Article by Kiko Martinez
In “The Perfect Game,” veteran actor Carlos Gómez, 48, plays Umberto Macias, the father of Angel Macias who pitched a perfect game in 1957 to earn Monterrey, Mexico its first Little League World Series title. Gómez, who has starred in a number of films over the last 20 years including “The Mambo Kings,” “The Negotiator,” “Desperado,” and “Fools Rush In,” says he was inspired by this true story and wanted to be a part of it when he started doing research for the role.
During an interview with me, Gómez, who is of Cuban descent, talked about the challenges he faced when he first started his career and what he has seen in the industry over the last couple of decades that leads him to believe Hollywood is starting to notice Latinos are an untapped audience.
What spoke to you when you learned about this character?
The father is very conflicted character. He had a kid that has passed away. He really doesn’t want his other son to leave Mexico and play baseball. He wants him to stay in Monterrey and work at the iron mill like him and his father and his grandfather. Culturally, it’s a story that is very Latin because as parents sometimes we don’t want our kids to go away from us and explore. The character has a beautiful arch that he goes through.
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