Luis Guzmán in da house
I was downtown tonight for a media schmoozy thing tonight, and just before I got there, who should I see walking around the corner but one of my favorite character actors, Luis Guzmán. Who? You might ask that, but you’ve seen this dude steal every scene he’s been in in scads of movies in the last 20 years. Take a look at the picture. You know the dude. Boogie Nights, Traffic, The Count of Monte Cristo (that movie sucked), Out of Sight (movie rocked, he rocked), The Limey, Fast Food Nation (he had a small part, and I had a nice interview with author Eric Schlosser when the film came out), and those are just off the top of my head, without scoping out IMDB.
I can’t tell you offhand why he’s in our fair city, but my guess is it’s because he’s in the cast of HBO’s new show, John From Cincinnati, which is shot in–and even more impressive, also set in–Imperial Beach. The folks there were kind enough to send over the first three episodes, which I have not yet watched, but will report on when I do. I’m expecting it to be pretty good–it’s the new project from David Milch, the dude behind Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, and one of the most epic small screen projects ever, Deadwood. It’s got quite a good cast, as well, also starring Rebecca De Mornay, Bruce Greenwood, Ed O’Neill (remember him? that’s Al from Married With Children) and Luke Perry, and those are just the names. Should be good stuff. Regardless, it was cool to see Guzman kicking it in the Gaslamp. I’m sure he’s been down here a bit shooting the show, but welcome to San Diego, dude.
Don’t forget Punch Drunk Love. I love Luis! He makes every film he’s in that much better. The Limey is on my top 10 all-time list (“Tell me… about Jenny!”). I might be wrong, but I think Luis was also here in SD filming Traffic a few years ago.