Benjamin Bratt

Benjamin: (on his daughter) Unless I'm home, I cannot be a great husband and father -- especially the father of a child with special needs. What my wife and I faced as parents was like being in a tunnel of darkness for the first few years of her life, because we didn't know what to do. But we educated ourselves, and assembled the best team of therapists we could. Sophia has blown us away with the amount of progress that she's made.

Benjamin: The one thing that I find aggravating as a man of color, but in particular as a man descended of Latino culture, is that I try to avoid labels. On a national level there is a tendency to portray Latino culture as a monolithic entity, which is a really inaccurate way of seeing ourselves. There is as much diversity and uniqueness within the Latino culture as there is in any other kind of American culture.

Benjamin: (on balancing between being a good father and a good husband) In real life? Little sleep, faultless dedication, willpower and the love of a good woman.

Benjamin: Film and television essentially feel the same when you're doing it, because it's the same technical approach. All the homework is the same. The homework for each medium is all similar, but the gratification in a live theater context is much higher, because it's immediate. It's far more dangerous, because there are no retakes. It's electric, it's an actual chemical transaction that occurs between you and the audience.

Benjamin: (about the racism he lived as a kid) I remember an example that happened when I was probably no more than four years old. My brother and I were playing in a neighborhood friend's garage, and he disappeared for a minute. When our friend came back he said that we had to go home-"Because my father doesn't want any niggers in his house." We didn't even know what the word was.

Benjamin: (on racism in the US) It's sometimes subtle and sometimes not so subtle, but it's all part of the racism that is pervasive in this country. It's an issue that hasn't been fully dealt with, even though it's the basis for everything in the way we treat each other.

Benjamin: (on what her mother told him about her homeland) She made us aware at a very early age of the indigenous aspect of her culture. And this was in fact uncommon at the time because, even today, there's such a great prejudice in South America against the indigenous culture that people are afraid to admit that they're part native. To call someone an "indio" is still an insult.

Benjamin: It takes some kind of fortitude for someone like my mom to single-handedly raise five children, get them through college, and keep them out of jail.

Benjamin: My family is like a sanctuary to me. I always turn to them for support and strength. I take comfort in knowing no matter which path I choose, my family stands behind me.