Under the Sheets with Benicio
New York Post Tempo
November 12, 2003
By Sandra Guzman
Kickin’
back
Hollywood bad boy BENICIO DEL TORO bares his beautiful soul.
Academy Award-winning actor Benicio Del Toro is in a playful mood these
days. He wants to start a rumor that he was born in Caguas and not in
Santurce or San Germán, two other Puerto Rican cities that have been widely
reported as his birthplaces.
"Come on, let’s start something," he laughs into the phone.
Fresh from the Venice Film Festival, where he won the audience award for his
portrayal of a recovering addict and born-again Christian in "21 Grams," the
sexy actor is taking the Oscar buzz in stride.
"Buzz, buzz," he hums back.
In the movie, which opens locally on Nov. 21, Del Toro, 36, co-stars with
Sean Penn and Naomi Watts in a drama about three strangers brought together
by a tragic auto accident.
The movie – names for the weight all humans supposedly lose upon death – is
harrowing and intense, yet stunningly poetic.
"The whole movie is about hope," he says. "Sean is like an angel, and Naomi
learns by the end that an eye for an eye is not the answer. My character
might be coming out of his survival guilt."
He explains, "I did research and found that people who survive catastrophic
events can get really depressed – it’s called survival guilt."
The actor, who shot to fame as mumbling crook Fred Fenster in the 1995 cult
favorite "The Usual Suspects," spoke s-l-o-w-l-y about how life can
sometimes imitate art.
"I have dealt with addiction – not necessarily with me, even though I may be
addicted to a few things, but with friends," he says.
"I have seen how difficult it is to get out…"
The 6-foot-4 actor, who won an Oscar for "Traffic," was refreshingly honest
about his own demons.
"I have gotten depressed a couple of times… I’m a little lucky that I don’t
get too bugged out on things, though." Del Toro says. "I don’t get too high
on things like ‘buzz,’ and I don’t get too low on things like no buzz,’ " he
says.
"I stay in the middle."
If you want to get the mellow Del Toro revved, talk music, movies and
paintings.
"A painting by Picasso, Marlon Brando’s performance in ‘On the Waterfront,’
a song by Tito Rodriguez, Puente or Duke Ellington’s ‘Perdido’ … umm,
perfect," he says.
And this music lover is ready to start shaking up New York radio.
"I am up to getting involved in having a good Latin station in New York
where you play classic salsa, merengue – classic stuff," he says, offering
that he and his brother, Braulio, a New York City-based doctor, talk about
the void in Latin classics all the time.
"Latin music and New York go hand in hand," he adds. (See his play list.)
Del Toro – who is single and lives in L.A. – has managed to keep his love
life out of the tabloids.
He confesses to having fallen in love five or six times.
And what does love feel like? "Like a good night’s sleep – comfortable," he
says.
As for his reputation as a sex symbol, he says, "I don’t look at myself in
the mirror more than I used to."
He pauses and adds, "I just think it’s a tag, but I guess it’s better than
something else."
Despite his well-to-do background, good looks and film credits, Del Toro
concedes that, as a Puerto Rican, he has faced discrimination in Hollywood.
"But do I give a damn? No! I will not sit here and mope," he says. "You have
to have patience and persevere."
And while proud of his heritage, he says he is not about to hang a flag on
his car to prove it.
"I don’t wear it on my sleeve," he says. "It’s inside, in my blood. I
don’t need to stick it in on my car to feel Puerto Rican inside."
He admits that he feels a responsibility to his community, but will not let
it get in the way of his career.
"I don’t want the responsibility to take over my choices as a film person…
If I am playing a Latin and the Latin has qualities that are not perfect, I
will make sure that they are realistic," Del Toro says.
"I just make sure that I try to do it the best I can."
Without skipping a beat, he says that the best thing about being Puerto
Rican is los tostones and las quenepas."
Del Toro admits that it’s only been in the past couple of years that he’s
been "seduced" by books.
Given a choice between a good designer’s suit or a book by a great writer,
he would choose the latter.
"It took me a while to get the reading bug, but now I like reading a lot,"
he says.
So, is there hope for my teenage son who hates to read?
"Yes, give him ‘The Old Man and the Sea,’ " he replies.
"Tell him Benicio said to read it."
By the way, the hunky actor was born in San Juan.
* * *
Del Toro’s play list:
Ruben
Blades
Chano Pozo
Danny Rivera
Silvio Rodriiguez
Juan Luis Guerra (loves him, especialy the way he tells a story)
Arsenio Rodriguez
Ray Barretto
Larry Harlow
Hector Lavoe
Celia Cruz
Compay Segundo
Cachao
Cachaito
Pérez Prado
Mon Rivera: They call him a trabalengua, a tongue twister, and he says of
the Puerto Rican folk singer, "That is my boy."
* * *
What is sexy?
When
someone is comfortable with their mistakes and perfections and [is] not
afraid of saying "I made a mistake or I don’t understand."
His favorite part of a woman:
"Legs," and after a long pause, he says, "hips, definitely, hips."
"Listen, I think women are sexy, period!"
Photograph by Erin Patrice O'Brien/Corbis Outline