THE RETURN OF
THE KINGPIN
NBC may have killed
off Kingpin,
but Yancey Arias is alive and kicking
You
made quite a splash on Kingpin. Were you surprised it wasn’t picked
up?
We were all very surprised. We had no doubt that we were going to come
back. I had a doubt at first when we shot the pilot because I thought,
How can they possibly accept all this violence—even though it was
a great story? But once it was shot I knew that Kingpin was a great piece.
It was an emotionally driven character piece that given the chance would
be the best thing on television ever.
After the pilot we got the pick up for mid-season, which meant we would get six episodes. So I thought, Wait a minute. They’re interested. Every script was so well-done that I was like, “Oh my God. Let’s bring it.” And everyone was on the same page. We all unified as a team and did everything we could to make this baby fly.
By the time the sixth episode was done we saw the script and we knew the door was open for Miguel Cadena and his brother to walk away from the situation. They didn’t just kill us off. They didn’t have us in a war against the federales. So I thought, Well that means something. They want to take this to the next level. We were all so excited when the show premiered in 2003 because the numbers were great the first weekend.
Whoever made the decision
to pull it…I know that after the fact I heard a lot of different
press coming from the NBC camp. I remember hearing things like, “Oh
my God. I wish we hadn’t done that. That was a mistake. We should
have kept it.”
But I’ve been
really blessed. I mean Kingpin was definitely the thing that opened doors
for me, and every project I’ve taken since has been magical. I hope
to keep going in that direction.
Why do you think
it wasn’t picked up? Did it have more to do with ratings or its controversial
nature?
Well, no one ever really said why. I think that the world of television
is complex enough and a lot of it has to do with numbers. My gut feeling
tells me that maybe it could have been the fact that it was a little bit
too violent. But I think that anyone that has done a TV show that got
cancelled knows that there is that unspoken thing. That when a show doesn’t
happen, it doesn’t happen. No matter how good it is, if the decision
is made to kill it, it’s done and you move on. Television is very
unforgiving in that way.
What do you say
to Latinos who think that roles like your role in Kingpin only serve to
reinforce negative stereotypes about Latinos?
Well, it’s really subjective, but they have the right to speak
their minds and I love them for coming out and voicing their opinions.
That’s what makes people strong. They are not just quiet and sitting
back going, “Okay, this is what we have now.” It’s their
point of view. It’s their perspective.
One very interesting
thing, though, is that before Kingpin came out people assumed that it
was all about drug dealing. People came out saying negative things about
it, and after the first episode they said, “Ah ha! Thought so.”
Then the second episode came out and they said, “Wait a minute. This
show is really about people and being torn by your environment. It’s
not just about the drugs.” There were lessons to be learned. People
realized the potential of the show, so the same people that protested
and wrote letters before it even came out shot themselves in the foot.
Because those same people would look at me and say, “Oh my God. You
were wonderful. The show is great. Why is it leaving?” And I thought,
“Uh, sorry. You know that letter that you wrote and commotion that
you made. Well, sorry.”
Nevertheless, I think
that something like Kingpin taught people a lesson with respect to the
fact that we have a lot of talented people in the Latino community. No
one can ever say, “Latinos can’t cut it. They can’t ever
lead a show.”
You played a Mexican
on Kingpin, but you’re actually Colombian and Puerto Rican. What
kind of identity does a kid of Colombian-Puerto Rican descent born and
raised in New York grow up with?
Well, I grew up with good food, lots of love. I was taught to stay
true to who you are, to remember to speak Spanish. My upbringing was filled
with a lot of passion, a lot of love, a lot of family, and a lot of parties.
Was your ethnicity
ever a source of inner-conflict as you were growing up?
Only when I was a kid. But when I became an older gentleman—I’m
32 now—my ethnicity has only been an issue when they are looking
for a Caucasian actor instead of a Latino actor. Other than that I have
been able to rise above all that on any occasion.
That is great,
because a lot of times when you are a kid it can be difficult.
Yeah, I remember when I was a child, about 10 or 11, I went roller-skating.
I was the only Latino in the roller-skating rink and I caught the eye
of this girl that I thought might wanted to roller-skate with me. So I
asked if she wanted to skate with me and she said, “No. You’re
too dark.” That broke my heart. But you know with the attention span
that kids have, I just got over it.
Well I’m sure
she regrets it now.
[laughs]
One of your first
dreams was to be a baseball player, and you played baseball in high school.
There aren’t too many jocks that are also into drama. What attracted
you to acting?
Being a jock you watch movies like Scarface and Colors. You watch
films like that and you think, Wait a minute. I’m just as passionate
as that guy. I could do this too. So I decided, “You know what, I’m
going to listen to my grandma.” My grandma said to me when I was
about seven, “That’s my little negrito. He’s going to be
on television.” Then I would say, “Grandma, you’re crazy.
I’m going to play baseball. That’s what I want to do.”
Isn’t it true
that your acting aspirations didn’t go over too well with your baseball
coach? Tell us about this and how it lead to you pursuing acting more
seriously.
My coach was a “meano,” to put it lightly. He was my history
teacher and he was the coach of the baseball team. Because my grades weren’t
high enough for him, he decided that he didn’t want me on the team.
And that crushed me because I’d been playing baseball since I was
eight. I was heartbroken. I came home crying and I said, “Ma. Call
him! Call him! Reverse this thing! Please!” But he wouldn’t
budge.
But then I met another
teacher and this teacher was the head of the music department. He taught
me how to sing. So very easily and very smoothly I found a place for myself
at that school, and I found that I had these great talents that I’ve
never really researched until I met this teacher—who was Mr. James
Green. Then I realized, Boy, you’ve got something cooking here. So
very quickly I immersed myself into theater.
Still, baseball was
always lurking in the back of my mind. When I went to college at Carnegie
Mellon, the baseball team saw that I could pitch and they wanted to make
me a relief pitcher. I started pitching and all of a sudden my drama partner
comes out and says, “Look, you made it into this school because of
your acting and your singing skills, not because of your baseball skills.
You’re missing too many classes. We’re asking you to figure
out your priorities and drop this baseball thing.” And I was like,
“Oh boy. Here we go again. Why can’t I do both?
But you just can’t,
you’ve got to master one. So I gave in because quite honestly my
calling was acting.
So you had to give
up on baseball?
I gave up the baseball, but I still played softball for the next nine
or ten years. But then I moved to California and boy was I happy to find
out that they’ve got this 28 and over baseball league called the
BABL. They also have the Pacific Coast League.
Well then I guess in the long run you did get to do both because you’re
an actor and you still play baseball.
Oh yeah! I’ve got a team that can take on almost any team out
there. I mean I’ve got a bunch of guys that played in college like
myself and a bunch that played in the Minors…That to me is the ultimate.
I get to take care of that flame that’s always been burning since
I was a child. And what a great way to do it.
You’re now on American Family working with an extraordinary cast
of Latino actors. How do you feel about that?
I’ve seen all their movies, all their shows, and 17 years after
my training as an actor began, I really feel like I’ve arrived. I’m
working with guys I’ve really wanted to work with all my life. I’m
giving myself to them, and they’ve given themselves to me. That is
such a wonderful atmosphere that was created, and it just really felt
like a good family.
What do you hope
to accomplish on American Family?
I want to bring everyone I managed to touch and entertain from Kingpin
and keep them entertained. I want to give them something really hot to
look at, something that they enjoy watching.
Are American audiences
ready for a network primetime drama with a predominantly Latino cast?
Oh they’re ready. The audience is ready. Who knows about the
network? First of all, the Latino community spends more money on movies
and more time watching television than any other group in America. Why
not give them something, not just to be proud of, but something that they
can reflect on and say, “I experienced that.”
That’s the kind
of commitment that PBS has made. That’s the commitment that American
Family gives to Latino audiences. I’m telling you, when they see
the show they are going to have so much to be proud of. They are going
to be so entertained by Gregory Nava, the writers, and all of our actors.
It’s such a celebration of the family and the conflicts within a
family that it will entertain all the masses. It’s not just geared
for Latinos.
What else would
you say is unique about the show?
This show is not shot like a TV show. It’s shot like a film,
in epic proportions. We cover the Mexican Revolution, the Korean War,
and the war in Iraq. My character goes off to be a doctor in Iraq because
he wants to help people. He is very respectful to the triage. Whoever
is hurt the worst is going to get treated. That in itself is controversial,
because you take an Iraqi soldier who is literally hanging on the brink
of his life before you take an American soldier who has a shoulder wound.
There will be plenty of times when people will see the conflict of this
family and how the Iraq War and the decisions of our country to go to
war affected this family. You see things that affect every family, white,
black, Hispanic, Asian, Jewish. It is really going to reach out in so
many ways and make us think.
Are there any other
projects you’re working on?
I’m working on a pilot called Wanted for CBS. I’m playing
a role where I’m part of the fugitive division of the LAPD and we
go after the bad guys that escape the law, the violent criminals that
have never been caught, the really dangerous guys.
You are a successful
dark-skined Latino actor…
Amen.
In a world where
Latino actors (especially on Univision and Mexican television) are often
chosen as much for their Caucasian features as their acting skills, is
it important to you to represent as an attractive brown-skinned Latino
actor?
It has never been an issue for me. I have only once, maybe twice,
been confronted by the color of my skin. The way I was raised and my experiences
in life taught me simply that heart overcomes everything. If you have
a heart of gold, passion, strength, skills, understanding, humanity; if
you’re a good guy, do all the right things, treat people the way
you treat yourself, then, my friend, you will reign victorious time and
time again.
I heard that you were engaged for a long time, and it took you four
years to set a date. What took you so long?
My wife and I started dating when I was 25 and she was 22. I was way
too young back then. I didn’t have my head on straight then. When
I was 29 I started to really understand my life. I began to understand
who I was and what I wanted; how I wanted to lead my life and what it
meant to be in a relationship. I decided that there was something so strong
between Anna and myself that it was worth figuring out. Because we were
at a pivotal point where we were about to split. At that point, during
the fourth year, we had someone intervene, and we got in touch with this
wonderful woman, Risa Weber, who is kind of our spiritual guide/therapist.
When I really learned
how to communicate on a different level with the woman who I really love
deep down inside—despite the differences we had—it really became
about one thing. How do we communicate with one another and how do we
achieve what we want from one another without things escalating? Without
taking things so personally? How do we really listen? How do we step away
when emotions get involved, instead of screaming at each other? That kind
of stuff.
So once I started
learning more about myself, then I really grew in our relationship. By
the time I turned 30, I really felt like a man. I really felt like I owned
who I was. So at 31 I decided, “You know what honey? You’ve
been through the thick and thin with me. We both came through a lot of
understanding about ourselves. We know how to communicate with one another
now. There is no reason why we can’t take this to the next level
now.” A lot of people jump into marriage without having that kind
of understanding, so you’ve got more divorces. We got lucky. We stuck
it out. We figured out what that bond was and how to communicate with
one another. It’s been great now, and I hope the best for the future.
What advice do
you have for Latino men?
Be true to yourselves brothers. Be honest people. Be honest with your
loved ones. Be honest with your family. Don’t hide nothin’.
The things that I’ve learned about who I am have pivoted my live
and actually improved my career. They actually improved my skills as an
actor, because now all I focus on is the truth. All I focus on is giving
my heart over to someone, listening without any agenda—just listening.
Taking the time for people. Now that is a strong Latino brother. And I
implore my Latino brothers to get in touch with who they are. Be honest
with yourself and be honest with everyone else around you, period.
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