstream?' and I said, 'Someday I hope so, but there is no guarantee.'”

“I love bringing roses to a woman when she least expects it.”

“I love being irreverent. But I hate being irrelevant. I love being irreverent because at the end of the day your actions belie your intentions.”

“It's people politics, people dynamics that make a show really good, whether it's 'Desperate Housewives' or 'Lost' or 'The Sopranos.' It's the people we've grown to love or otherwise.”