Esai Morales choses his words as carefully as he picks his TV or movie parts.

        “I've turned down roles of cocaine dealers and all sorts of (criminals) because it's such a stigma,” says the Latino actor in both ABC's NYPD Blue and PBS' new American Family drama.

        “The characters that you do are seen by millions of people and leave imprints,” he says. “It makes me feel so enraged to think I am helping in the psychological subjugation of my people, that I didn't want to take part in it.”

        A conversation with Mr. Morales, 39, is an eye-opening look at the plight of Hispanics in Hollywood. It hasn't been easy carving out a career after his critically acclaimed performance as Ritchie Valens' older brother in La Bamba (1987).

        He turned down his biggest payday, a role in Kurt Russell's Escape from L.A. (1996), because he didn't want to be seen as an illegal alien rebel leader rallying immigrants. “Mud people,” the script called them.

        “They could have offered me $3 million, but that money would be gone in a few years, and then what (would be left)? That image of myself being there to be hated.

        “After years of people telling you, "You mean so much,' or "My kids watch you!' or "Keep up the good work,' it's hard to take these roles that just denigrate you and your people.”

        His Lt. Tony Rodriguez, the NYPD Blue boss,is one of the few positive prime-time Latino roles. Most Hispanics on the show — and on most of TV — are criminals.

        In fact, on American Family he plays the ex-con son of Edward James Olmos. He also has a recurring role as an ex-con on Showtime's Resurrection Boulevard. Both are produced by Hispanics.

        Mr. Morales was committed to American Family when Steven Bochco hired him last year to replace James McDaniel, an African-American, as the NYPD's 15th Precinct commander.

        Lt. Rodriguez has been the opposite of almost all of his previous roles. He has wisdom, authority, patience and strong people skills.

        “In other words, a brain. Usually Latinos are very flawed. Not that humans aren't — but it's like, come on, when are you going to play someone you want to be?” says the actor, who wears a gold New York Police lieutenant's ring. It's a Christmas gift from Bill Clark, the former New York detective who is an NYPD Blue executive producer and chief technical adviser.

        On Wednesday, he's seen in broadcast TV's most realistic portrayal of Latino life, American Family. Filmmaker Gregory Nava (El Norte, Selena) created the East Los Angeles family, which includes a barber, lawyer, businesswoman, ex-con/firefighter and a teen-age Web site designer.

        “Hopefully, this show can broaden people's understanding, and humanize the Mexican-American, and therefore the Latin-American, and therefore American,” he says.

        “It also will humanize us to the rest of our community . . . because a lot of children grow up feeling really disenfranchised.”

        As a kid in Brooklyn, young Esai couldn't relate to anyone on TV until he was 12, when Freddie Prinze's Chico and the Man debuted in 1974.

        The American Family cast and crew feels great pressure to succeed, Mr. Morales says. If enough viewers watch, it will spawn Latino shows on other networks. That's a burden the show — and Latino actors — must carry.

        “If we don't do well, do you think they'll green light many other projects of this ilk? We want to make sure, God forbid, if the show doesn't do well, that it's not going to have an adverse effect on the rest of our community. And that's harsh! But when Heaven's Gate didn't do well, they didn't stop doing movies with Anglo actors!”

        When Al Pacino, Marlon Brando or Robert DeNiro take a role, they don't have to worry how it reflects on all white people.

        “They don't carry that burden. They're more free to be the great artists that they are,” he says. “I don't want to be a role model, to be honest with you. I'd rather be an artist.”

        When he watches movies or TV, he looks for things I'm not always aware of, to be honest. He looks for people like himself.

        In Pay It Forward, he was shocked to see only one Latino — the kid who kills the main character (Haley Joel Osment).

        “Our feeling is: If you're going to use us, why do you only use us in this context?” he says.

        “I'm not saying that people are out there trying to be evil. But they don't realize how they hurt us. And in some cases, they don't care.”

       Contact John Kiesewetter by phone: 768-8519; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: jkiesewetter@enquirer.com.
       

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