The Art And Politics Of Andy Garcia

HOODLUM's Costar Talks About Lucky, Lorca And Fidel

by Raj Bahadur

"I don't admire people who have blood on their hands. But as an actor, it's a challenge to portray someone like that."

When Andy Garcia takes on a project, the man is all passion. Whether making it in America as a young immigrant, making it in film after leaving Miami for Hollywood, or honing his musical skills as a coprofession (not a lark), the native Cuban lives life as if on a mission.

What better individual to portray Lucky Luciano in HOODLUM (starring Laurence Fishburne, along with Tim Roth). It isn't the first time Luciano has been rendered on film. Which is all the more reason why Garcia gave the world-class gangster his own dapper veneer.

Garcia's method for doing so: research, research, research. "I only had 10 days to prepare," he explains. "So I crammed. Read the biographies, interviewed former employees. Luciano always had these miniature Doberman pinschers around. I also researched his eye -- his throat had been slashed and it cut a nerve which gave him a droopy, hawk-like appearance."

The hazard in playing any gangster lies in going for the stereotype -- ethnic and otherwise. Hence, Garcia's insistence on digging deep. He came up with some interesting stuff, too.

"Luciano was extremely instrumental in the Allied invasion of Sicily during World War II. While he was in jail, the U.S. government asked his help in recruiting local Sicilians. Because of his efforts, Luciano received a pardon and was extradited."

The story doesn't end there, however. Luciano's eventual destination provided Garcia with a personal "hook." "Lucky ended up in Cuba of all places, Havana to be exact. He had the foresight to invest there in the '30s and made a fortune long before Fidel Castro came to power."

Though HOODLUM's emphasis is on "Bumpy" Johnson (Fishburne) -- Harlem's answer to Luciano -- this in no way diminishes Garcia's sense of commitment. In fact, he's already thinking about a future Luciano project.

"He was such a fascinating guy, I'd like to play him in a more biographical story. There's so much to tell in his evolution from street hoodlum alongside Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Vito Genovese and Frank Costello. By the end of his life, he'd turned into an English gentleman. Very business-savvy. Luciano and his peers were really a cut above most Prohibition-era gangsters. You get from the research they were in another league."

Garcia's enthusiasm could be misinterpreted as glorification. That's why he insists on setting the record straight. "Obviously he had blood on his hands. Every account indicates that he did. But the people who worked for him spoke only in reverence. He was intelligent enough to be a captain of industry. There are captains of industry today who have blood on their hands. It's all relative.

"Another part of who he was was an 18 year-old hitting people over the head with a stick to steal their money. But in the end, he'd go to the opera and golf at the Westchester Country Club, socializing with high society and dealing with corporate America. I certainly wouldn't aspire to be him. I don't admire people who have blood on their hands. But as an actor, it's a challenge to portray someone like that."

Garcia recently checked another personage off his wish list when he played the title role in THE DISAPPEARANCE OF GARCIA LORCA (out this fall), about the renowned Spanish poet and playwright.

"The late Raul Julia brought me the project, but passed away before its completion. We dedicate the movie to him. Due to the progressiveness of his plays and his homosexuality, Lorca was one of the first victims of the Fascist takeover of Spain. They didn't like what he stood for or the power of his voice. So, they assassinated him. The whole episode still strikes a nerve among Spaniards.

"The movie deals with a young man who met Lorca at an early age. He's so influenced by him that as an adult, he devotes himself to investigating who pulled the trigger. Everyone he speaks to gives a different story, not unlike the Japanese film RASHOMON."

With Garcia playing a slightly different Lorca in each flashback, it sounds like he doesn't have time for much else besides acting. Somehow, though, he's managed to parlay his love of music into a parallel career. His film production company has a recording branch, which released a couple of CDs by legendary Cuban bassist and composer Israel Lopez "Cachao," billed as the "original mambo king." The first CD won a Grammy, the second a Grammy nomination. Garcia sat in on percussion and also directed a documentary on the musician.

"I sat in with 'Cachao' recently at Lincoln Center. Hopefully, I'll record with him in a few months. And I wrote a couple of songs for THE SCALPER [due soon, produced by Garcia and costarring Andie MacDowell]. Music is a daily thing for me."

Even closer to his heart, priority numero uno, is seeing democracy return to his former homeland. If you think Garcia was articulate about Luciano, don't get him started on Cuba. For a number of years, the U.S. has been pressured to lift its nearly 40-year embargo of the island. Canada, among other nations, has. Garcia is not so forgiving.

"There are a couple of embargoes against Cuba," he explains. "There's the embargo against Cuba by the U.S. There's the embargo of Fidel Castro against his own people in terms of civil liberties and human rights. If Fidel's embargo over his own people were lifted, all the others would tumble, as well."

Change will come, rest assured. Either the nation will become so impoverished (it's well on the way) that Castro will have to make concessions, or he'll just plain die (who doesn't?). The former would be preferable and more immediate. Garcia isn't holding his breath.

"I'm optimistic, but Castro's behavioral pattern over the last 35 years doesn't give much hope. He doesn't carry humanitarian sensibilities, or those sensibilities would be in place today. A totalitarian dictator is a totalitarian dictator."

That leaves death as the sole option. Fine by Garcia. "Every dog has his day, and that regime will soon be over. How do you deal with someone who fails to embrace the ideals of the Organization of American States? He's not a communist. He's a Fidelist. The Cuban people are a glorious and good-hearted people. The people in power are a different people. Remember that Havana was a major city before New York City even existed."

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