‘The Odyssey’ star John Leguizamo on breaking barriers and changing Hollywood
BY California Stories Staff – Giselle Fernandez
PUBLISHED 5:00 AM PT Aug. 03, 2026
John Leguizamo has spent more than four decades breaking barriers in Hollywood, but as he tells host Giselle Fernandez on “California Stories,” his greatest successes have come from refusing to wait for opportunities and instead creating them himself.
From his acclaimed one-man shows to his newest projects, including a leading role in “The Green Veil” and his role in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” Leguizamo reflects on the resilience that has fueled his career and his mission to tell stories that challenge audiences and broaden representation.
Leguizamo’s work, he says, has always been about using art to inspire change.
“I’m not looking for Hollywood’s validation, and I’m grateful for that because their rejection of me made me find my own voice, made me stronger in my own voice, made me create my own opportunities because they weren’t coming my way,” he said. “So, it made me a fighter.”
Throughout the conversation, Leguizamo speaks candidly about growing up in New York, overcoming childhood trauma, and finding healing through comedy, theater, and therapy.
He credits mentors, family and his own willingness to be vulnerable for shaping both his life and his career. That personal journey ultimately led him to create groundbreaking productions such as “Freak and Latin History for Morons,” using humor and honesty to confront difficult subjects while celebrating Latino identity, history and resilience.
“I’ve always used my art to deal with my trauma,” he said. “That’s what artists do. We all do that. We all take our trauma and we play God with it, and then we can control it and then it doesn’t control us.”
Beyond his work as an actor, Leguizamo has become one of Hollywood’s most outspoken advocates for greater Latino representation, challenging the systemic barriers he says have kept Latino voices and stories on the margins while investing in new platforms to elevate them.
He discusses the growing economic and cultural influence of the Latino community and why he believes the industry has been slow to recognize its power.
Rather than waiting for change, Leguizamo continues to use his voice to push for it, encouraging Latinos to embrace their collective influence and demand a seat at the table.
“We have to come together and get loud and call people out and call corporations out and call Hollywood out,” he said. “I think we’re getting there.”