I've been very lucky to work on a wide variety of projects, including two long-run and top-10 dramatic television shows. That is why it is so important to offer a helping hand to the next generation of young Latinos coming up behind me.

I like the gypsy aspect of this business.

I never thought television would or could be a long-term commitment.

If you're afraid to live your life in a glass bubble, how can you do what we do in this industry?

In my college years, I worked as a union labor organizer. I was just one of the many workers trying to do my part to help the community.

When we are out there selling a new picture, when did it become part of the deal that you have to sell the family? To use the juicy part of your life to get attention? I'm not blaming the reporters. It's the system.

Education is the key in so many ways.

If you're given gifts or blessings in your life, it's up to you to help the guy coming up behind you.

I've always strived to keep mixing it up, keep doing different things, and work in all different parts of our business.

I'm not a policy wonk - I'm somewhere between being undecided and a surrogate.

I save the rage for the stage.

Unfortunately, considering that we Latinos are really big for movie companies when they have blockbuster releases or new cable shows, when it comes to the dynamic of supporting our own product, it leaves much to be desired.

When you have celebrity, it's a whole different thing than being an artist.

I had opportunities to stay on shows for long periods of time, and maybe financially that would have been good, but I feel good about trying to keep doing things that are a little bit different than what I've done.

I couldn't see myself doing a traditional sitcom.

I worked on a show called 'West Wing' before. I didn't work with Aaron Sorkin, but he created the show and set the tenor of the show, which was you follow the words of the script perfectly because there's a dramaturgical thing behind it.

I'm socially awkward in life, and that's one of the reasons why I do what I do. I'm more about interpreting other people's words.

Michael C. Hall is an incredibly detailed actor who can convey so much with just an eyebrow.

The hits and the misses. I just want to keep the at-bats solid.

The friendships I made on 'L.A. Law,' with the cast and Steven Bochco and David Kelley were really wonderful.

You can't get so serious as to not realize that what we do is entertainment, but when you have the chance to provoke thought or advance discussion on a topic, it's just the icing on the cake.

I feel a responsibility to try and give back. I see young people out there who are trained, and any way I can help them and give them an opportunity is gratifying.

I am very Latino in everything I am and I do, but there's a part of me that's also something else. I'm reflective of the way this country's gonna be in the next 40 years. More multicultural is what we'll see.

I can't get into talking about why another actor left. It has nothing to do with me.

It's a lot of pressure. Some of the cast wants a StairMaster on the set so you can work out like crazy before your naked scene.

Nurturing a project from the ground floor is something I've been wanting to do.

There are some things you have to give up to the higher power.

I used to wear sneakers with those nice suits because I wanted Victor Sifuentes to have a bounce in the courtroom.

I'm happy that just about on every other show there's a Latino somewhere present, and we're not all the cooks anymore.

What we need to focus on is not that we're not nominated, but that we have many more Latinos that are in prominent positions on shows all across the dial than ever before.

I don't know... I don't think you can trust any of Kurt's characters. That's how Mr. Sutter operates: nothing is what it seems.

Variety is the thing for me to be able to work in theater and be involved in more films and TV movies that say something.

I'm not going to leave one of the best shows to do another TV show.

What's on the page dictates a lot of what I do. When the words are there, it's easy.

When you're 27 million strong, no one can tell you that you don't belong or expect you to just move along.

There's a lot of successful procedural shows that are out there. A lot of them are very successful. I just know there's an audience out there that wants character also.

With the advent of cable and such, you guys are calling it the golden age of TV in terms of the writing and stuff. But it's like different branches of a big tree that TV has become.

I do want to be involved in quality projects that say something positive about the Latino community.

I don't feel I have to acknowledge how I'm doing by an award.

Every actor has to deal with what's on his plate, and I try to deal with doing the best work possible with the most challenging scripts. I don't base it on whether it's a feature film or a TV-movie or cable.

I have and will continue to vigorously pursue opportunities in all mediums.

I'm usually very analytical when I'm prepping stuff: real into the head thing.

For me, the bottom line is what's on the page.

The great thing about working in cable is that, since the season is truncated - we only do 12 shows - the writers are more at ease in terms of mapping out the trajectory of the story and the characters.

Doing a truncated series is like doing a long movie, which allows for a certain artistic freedom. After just 12 episodes, you can take a breather and do other things for your career.

As an actor, it's hard to approach any character with negatives.

An actor tries to be versatile, to immerse himself in a different culture.

We tend to think of World War II and all the atrocities that happened, and people say, 'Never again.' But these things are still happening. The Amnesty International files are big.

My life hasn't changed that much. Sure, people recognize me, and airports can get tough, but the people who stop me tend to be real nice.

That 'who's the sexiest' business is a crock that the media cooked up to sell magazines, so while I say thank you very much, I don't put much stock in it.