When you give someone your hand, it needs to be clean.

Who said that being Latino is to be a stereotype? Characters are stereotypes when making plans or without shades. I do not believe in the picture or model established in the movies.

Men are taught that if we are not the ultimate provider, we are a complete failure. We have to be number one in everything we do. There is nothing more delusional or paralysing than what I have just described.

I think there’s no creative process that goes without injuries and scratches and punches. You get beat up somehow, and that’s part of the commitment. You have to be open to that.

Bolivar’s legacy has always been a part of the Venezuelan/Latin American imagery, especially in the countries that he liberated or he helped to liberate. He’s been a very prominent figure.

We are all seduced by charismatic people, whether it’s in your office or in the bus or in the train. There are people who just, like, come through the door, and everybody turns around and looks at them and feels drawn to them.

You can’t judge your characters or otherwise; it’s not about you, it’s about them.

I met Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu years ago during my college days, and I was in charge of international promotion of this movie festival he was invited to as part of the jury, and then he saw my work on a short film that was directed by a friend of mine.

I come from Venezuela, from the independent film arena, and you work with one camera.

Carlos was a character, a character fabricated by Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, fabricated by the secret services of the epoch, fabricated by the governments of the epoch, by the radical groups of the epoch, by the communications media.

I think that the ‘Bourne Trilogy,’ it’s definitely redefined the genre and took it to a new level. It was really great to be part of that experience. It is a very smart movie and a very smart script, great director, and great, you know, fellow actors.

I think, for any actor, dealing with the paranormal is intriguing.

I’m acting for the same reasons I wanted to become a diplomat. I’ve thought about it a lot and concluded that I wanted to become a diplomat because it was a way to explore human nature. For the same reason that at one point in college, I wanted to be a sociologist.

My father was a military attache, so I’ve been traveling all my life.

I think men and women‘s burdens and destinies are intertwined.

I look for roles that allow me to immerse in different worlds, immerse in worlds that are different from mine. Then, when you finish a film, you’re a different person. I look for that. I look to be impacted, to be transformed, changed by my roles. That’s why I do this.

War is a tragedy. It’s not pretty, and in my opinion, there are no winners. Everybody’s a victim, from the one who’s suffering pain to the person inflicting it.

In order to understand the mindset of a boxer, I needed to become a boxer myself.

I’m just the second Bodhi. I think there will be more. I have the feeling this is only the first re-imagination of ‘Point Break‘.

I always try to look for the hidden face of the character, the hidden face that we all have.

I’m restless. I’m all the time here and there and trying to get myself busy and creative. It’s something that’s part of my personality since I was a kid.

Imagine stepping into the shoes of Roberto Duran, one of the most legendary boxers in the history of the sport, and definitely the most legendary Latin American boxer, and then having ‘Raging Bull‘ in my corner. I mean, imagine that? Just having Robert De Niro to play the trainer in the movie, that was fantastic.

Duran is a mythological figure in Latin America. He grew up in a time of turbulence because Panama was basically occupied by the United States. So he felt obliged to fight Americans in the ring. He felt the whole pride of his country and the need for cultural and political emancipation in his hands.

Panamanian boxing is unique – it’s very musical. It’s almost like a dance. It has a lot to do with being in the Caribbean and with salsa. When you see a Panamanian boxer, there’s a style. There’s a playfulness in the way you throw the punches.

The reality is that not only were we massively hit in 2008 when the bubble burst, and then we realized how deep the social gap, the economic gap in the world is between the super rich and the poor; also, we realized how impacted the environment has been. So there’s been a physical consequence of that.

Bodhisattva is enlightened in the Buddhist philosophy, religion, tradition. He’s enlightened. It’s fine – I don’t really fight it – but many people use the term ‘zen‘ and terms like ‘nirvana,’ ‘enlightenment‘ in an almost superficial way. It’s not that complicated.

I believe in the will. I believe in discipline. I believe in the organization. I believe in the rigor that gives us work. I believe in love as an engine of all things. I believe in the light. I believe in God. I believe in kindness.

That’s what happens in a good horror movie: there are always metaphors of greater subjects like humanity and empathy and compassion. It’s not about the action and scary moments: You really care about these characters because they’re mirrors of our own reflections.

My father was military, so I traveled a lot, so I had 13 to 15 first days in new schools. Bullies transcend culture, unfortunately, and I had to deal with them wherever I went. I knew how to defend myself. But I didn’t know how to fight.

There’s never a dull moment on a David O. Russell set. But that’s the beauty of it. That’s the magic.

I had to understand the whole bounty hunting thing, because we don’t have that in Venezuela. Nothing similar at all, at least not legal.

The tale of ‘Point Break‘ is about doing what you love and committing to what you love. It’s relevant to me as a Venezuelan, to you as an American, to any Chinese person watching the film.

You get to a new school, and you’re the new guy, or you’re the foreigner, or you’re the guy with the funny accent. That first day at school was a whole new opportunity to create a new persona.