When I was a kid, I wanted to be a pro wrestler. Other kids wanted to be cops and astronauts, but I wanted to be Hulk Hogan, the Ultimate Warrior, 'Macho Man' Randy Savage, Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake, and Jake 'The Snake.' I wanted to be those guys! I used to tape matches on my trampoline and body-slam my brother.
I didn't grow up listening to musicals. I sang coritos or Spanish spiritual songs and was raised on gospel singer Kirk Franklin.
I grew up in a house where we danced all the time because we're Puerto Rican.
There are a few things for the New York actor that you hope to one day cross off the bucket list. One of them was I got to do an episode of 'Blue Bloods,' which was really fun.
How do you find a partner? Your crazy has to match their crazy. We're all crazy. We all have our things that make us special, make us nerdy. You just find the other person where their crazy matches your crazy. All of a sudden, you find somebody else, and the things that they think make them nerdy, you think make them cool.
I love musicals, and I grew up with them, but the first time I thought I could really do this was when I saw 'In the Heights.'
To get to play a man that has broken walls, that's broken barriers, that's an honor.
I wanted to be a pro wrestler, but my mom didn't let me. I used to make videos and stuff in the backyard. I had a buddy named Daniel Decker, and we used to have a tag team called the 'Deck Garra Era.' We used to make video after video. We were the tag team champions, but then we turned on each other.
I'm a person and an actor that's constantly unsatisfied. I'm always reaching for something higher.
In my top five favorite movies is a movie called 'Heavy Weights.' I was a chunkier kid and dreamed of going to fat camp with go-karts and stuff. That was written by Judd Apatow.
I have rhythm, but I'm not a trained dancer.
When I saw 'Hamilton,' it changed my life. It's one of the most beautiful things I saw on stage.
You always hear me talk about my two ladies: my wife and my dog.
When you got a great cast around you, it makes the story easier to tell, to be honest.
I was fat when I was a kid. I was a little chunkier, but that's boring because everyone was fat when they were a kid, right? Didn't we all go through a chubby stage? Mine maybe lasted a little longer - mine went until, like, the end of high school.
Everything I learned about women, I learned from the ages of 13-16. Every girl would talk to me about their problems, and none of them wanted to date me. So, I learned all of these things. So, when I finally got to the place where I could hit on girls, I just referenced back to all the things that I learned in high school.
I have a lot of friends that are actors, and I'm blessed to even have a job.
At one point, I bought brown contacts because people told me I wasn't Latin enough to play Latin, and I'm Puerto Rican. I went and bought brown contacts just so I could go in and look more Latino... but that was something that I've dealt with in this business.
I come from a Latin nation that had an open policy with the U.S. My parents moved right to Florida, opened a pharmacy, and had me.
I've never done regional theater, and I'm getting to make my Broadway debut as a principal, playing a pretty cool part, so there are probably people keeping an eye on me to see if I'll trip up.
