I did, like, 30 or 40 commercials before 'Will & Grace' where I was the straight husband. I had two spots on the Super Bowl in 1998 where I was the straight dude.
Joining 'ER,' I felt like that kid who got the golden ticket in 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.' I've been offered chocolate bars all these years, but there had been no golden ticket. Just the stomachache that was called 'Jake in Progress.'
There's a time when it was an event for a black person to be on television. Where black households would gather around, 'Oh, you know, Sammy Davis is going to be on 'All in the Family' tonight! Let's go check it out!' It was a big, big thing.
I had been doing plays in New York and on a whim we packed up and moved West, I started doing commercials and plays and guest star spots on TV and one thing led to another and I got Knots Landing.
About a year after leaving drama school or a year and a half - and I was working solidly ever since leaving drama school - I picked up 'Game of Thrones.'
I started in movies in Mexico and started doing telenovelas in Mexico. 'American Family' was the first thing I did in English.
When I got that role of Mateo in 'Superstore,' it was such a huge victory for me, professionally and personally.
Honestly, six months before getting 'Orange Is the New Black,' I remember telling my manager I was done.
