Jimmy Smits on Breaking Barriers With 'L.A. Law' & 'West Wing' Roles

"When we talk about representation now, it just warms my heart. Being able to see it on screen, makes you believe that you can do it. There wasn't that many examples for me to see," Smits, 65, tells ET's Nischelle Turner, citing Puerto Rican actor Raul Julia and James Earl Jones as actors he looked up to when starting his career."Just because of what they were able to achieve, and not letting whether you have an accent or you have a stutter hold you back.

Beginning in 1986, Smits embodied Attorney Victor Sifuentes for five seasons, touching on hot-button issues that reflected the cultural and social ideologies of the time. But, he almost didn't get the role.He recalls auditioning in New York for the part, calling it a"last-minute thing" for people who were involved at the network and not the main show."It didn't go well. I'm really methodical about stuff and I've never really done well off the fly," he admits.

"Everybody got their little one week. You knew that you were going to just be holding the door for Blair coming through, and then the next week you would have a big case," he explains. The dynamic worked well, with the show receiving 15 Emmy Awards throughout its run. "I lucked out. That was a beautiful blessing, and a really a fine cast. To have a partner to be with on a daily basis in Dennis Franz was pretty special," he recalls."Research-wise, I was able to hang with all these cops and internalize what they go through. And then having to be partnered up with another character who was so polar opposite in terms of their politics… It just was such great fodder for good stories.

Source: Entertainment Trends (entertainmenttrends.net)

Good seeing Jimmy Smits on Entertainment Tonight! He was great on 'L.A. Law' and 'NYPD Blue.'

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