Luis Guzmán Says All He Wanted Out Of ‘Miami Vice’ Role Was To Buy A Used Car: “Look At Where I Am Now!”

By Raven Brunner @raventbrunner
Published Sep. 20, 2023, 11:30 a.m. ET

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Luis Guzmán was the man of the hour at the opening night of the New York Latino Film Festival on September 19, 2023 where he received a Lifetime Achievement Award, ahead of the screening of his upcoming movie Story Ave.

During his acceptance speech, the actor spoke about his 1985 appearance in Miami Vice, calling it his first major acting gig. “All I wanted to get out of that job was enough money to buy a used car, so I could drive to the beach on the weekend, and not have to take the train and the bus,” Guzmán told the audience.

Guzmán said that he ended up purchasing the car, but his friend “totaled” it the next day. “But I didn’t do too bad, because look at where I am now,” he added. 

The Puerto Rican actor has built an impressive resume over the last four decades, including Boogie Nights, The Limey, Oz, Narcos, and Netflix’s Wednesday.

Guzmán also spoke about his “incredible” journey into acting, saying, “I gotta tell you people, man, this journey for me has been incredible. I had no clue that I would be standing in front of a room of love, like this.”

“I always showed up to work, I alway showed up prepared, I always showed up to be a team player, to be very giving, to learn. I have worked with everybody,” he continued. “It’s pretty incredible when you go from ‘Oh, you’re that guy, right? You that guy?’ to, one day, somebody saying, ‘Oh my god, you’re Luis Guzmán!'”

Guzmán said, “It’s been a beautiful journey. It’s been a long journey. I’ve met some of the most incredible people.”

Story Ave — starring Guzmán, Asante Blackk, and Melvin Gregg — releases on September 29, 2023 in theaters. The movie follows Bronx native Kadir Grayson (Blackk) as he comes to terms with the tragic loss of his brother. The high schooler enters the dangerous world of graffiti and finds himself embroiled in a life of crime after joining a graf gang. When Kadir attempts to rob Luis (Guzmán), an MTA conductor, he finds a mentor in him instead. 

Story Ave is the feature debut of writer and director Aristotle Torres, who also produced alongside Jamie Foxx, Lizzie Shapiro, and Datari Turner. Guzmán executive produced with Michael D’Alto, Randal Sandler, Claude Amadeo, Chris Triana, Martin Cabrera, Robert Aguilar, Cemí Guzmán, Gus Deardoff, and Jan McAdoo.