Happy Birthday: Benicio Del Toro

Benicio Del Toro

Born: February 19, 1967 in San Germán, Puerto Rico

I see The Usual Suspects (1995) as the time where I was, quote unquote, discovered. It took me six, seven years to get to that place. And it was not easy. You’re fighting with people who doubt you and your choice of career. There are a lot of doubts – and you have to stay focused with what you want. I never put a time limit on me being successful or not. I just cared about the work as an actor. But it wasn’t easy because there were a lot of ups and downs. I don’t know if you know much about baseball, but baseball is the game of failure. You deal with failure – strike, strike, strike – all the time. Acting is like that. You have to have a very thick skin in a way – your hair is too dark, you’re too ugly for the part, your audition wasn’t good.

I do get more recognized now. If I go to dinner, people look at me more now and whisper. But as an actor, I would be no one without the people who come and see me. So it would be ridiculous for it to bother me. It just bothers me when I’m intoxicated.

My goal as an actor has always been to reach a level where I can find a lot of interesting work, and I think I’m at that point now. The Oscar has given me a lot of recognition, but I think Traffic (2000) alone would have done a lot for me. It’s the kind of role you die for because a lot of people are going to focus on your work. It gives you a very high profile.

SUBMIT your TV PILOT Screenplay or TV SPEC Script Voted #1 TV Contest in North America.

SUBMIT your Short Screenplay or FEATURE Script FULL FEEDBACK on all entries. Get your script performed

FIRST SCENE (first 10pgs) Screenplay CONTEST Submit the first stages of your film and get full feedback!