A breakout in the making
Former ATL actor makes a name with Quinceañera

By Charles Judson
Staff Writer/Reviewer

I was watching Shattered Glass recently and I remembered how amazing Peter Sarsgaard was in it. The first time I saw the film I wondered who was this guy, and why hadn't I noticed him before? When he followed with mesmerizing turns in Kinseyand GardenState, I made sure I was paying attention .

Jesse Garcia (left) and Emily Rios answer questions after a screening of Quinceañera. (photo: Charles Judson)

Back in 1999, Terence Howard's Quentin was the most memorable thing about The Best Man (which had shoulda-been-my-baby's-mama Nia Long in it). From the moment he first appears on screen—when he sends an audience full of women swooning as he plays a guitar over his shoulder—until the closing credits, Howard takes the movie over. Even the combination of certified hunks Taye Diggs—erroneously tabbed as the second coming of Denzel—and Morris Chestnut couldn't diminish the raw energy Howard was radiating.

For years I wondered when Howard was finally going to make that leap to the next level. His performances in Ray and Lackawanna Blues were only a prelude to the year he was about to have in 2006, when he finally hit with Hustle & Flowand Crash.

Discovery is a rare commodity when even the tiniest budgets include a publicist. Which is a shame, because nowadays it's atypical that you can enjoy a film, an album, a song or a performance for what it is—without somebody telling you that Mr. X is the new Brad Pitt, or that Ms. Y is the next Madonna. Remember when Dave Chappelle was funny before Chappelle's Show? Or when A Christmas Story was your family's holiday favorite before the T-shirts and TBS's annual 24-hour marathon?

What am I leading up to?

It's not a what, it's a who—and that who would be Jesse Garcia.

When I knew I was going to see Quinceañera's premiere at Sundance I didn't know who Garcia was. The "King of Park City," a.k.a. Chris Burns, mentioned this former Atlanta actor (Last Goodbye, Performance Anxiety, among others) that recently made the leap to L.A. was supposed to be in the film and in response I offered a casual nod.

Then the dude who will hopefully one day be cutting my checks—Martin Kelley—iterated and enthused that some cat named Jesse, who he had worked with on Burnt Sienna, was in the film. However, Quinceañera the film had generated the buzz, and I was going for the film itself. Who was in it was irrelevant, so again I offered a casual nod.

Arriving just minutes before the film was to be introduced, I found an empty seat in the second row from the front. I was oblivious to the fact that I had sat right in front of Garcia and Quinceañera's lead actress Emily Rios, and behind Far From Heaven director and Quinceañera producer Todd Haynes.

Directors Richard Glatzer (left) and Wash Westmoreland introduce the film. (photo: Charles Judson)

Soon the co-directors made the obligatory pronouncements about the joy of making their film, the greatness of their cast and crew and how they hoped we liked the film as much as they enjoyed making it. The audience clapped. The lights dimmed. The movie started.

That discovery thing is powerful. Nearly two hours later, I still didn't know who Garcia was and I hadn't even bothered trying to figure out who he was. All I knew was that I had seen my favorite movie at Sundance '06—and whoever played Carlos was good, damn good.

During the Q&A after the film, the majority of the attention was focused on co-writers and directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, Emily Rios and co-star Chalo González (who was discovered by Wild Bunch director Sam Peckinpah). But, when they introduced the guy who played Carlos it hit me: "Oh sh*t, that's Jesse Garcia! Why didn't those bastards Burns and Kelley tell me he was that good?"

Maybe my enthusiasm will be all for naught. Maybe I'll look back on 2006 as the year that I temporarily misplaced my heterosexuality (Nia and Beyonce will still be mine, dammit!) and developed a weird "man crush." But I don't care. I'm glad that I didn't know who Garcia was and I'm glad I wasn't looking for him either. Left to my own devices and without any extraneous hype, I knew I had just witnessed greatness. And I hope, in a few years, when Garcia—just like Howard—has his breakout role, I can say with pride: "Finally!"

Charles Judson is a local screen & comic book writer and a regular contributor and film critic for CinemATL.

Dancing in Park City:
Quinceañera

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Jesse Garcia toughens up in Quinceañera.

Garcia with co-star Emily Rios.

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