John Leguizamo on 'The Odyssey,' Lost Role and Latino Rep in Hollywood

John Leguizamo has worked with Brian De Palma, Spike Lee, Baz Luhrmann and Christopher Nolan. He's shared the screen with Sean Penn, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. He's starred in blockbusters like "Ice Age" and "John Wick," indies like "Poison" and "Chef," and cult classics like "Super Mario Bros." and "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar." He's won an Emmy and a special Tony.

But the 66-year-old actor has never received an Oscar nomination. That might change.

Leguizamo is currently generating career-best notices and Oscar buzz for his portrayal of Eumaeus, the blind loyal servant of Odysseus, in Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey." The Hollywood Reporter called his performance "a delicate, moving, heartbreaking performance that emerges as the heartbeat of the film." The Wall Street Journal named it "the performance of his career."

During a conversation on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, recorded before students at Chapman University, Leguizamo reflected on his career, the importance of nontraditional casting, and a role he was offered and then uninvited from.

On non-traditional casting in "The Odyssey":

Nolan's film features actors of color in classical Greek roles. Lupita Nyong'o plays the twins Clytemnestra and Helen of Troy. Travis Scott plays the bard. Corey Hawkins plays Polybus, one of the evil suitors.

"Now that ancient story that's so powerful to Western literature belongs to everyone," Leguizamo said. "How beautiful is that? How generous is that?"

On playing a trans character in 1995's "To Wong Foo":

"I shouldn't be playing it today," he said. "There's plenty of great LGBTQIA actors out there that could play these roles and should be playing these roles. But that was back then, that was the '90s."

On who should play which roles in 2026:

"In a fair world, which it never is, everybody should be able to play anything," he said. "But the thing is that nobody gets to play anything except white cisgender males."

He said directors he knows now make it mandatory to cast one disabled actor in their projects. He noted that gay actors were once shut out even from gay roles. And that white actors played Latin roles in brownface as recently as "Touch of Evil" with Charlton Heston.

"I think, in this moment of correction, and perhaps it's an overcorrection, it's important that we cast the people who are written as the role and give them the opportunities," Leguizamo said. "Then maybe eventually, when things are fair, then everybody can play everything all over again."

Uninvited From 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'

Leguizamo said he was offered the role of the Vulture in 2017's "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and negotiations went far enough that both sides had accepted terms. He had not yet signed a contract.

Then the head of the studio called him.

"We'd like the role back. Michael Keaton wants it back," Leguizamo recalled the executive telling him.

"I was like, 'What the f*** is this?' I've never heard of such a crazy thing," Leguizamo said. "I could have sued, but my reps are all cowards. It could also backfire. I'm not a litigious person anyway. I'd rather move on and create my own stuff."

• Christopher Nolan
• John Leguizamo
• Latino representation
• nontraditional casting
• Spider-Man: Homecoming
• The Odyssey