Joe Minoso – Chicago Fire

By starrymag | November 18, 2015

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) This show, in terms of any kind of film or television, keeps you pretty busy. It keeps you pretty busy, like ten months out of the year. So, when we’re off we tend to try to be off – at least I do. I try to get myself healthier for the next season. We did the WhirlyCruz fundraiser though a few months ago and raised $10,000 for The 100 Club of Chicago. Now, I’m in the process of talking to the folks at Zumba about possibly setting up another fundraiser in April or March with maybe some celebrity Zumba instructors.

Q) How did Zumba become a  part of your character?

A) It’s funny! I remember pitching the idea to Dick Wolf. It just happened at a dinner. The second he thought it was funny I said I thought it would be fun to do. I never thought it would get the reaction that it has or that it would be something that would get me in a place where I’m working alongside the Zumba organization. I got to do a Zumba convention in August and I had the opportunity to see what that company was truly made of. They are true to their word about how much they care about people and really want to try and help the world get healthier and have more fun doing it. I’m so 100% thrilled that we have managed to build a little bit of a relationship and go into the feature.

Q) How was Joe Cruz originally described to you?

A) It’s funny because he was originally described to me as “Timothy Hayes.” He was an African American character and I remember very specifically he was kind of really athletic and into hip-hop. I had to audition and I remember I was coming in with a pair of headphones on and I was listening to “Mo Money Mo Problems.” I am so happy that they cast me and once they did, they changed the name to Joe Cruz and focused more on a Latino-centric character. It was great because it has given us an amazing opportunity to focus on the dark side of what can happen in neighborhoods to Latinos and how much an impact it can have to destroy a community. We have been able to do some interesting storylines to that. That’s the interesting thing about television in general – when you take on a character in a pilot, every day and every episode you are learning something new about who this person is. So, you have to be very flexible about who the character is, what he stands for and what his morals are. For example, I could not have imagined that I was going to end up leaving somebody in a burning building to save my brother’s life. In Season 2, I could not have imagined that it was going to result in my brother having to get involved in this giant undercover storyline. Then, in Season 3, I go all the way to the other side and be a Zumba instructor. Those are all different facets of, I think, a very well rounded character. But you don’t discover those things until a couple of months before the audience discovers those things. That, to me, is really fascinating as an actor. As a television actor, especially playing a series regular character, it is how to be flexible enough to realize that every day you think you have a grasp of who this guy is and then the writers will  write something new and amazing and you go, “This is a side of Cruz I never would have thought of.” It’s still incredible and so much fun to play with. It’s like an actor’s dream.

Q) What have you added to your role that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) Definitely Zumba! I think that was very much so brought by me specifically. I don’t think any other actor would have brought that to the character because it was kind of a real life experience that I had drawn from. I think that we in general as a group all happen to bring something specific to that group dynamic the way that David [Eigenberg] represents the heart of our show and the way that Monica [Raymund] represents the strength of our show. I think that I have the opportunity to kind of play strength through humor and I think I definitely represent loyalty on our show. That’s been a tremendous experience for me.

Q) Is there any chance for some more Cruzumba scenes on the horizon?

A) I really, really hope so! I’m pushing for it – for many reasons, most specifically because it was the funniest thing in the world watching some of those guys try to follow along to the choreography. That was hilarious! But it was so awesome and those are memories that I will harken back to when I’m eighty or ninety years old because they are so laugh out loud great moments in time. I truly hope that we do. But, as of now, we don’t have plans. Right now, we’re actually focusing on a darker side of Cruz’s universe. We’re dealing a little bit more with him specifically trying to help another kid get out of the gang life the way he tried to help his brother to do. So, right now we’re taking that on and with him joining Squad it has become a more action packed and incident and accident driven season for Cruz. I’m doing more stunt work and I work more with Severide (Taylor Kinney). So, the challenges are different, but none the less just as incredible.

Q) Where does the “Crotis” bickering stem from? Is it just firehouse antics or is it leftover Zoya issues?

A) It’s funny what can happen in two years. Zoya (Larisa Polonsky) was a great experience and the actress was such a joy to work with. I’m so happy they brought her back. She was actually in a scene in the pilot that got cut, but everyone loved working with her so much that they tried to find a more series regular arc for her. I don’t think that anything between Cruz and Otis (Yuri Sardarov) is Zoya related. I think that Otis and Cruz are the classic “Odd Couple” and they will always bicker. They are like the old married couple that almost enjoy bickering more than getting along. It just seems to be the more fun alternative. I think that will always exist and I think they will always strive to push each other and at the same time support one another. But it is a firehouse and you don’t get away one day without your balls being busted at a firehouse. I think that is just the consistent thing that will happen between not only Cruz and Otis, but the whole firehouse.

Q) Cruz’s cooking abilities have been the butt of many jokes. How do your own cooking skills hold up?

A) I do very, very little cooking in the kitchen. I think if I put my mind to it I could be very good. I make a very mean omelet. I have been told by my girlfriend that I make a pretty mean Trader Joe’s frozen pasta. I know it’s just in a bag and all you have to do is heat it up, but she has definitely added her own spices and taught me the recipe. I have kind of taken over making it for her. She works way harder than I do so I’ll come home and get the pasta going. It literally takes about eight minutes, but I feel like a real important chef when I cook it.

Q) Currently, the Cruz and Brett spark has fizzled out. What is in store for Cruz’s love life?

A) I think we’re definitely going to see the darker side from now up until the holiday season. Where we go from there, things tend to shift once we get into the second half of the season. Storylines tend to change up a bit so there is definitely a great possibility for that, but your guess is as good as mine. Audiences really loved the Cruz/Brett relationship and I did too. I thought it was very innocent and kind of sweet. It was a lot of fun to play and Kara [Killmer] and I have grown into great friends. She is a lovely woman. It is always a pleasure working with her. So, whether or not that reunites a flame or something else comes along the line I’m always game. As of right now, I think we are trying to show Cruz in a different light and centered on him being a good advocate for his community.

Q) What has been the most challenging part of playing Cruz for you?

A) That’s a good question. It is a physical show. No matter what, I think everybody experiences that. We work really long hours and we work in all sorts of weather and at the same time we’re wearing seventy pounds of gear when we’re doing it. So, it can be a challenging physical job, but other than that it has been just such a joyous experience. I came into this thing as a reoccuring guest star in a very large sea of actor. We have a fairly large cast as casts go. When I came in at the very beginning, I was just happy to have a job, be able to try and make a little bit of a name and maybe be able to move on. There were rumors in Season One that after the Flaco (Jose Antonio Garcia) incident that I may not be a viable character anymore because that would have been difficult to get past a firefighter having done something so atrocious. You never know! It’s been incredible to be able to play this character this long and to be able to be a part of a universe that is ever expanding now with “Chicago PD” and “Chicago Med.” To know that we have the opportunity to play not only in our world, but two other worlds that encompass this one great story of Chicago that we are telling…Very few actors get that opportunity as far as I know. There are basically like thirty of us who have the opportunity to be the same character on three shows each week is kind of insane. So, it’s been a tremendous experience. I think that overall the physical aspects can be a little bit exhausting, everything else has been a dream come true.

Q) There is such great chemistry amongst the cast. To what do you attribute that incredible bond you have developed?

A) It’s a very rare thing and I think that  there are a couple of things that attribute to that. I don’t know how they managed to do it and I don’t know what their casting process was, but between Wolf Productions at NBC and the creators of the show, when they went through that initial casting process they cast a lot of people who are very selfless, no ego. They are just hardworking, professional actors and I think everyone came in with like minds to try and make something good. Let’s try to do something interesting and do right by these people. The second you start to meet all of these firefighters and paramedics, you start to realize how noble and selfless they are. When you spend some time with them, you realize how much a family they, themselves, are and how quickly they bond to one another. They go through experiences that they can really only share with each other. I think a lot about a story that Steve Chikerotis, our technical advisor, once told us that early on in his career he had to take a call where he had to get a girl out of a burning building and she didn’t make it. He had at that time a daughter around that age and he had to go home and take all of that and hold it because he didn’t want to have to put that burden on his family. I think that’s when you end up turning to your firefighter family and they are really the only ones who can understand just what it is that you see and experience on a day to day basis. I think the same goes for us as a cast. I think we really embraced that idea of family, unity and understanding that we can truly understand what we are in. We have kind of turned into a blossoming family dynamic on an doff screen. We vacation together. We go out of our way to spend the time off that we have with one another. I think it is pretty rare. Last New Years, there were twenty-seven of us who all went down to New Orleans to spend the holiday together, between cast and family members. And it was an incredible time. We adore each other and it definitely makes the job a blessing every day.

Q) Is there anything about Cruz that you want to be sure fans know about him?

A) That’s a really good question! I think that the writers have been really good about painting a good picture of who he is. I think the fan feedback I get from the audience from social media and meeting them in person I think he is a well liked character and represents morals and values that a lot of people have. I am honored to play him. I used to say that when I was driving the fire truck I had the best job on TV and that all of the boys want my gig just because I get to drive that truck. What little boy hasn’t had the dream of driving a fire truck? I think in general we are playing kind of the coolest heroes you could think of playing. I look forward to finding out what surprises are in store and what kind of man Cruz is. I think in a lot of ways I’m just as along for the ride as the audience is, except maybe I find out sooner. Now, I think this season in terms of what we have filmed so far and seen so far, we really get a lot more opportunity to see Cruz’s strength and you see how exceptional a firefighter he actually is. I think we also get to see just how real his heart is and how loyal he truly is to the only family he has left. If you think about it, Leon (Jeff Lima) is out of the picture. His younger brother has moved on and we don’t see much of him anymore. He’s not living with Cruz anymore. So, if you think about it, the only family Cruz has left is Otis and those men and woman Firehouse 51. Beyond that, I think that the audience is as surprised as I am and I enjoy getting to play them as they come along.

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy the instant fan feedback you receive during episodes?

A) I think it is a double edged sword. I think there are times when it is really great to get feedback from fans and it is great to know people are responding to the things we are putting on screen. For example, if there is a joke that we are working on for a particular episode or a bit that we did that we didn’t know if it was going to land and people start responding to it then that always feels good. At the same time, there is a sense of losing a lot of your privacy and losing a lot of being able to be another person in the world. Sometimes it can be a little overwhelming when people almost demand too much of your attention. For the most part, we don’t get a lot of that. The city of Chicago is really good. They try not to take up too much of our time and they are really respectful that we are trying to get our job done. So, that’s why we do our best to try and get out there and meet everybody when we have the time. It’s been great!

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) Thank you, a million times! I am honored to have the opportunity to do it. I’m so thrilled that you like what I do. We do this because we want impact someone one way or another. When you hear that kind of feedback where someone says something moved them…I think a lot about a young man named Kale who reached out to me on social media and came to visit the set not too long ago. He has autism and apparently, according to the many tweets we’ve gotten, he was having a lot of trouble in school and was very inward. The show in one way or another helped him and he really attached himself to Cruz. Supposedly, he’s opened up and is now doing very well in school and is being a lot more social. That kind of stuff really feels like you are impacting someone. There is nothing you can do to repay that. That’s the greatest gift you can ask for as an actor. That I have even impacted that one person is a great gift and I feel like I’ve gotten more than I could from this show. I tell a lot of people that I’ve been able to buy my own home from this show, I met the love of my life from this show and I’ve made friends that I will have for the rest of my life from this show. It’s also introduced me to the world a lot in my career as an actor. I owe a great deal of gratitude to ‘Chicago Fire, “it’s producers, NBC and everyone involved. I just want to do right by everyone. It means that I get to do things like how I had an opportunity to impact Kale where it has been able to help him grow. So, I feel like I’m where I need to be in the world.