ESAI MORALES

I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor get to be the hero?

When you have a little 10-month-old who is climbing up your leg because you are their mountain - there's no nobler reason to get out of bed every day. There's no better reason to live, to make sure you provide as much guidance and as much room for that child to thrive.

How often do you get a movie where the coolest character has your own real last name? I played Bob Morales as a cross between my own father - the passion, the fury - and the real Bob Morales. I loved that movie. People, kids always come up to me and tell me how much they still love 'La Bamba.'

I went jogging up on Mulholland. In the middle of my run I had some form of asthma attack and couldn't even walk. I couldn't get a ride one block to my house. I thought I was going to die.

We understand 'Roots,' and that experience was mind-boggling, and it changed the way society viewed race relations. It was incredibly important. With 'Roots,' I was just as proud as anybody else that people of color were getting their stories told.

I think the legacy left behind by 'Battlestar' speaks for itself. I thought that these avid fans, most of whom were skeptical at first... to turn them into a fan of 'Caprica' as well is a daunting task, a big challenge.

I love bringing roses to a woman when she least expects it.

I love shocking people.

Well, actually yes, in 1988. There was a warrant for me because my assistant hadn't paid a ticket of mine.

I just arrive, they hand me a script and say, do it.

Shows like 'Seinfeld' and 'Friends,' they have, like, one or two damn characters throughout the whole series that are minorities.

It's people politics, people dynamics that make a show really good, whether it's 'Desperate Housewives' or 'Lost' or 'The Sopranos.' It's the people we've grown to love or otherwise.

I like the Beatles. They're at the core of my musicality. And John Lennon's my spiritual father.

All I would say to people who doubt 'Caprica' is: Everything good starts slow.

My mother taught me when you go someplace, you leave it better than you found it.

I love being irreverent. But I hate being irrelevant. I love being irreverent because at the end of the day your actions belie your intentions.

Being an actor you have a lot of expenses.

We as Americans of Latin descent are just as American as anyone else of any other descent.

I don't get paid like a person that everyone knows, but I get paid so much more in so many ways.

Frankie is my baby. He is the sweetest dog in the world. Frankie is like the son I never had. He keeps me healthy; I walk and run him. I always feel that I need to spend more time with him and give him more attention. I find myself unloading my emotions on him.

We hear a lot in this country about family, and 'American Family' just shows us a portrait we haven't seen as much of yet. 'American Family' lets us know that being American isn't about the color of your hair or eyes or skin: it's really a state of mind.

I see myself being a father, hopefully a husband, but I'm very gun-shy. The older I get, the further the goalpost.

I'm really, really dumb about describing wine, but I like wine that's full-bodied and dry.

I always pull over for people who need a push.

In New York, just standing still on the sidewalk is a weird feeling. You have this incessant need to do things. Los Angeles is about kicking back, relaxing, your inner child, peace.