If they were handing out gold stars for political correctness in Hollywood, “Chicago Hope’s” Hector Elizondo probably wouldn’t be among the nominees.
In an era when there is legitimate debate about the representation and roles of minority actors on television, Elizondo refuses to define himself as anything other than an actor.
“I don’t pay much attention to the ghettoization of actors. I don’t join groups,” he says. “I am first and foremost an actor. Not a Latino or Hispanic actor, but an actor.”
Elizondo, 60, has come in for criticism because his character on “Chicago Hope,” Dr. Phillip Watters, doesn’t appear to be Hispanic — though Elizondo has developed an ethnic side to Watters since the show debuted in 1994.
“You know, when I was an actor in New York, the issue of my heritage never came up,” he says. “But here in Los Angeles, there is somehow an issue of whether Hispanics should be playing non-Hispanic roles.
“I have ducked most Latin or Hispanic roles because they were badly written or too stereotypical. The issue for me is whether it’s a good role, not the ethnicity of the character.”
For the record, Elizondo’s parentage is definitely Hispanic. He was born in Harlem, son of a raven-haired Puerto Rican mother and a red-haired Basque father. The combination of genes gave Elizondo a face that has been a good fit in more than 40 feature films and dozens of stage plays.
“I have a very neutral-looking puss,” he says. “So I can play many, many roles.” Among his film credits is “Pretty Woman,” in which he played the hotel manager who helped transform Julia Roberts into a lady of grace.
At 8 p.m. Sunday, Elizondo stars in a CBS-TV movie called “Borrowed Hearts,” a warm holiday tale about hope and answered wishes. The role should please those on the ethnicity watch: Elizondo plays a wealthy Mexican businessman.
“I took the role because it was a good character and the script had a certain charm to it,” he says. “Besides, I was able to do it while `Chicago Hope’ was on hiatus and go to Toronto for the filming and walk down the street and smoke a good Cuban cigar legally.”
Ouch. There he goes again, not caring what people might think.
The success of “Chicago Hope” — even when measured against the “ER” juggernaut — has given Elizondo the freedom to do as he pleases. In September he won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor, and Elizondo says the show has been very satisfying personally.
“More people see an episode of `Chicago Hope’ than see some feature films,” he says. “Plus, I get to come home at night and sleep in my own bed, and spend time with my family — something you can’t do when you’re on the road making movies.”
Elizondo also says that TV is the only venue that allows an actor to develop his character over time, which he has used to advantage with Dr. Watters.
“I like this character and the way we’ve handled him, had his persona peeled back like an onion, a little bit at a time,” Elizondo says. “They (the writers) at first wanted to reveal him all at once. I’m not interested in that.”
“We’ve brought out that he was a Vietnam veteran who has had to deal with the horrors of combat. We’ve also established that his mother was Hispanic, which brings a new side to Dr. Watters.”
Elizondo says that in coming episodes, his character will acquire a serious girlfriend and will face a severe professional crisis.
Nonetheless, Dr. Watters will remain what he has always been at “Chicago Hope” — the sage, stalwart character who rises above the furor and is the bridge to the show’s humanity.
Elizondo seems a lot like that too. He’s proud of who he is and where he’s been. But ultimately he believes what’s important is not a person’s ethnicity, but rather, the person’s work.
“I have a very important thing in my life that I protect: my reputation,” he says. “That’s the only part of my career that really matters.”
