Esai Morales on His Role in Starz' MAGIC CITY
- Details
- Category: Interviews
- Created: Thursday, 20 June 2013 22:55
- Published: Thursday, 20 June 2013 22:55
- Written by Lupe Haas
Esai Morales currently stars as “El Tiburon” (the “Shark”) in the second season of Starz’ MAGIC CITY. CineMovie caught up with the veteran Hollywood actor to talk about his new role and his long career.
Esai Morales has worked steadily in film and television since his breakthrough performance in Taylor Hackford’s La Bamba (1987). Currently we can see the Brooklyn native in MAGIC CITY alongside Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Olga Kurylenko in the original series about Miami mobsters set in the late 1950s. Morales tells CineMovie’s Sue Evelyn Gil that while he can’t reveal too much about his role, that his character’s nickname “The Shark” should be a hint of what’s to come on the second season of the Starz’ series. Watch a clip.While on the red carpet for the NALIP Annual Gala Awards held at Universal City in June, he also talks about what a “blessing” it is to work in a profession that he “loves.” He was at the awards gala to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for Advocacy on behalf of his National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts which co-founded with by Jimmy Smits, Sonia Braga, Felix Sanchez and Merel Julia.
Watch the video interview.
More about Esai Morales:
Award-winning actor Esai Morales continues to lend his outstanding talents to television, theater and film. Since his feature film debut in Bad Boys in 1983, Morales is consistently recognized for giving performances that strongly resonate in the hearts and minds of audiences.
After graduating from New York's High School for the Performing Arts, Esai made his stage debut in “El Hermano.” His other theater performances include “Salome” and “The Tempest” amongst others.
For three seasons, Morales played ‘Lieutenant Tony Rodriguez’ in the Emmy® award winning series “NYPD Blue.” He also starred in Showtime's “Resurrection Blvd.,” PBS' drama series “American Family,” FOX's “Vanished” and USA's “Burn Notice.” In 2002, Morales was awarded the Best Actor in a Television Series award at the prestigious Alma Awards and was honored with Entertainer of the Year at the 17th Annual Imagen Awards for his work on “NYPD Blue.” He also received an Imagen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series for his work in “American Family.” Esai appeared on Syfy's hit series “Caprica” as series regular ‘Joseph Adama.’ In 2011, Morales was cast as the lead of “17th Precinct.” In 2012, Esai appeared in episodes of “Fairly Legal” and “Law and Order: SVU.”
Morales starred in the award-winning indie film, American Fusion, followed by the James Cotton film, La Linea. He can also be seen in Kill Kill Faster Faster, Fast Food Nation, The Virgin Of Juarez and La Bamba. He received critical acclaim for his roles in the films Rapa Nui and Mi Familia.
Esai’s most recent film credit is the lead in Gun Hill Road, a poignant project that made its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and was named recipient of the 2009 Princess Grace Foundation Award, the 2009 Spike Lee Fellowship and won Best Film and Best Actor for Esai at the 26th Annual Imagen Awards.
A self-described "activist," Morales is involved in charities and non-profit organizations like the National Hispanic Foundation, which he co-founded with actors Jimmy Smits and Sonia Braga that works to advance the presence and quality of Latinos in media, telecommunications and entertainment.