Griffin Dunne and John Leguizamo drove up to Hartford during Saturday’s snowfall for an evening conversation to benefit the Burns Latino Studies Academy.
The audience did include some students from the school, but the event was geared toward the broader community. Those familiar with Leguizamo’s solo performances know he toned it down considerably with there being youth in the room.
After being given the key to the city by Mayor Segarra, Leguizamo and Dunne sat down for a conversation-style Q&A.
Dunne posed questions to Leguizamo about his childhood, relationship with parents, becoming an actor, and various roles. His answers at times pulled from comedic bits he has done, making for a mix of earnest dialogue and humor. Leguizamo recounted how at the start of his career, there were limited roles for Latinos, mostly those requiring actors to play drug dealers or janitors.
Following the conversation between Griffin Dunne and John Leguizamo, the audience was able to ask questions. No mics or moderation, people were able to call out their comments and questions which ranged from a man asking about Leguizamo’s marriage to a woman inquiring about if the actor “remembers” where he came from.
When asked what advice Leguizamo had for a young person interested in acting, he said that if a person is so obsessed with an activity that he spends hours and hours doing it, he’s probably gotten good at it. He said not to let anyone “dissuade” you or get you unfocused.
How did John Leguizamo end up at the Burns School? Greg Secord, a member of the School Governance Council at Burns, was researching Dominick F. Burns, for whom the school is named, when he learned that actor-director Griffin Dunne is related. In October, the school had a rededication ceremony for what is now the Griffin Dunne Auditorium. After this, Dunne made contact with the school to see how they would feel about getting hooked up with John Leguizamo. Discounted tickets were available to Burns family members. Even with the storm making driving tricky, the auditorium was nearly full.
Elizabeth Giannetta-Ramos, the Community School Director at COMPASS Youth Collaborative, says that John Leguizamo will be returning to Burns in the future.
