Jimmy Smits

(on being a role-model for young Hispanics) Jimmy: The media can really influence the way people think-and, ultimately, how minorities are perceived. If you have a person who is a lawyer or presidential candidate on television, and you've only seen people like you portrayed as maids or gardeners … that can help a young person broaden their horizons.

(on why his National Hispanic Foundation focuses on education) Jimmy: I am a firm believer in education and have worked very hard to tell young Latinos that they must go to college and that, if possible, they should pursue an advanced degree-be that in the arts, in law, in medicine, in business or whatever their area of interest. I am convinced that education is the great equalizer.

(on why he likes working in television serials) Jimmy: The great thing about series television is that it's very fluid and there are a lot of things that come into play that will effect and change things down the line. On a week-to-week basis, as the writers are looking at the dailies, certain relationships pop. And then the audience factor comes into play.