Man of Style -- Andy Garcia

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From "In Style" magazine, January 1999

by Mark Morrison

The world knows him as the intense star of "The Godfather, Part III"; "The Untouchables"; "Internal Affairs"; "When a Man Loves a Woman"; and last year's "Desperate Measures". Spin some Cuban jazz tracks, however, and Havana-born Andres Arturo Garcia-Menendez becomes the passionate percussionist who not only produced and stars in-- "Just the Ticket"--out this month-but also helped score the new film. Jazz, blues, Motown, classical, calypso--Garcia loves it all. Despite his appreciation of different musical forms, his taste is settled when it comes to personal style. Garcia brings the same easy confidence to the screen that he does to the golf green (he has an 11 handicap). Married to Marivi Garcia for 16 years, this 42-year-old father of three lives in L.A. and Miami, the city he immigrated to as a boy. An impulsive collector (he owns 25 conga drums), Garcia says, "Wherever I go, I find something I buy--that's the nature of the percussionist, not unlike the actor."

In Style asks: Describe your style.

ANDY: I'm attracted to classical things, not fads. I'm sure everybody has a seventies photograph of himself with a velvet lapel and a wide tie. But I like pieces that have age to them.. I'm a traditional individual. That's how I was brought up. I've had my moments of insanity. But there is a certain responsibility to set proper examples for your children, and that influences your choices in every aspect of your life.

IS: Who influenced your style most?

ANDY: My grandfather was a very elegant individual. My father also. He was a lawyer and farmer in Cuba. In Miami, he had to go to work wherever he could. But whenever it was time to go out, you saw how they cared for how they looked. Both of them always wore a pocket scarf in their coat pocket. They would have one in their back pocket that they put Verlain Imperial Extra Dry on, so when you got hot it would be like refreshing alcohol you could rub on your neck or face. The pocket scarf [in the coat] would be for aesthetic--and [it was] always a very tight-folded square.

IS: Do you have any Hollywood style icons?

ANDY: My uncle, who was a little more flamboyant, always said the guy who dressed the best was Fred Astaire. My uncle emulated that flair; he would wear a tie around his waist. I used it in "Just the Ticket".

IS: How do you characterize Cuban fashion?

ANDY: In the forties and fifties, Havana was the Paris of the Caribbean. Everyone was always well-dressed [regardless of] economic standing. I left in 1961. But I remember a lot of linen in lighter shades, which was necessary for long ummers--whites, creams, rose-colored creams. The staple of the Cuban attire is the guayabera, a four-pocket shirt with long sleeves that you wear outside of white pants--with a panama hat.

IS: You collect hats. Where did that come from?

IS: What's the most personal keepsake you have from Cuba?

ANDY: My father's pearl tie-pin that I wore in "When a Man Loves a Woman". We didn't bring much out of Cuba. On the way to the airport they searched you and took everything, and then they put you on a plane.

IS: Have you ever been back to Cuba since then?

ANDY: I'm a staunch anti-Castro individual. When he goes, I'll go.

IS: How did you meet your wife?

ANDY: I met her in a bar in Florida. And I'm proud to say I proposed to her the first night I met her. Probably about the third thing I said was "Will you marry me?" I was so over-whelmed by her. That was it --I didn't need to look any further. We dated after that for about seven years.

IS: If you were shopping for yourself, and your wife didn't like something you picked out, would you buy it anyway?

ANDY: Yes, I would. Everything I do in my life is very instinctual and in the moment. If I'm attracted to something, that's it. If I have reservations, those don't change till they're resolved. My first impression is how I go. I just wish I had the time to have more clothes tailor-made.

IS: How did you pay the bills before your acting success?

ANDY: I was a banquet waiter at the Beverly Hilton hotel. You learn a lot when you're in the service industry--the jerks of the world really come to the fore. It's a valuable learning experience to be in the position where you're of service to someone who sometimes doesn't even know you're there. It's a lesson to learn as a human being--and it's where the root of our problems in society are.

IS: On auditions, how much did people scrutinize you personally?

ANDY: A lot. They said, Change your name, lose your way of speaking, go to the gym. Once I went to an audition and this woman said, "Take your shirt off," because they were looking for someone strong. I said, "When you take your shirt off, I'll take my shirt off.".

IS: What's the oldest thing in your closet?

ANDY: I still have a leather jacket my brother wore in the sixties. It doesn't fit me, but I figure maybe it'll fit my daughter.

IS: What have you learned from having three daughters? ANDY: It has made me a better actor. Children make you a better everything. Daughters open up a whole different sensibility to you. When you have children, it focuses you on them as opposed to on yourself. I really live my life for them.

IS: What would you say if your teenager wanted a tattoo?

ANDY: I would tell her that at some point she'd have that prerogative. But I [wouldn't] recommend it--she'd probably regret it later on. If you want to experiment, do something temporary. The thing with me and my children is, I say what I believe--I don't sugar coat it. If they're still adamant, I'd say, "Out of respect for me and the people who live with you, don't do it until you're of age and you control your own life."

IS: What's the best gift you've ever bought your wife? She collects one-of-a-kind dolls. I notice what she gravitates to I live in a house full of women, dolls and conga drums!

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