Laz Alonso grew up in Washington, D.C., the son of first-generation Cuban immigrants.
His mother worked three or four jobs to keep the family going, so when it came time to choose a career, Alonso couldn't quite pull the trigger and go with his passion -- acting. Instead, he enrolled at Howard U., majored in business and signed on with Merrill Lynch as an investment banker.
"But I never stopped thinking about acting," Alonso recalls. "That's why I like movies like 'Rocky' and 'Gladiator,' movies that keep you pushing for the thing you love, pushing for success."
That push has reaped rewards for the thesp who, after a high-profile lead role last year in Spike Lee's WWII drama "Miracle at St. Anna," has a juicy role as an antagonistic crown prince in James Cameron's upcoming sci-fi epic "Avatar."
"I'm always very hesitant to oversell a movie," Alonso says, "but after Jim showed me scene after scene, I'm a believer. It's amazing."
Alonso, living in L.A., won raves earlier this year playing Vin Diesel's nemesis in the "Fast and Furious" reboot. He approached the character like he does any other, burrowing into the man's mindset and ignoring how the audience might see him.
"I didn't want to play that character as a heavy," Alonso says of his "Furious" enforcer. "He's more frustrated than tough. We've seen tough a million times."
Alonso just returned from Shreveport, La., where he was filming Rod Lurie's "Straw Dogs" remake. This time, he plays the obvious voice of reason, a sheriff butting heads with James Woods' Southern redneck.
"Laz is one of those 'walking charisma' types," Lurie says. "He has a kind of Paul Newman coolness to him."
Alonso disputes that assessment, at least on Sundays, when his beloved Redskins are playing.
"Don't even get me started on that," Alonso says, laughing. "It's been a great year, but that team is going to kill me."
P.O.V.
Lucky Break: "Jarhead." "I saw the breakdown for 'Jarhead' and they're looking for a black Cuban, a description so rare and specific that I knew it was my part. Nobody could take it from me."
Favorite Film: "'Rocky' inspired me and made me want to act."
Five Years From Now, I Will Be...: "Making this movie that I wrote about a Cuban baseball player."
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