People become actors because they want to hide, and it’s not easy to talk about myself. I accept that a certain responsibility goes with being an actor in the public eye, but I haven’t found a comfortable way to deal with it. – Jimmy Smits
I’m happy that just about on every other show there’s a Latino somewhere present, and we’re not all the cooks anymore. – Jimmy Smits
There’s show business, and the business is sometimes in capital letters. You just have to give it your best shot when up at bat. – Jimmy Smits
I grew up in New York City, and I’ve got wonderful memories of the Fourth of July fireworks. – Jimmy Smits
Doing a truncated series is like doing a long movie, which allows for a certain artistic freedom. After just 12 episodes, you can take a breather and do other things for your career. – Jimmy Smits
There’s a lot of successful procedural shows that are out there. A lot of them are very successful. I just know there’s an audience out there that wants character also. – Jimmy Smits
Just give me a good role that allows me to hone my craft, and I am a pretty happy camper. – Jimmy Smits
I’ve always strived to keep mixing it up, keep doing different things, and work in all different parts of our business. – Jimmy Smits
The Fourth of July concert is invigorating in so many ways, in terms of what it feels like to be an American. – Jimmy Smits
With the advent of cable and such, you guys are calling it the golden age of TV in terms of the writing and stuff. But it’s like different branches of a big tree that TV has become. – Jimmy Smits
You can’t get so serious as to not realize that what we do is entertainment, but when you have the chance to provoke thought or advance discussion on a topic, it’s just the icing on the cake. – Jimmy Smits
I have no tattoos at all – it was a huge undertaking for me in the ’80s to let my parents know I was piercing my ear when I did ‘L.A. Law.’ – Jimmy Smits
It just makes you feel proud, more than anything else, that the work has in some way transcended itself. – Jimmy Smits
We tend to think of World War II and all the atrocities that happened, and people say, ‘Never again.’ But these things are still happening. The Amnesty International files are big. – Jimmy Smits
I’ve been lucky because I’ve had wonderful teachers along the way who have nurtured and pushed me to the next level. – Jimmy Smits
I am a firm believer in education and have worked very hard to tell young Latinos that they must go to college and that, if possible, they should pursue an advanced degree. I am convinced that education is the great equalizer. – Jimmy Smits
Latino people have come up to me and said they were motivated to become a lawyer because they saw me play one on TV – and you can’t discount how great it is when they tell me I was the first. – Jimmy Smits
