Podcast Summary

Podcast: All Of It

Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Episode: John Leguizamo's New Play “The Other Americans”
Date: September 23, 2025

Overview

This episode of All Of It explores The Other Americans, a new play by acclaimed actor and playwright John Leguizamo, now running at the Public Theater. Host Alison Stewart is joined by Leguizamo, who wrote and stars as Nelson Castro, and actor Trey Santiago Hudson, who plays Nelson’s son Nicky. The discussion delves into the play’s genesis, its grounding in real-life events, its nuanced portrayal of Latin family and mental health, and the aspirations behind telling this multi-layered story about the pursuit—and pitfalls—of the American Dream.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Origins and Development of The Other Americans

• John Leguizamo began writing the play five years ago, inspired by a little-known hate crime in Long Island that stayed with him deeply (03:01).
• The narrative was shaped by his personal drive to understand what led up to the family’s crisis and how it reverberates in their lives (03:10).

"It was a subject matter that was gestating in me for a long time, based on an unknown little hate crime that happened in Long Island. And I just felt like I couldn't let it go. It stayed with me." — John Leguizamo (03:10)

Setting and Authenticity

• The play is set in 1998 Queens, a deliberate choice to both keep fidelity to the factual event and highlight the shock Leguizamo felt that such racism persisted in his beloved New York (04:50).
• The setting isn’t nostalgia—it underscores the persistence and evolution of racial conflict in America.

Character Complexity:

• Nelson Castro (John Leguizamo):

  • A relentless businessman who inherited laundromats and moves his family to Forest Hills in pursuit of the “American Dream,” only to face internal and external turmoil.
  • Not intended to be a one-dimensional or easily sympathetic “race play” figure; his complexity and flaws reflect internalized racism, colonial legacy, and societal pressure (07:37).
  • “I know lots of Latin men who believe in the American dream and then undo themselves going after it and sometimes undo their families as well, chasing this elusive opportunity.” — John Leguizamo (07:45)

• Nicky (Trey Santiago Hudson):

  • Once a star student and athlete, Nicky is recovering from a racially motivated assault, suffering PTSD and brain trauma.
  • A vessel for exploring vulnerability, emotional extremes, and the struggle for self-reconstruction amidst family pressure (04:08, 06:36, 10:00).

"Nikki is almost like a vessel for me to sort of like, find the extreme parts of my own emotions and let them come to light. It's therapeutic almost, in a way." — Trey Santiago Hudson (04:08)

Mental Health and Cultural Barriers

• The play tackles the stigma around therapy in Latin (and Black) families, highlighting cultural attitudes that equate seeking help with weakness (11:46).

"This is what happens in Latin families, in Latin culture… a lack of understanding that only crazy people go for therapy. And so that's part of the issue...Just ignore it. Don't make it, stop being so dramatic." — John Leguizamo (11:46)

• Leguizamo intentionally did not label Nicky’s condition in the play to invite broader audience empathy (12:41–13:13).

Generational Conflict & Family Dynamics

• Nelson’s ambition and risk-taking set up family tensions, particularly over the costs (financial and emotional) of Nicky’s recovery (13:22).
• The move to Forest Hills, motivated by “proximity to whiteness,” disrupts Nicky’s social and emotional life, paralleling Leguizamo’s own experiences as a child of striving immigrants (14:19, 14:53).

"My parents were always… trying to improve, and we were always moving…I was always the new kid on the block…So I put that in there as well, you know, that this, you know, moving out of the element." — John Leguizamo (14:53)

Real-Life Reflections

• Both Leguizamo and Hudson discuss how the play confronts their personal histories with trauma and family, and how performance itself becomes cathartic (16:01, 16:22).
• Trey Santiago Hudson’s real father, Ruben Santiago Hudson, directs the play, which adds genuine father-son tension and learning to the production process on- and off-stage (17:33).

Strong Women and Gender Dynamics

• Although central to the father-son story, strong female characters—Nelson’s wife, daughter, a neighbor—reflect the “powerhouse” role of Latin women.

“Latin women are strong. Latin women are a powerhouse.” — John Leguizamo (20:58)

Performance and Audience Response

• The play’s intimate set design and staging intensify the emotional stakes for both cast and audience, requiring deep connection and authenticity (24:40, 25:18).
• Trey’s raw, unbuffered performance as Nicky often leads to physical and emotional exhaustion, and audiences have responded with gratitude and a need for comfort (23:44, 20:05).
• The cast engages in pre-show rituals, inspired by director Ruben Santiago Hudson, to ground themselves and honor their shared pasts (18:58).

The Meaning of the Title

“The Other Americans to me means we are Americans as well, and yet we're not allowed to feel or be as American as the rest of Americans, because we're not white. And that's what it means.” — John Leguizamo (26:44)

Impact and Hope for the Play

• Trey Santiago Hudson and John Leguizamo both hope audiences leave feeling the experience was necessary—both comforting and clarifying in its honesty and emotional range (27:08).

"I hope they leave it going. I needed that. I have people after every show come up to me…with tears in their eyes and just saying thank you." — Trey Santiago Hudson (27:08)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the relentless American pursuit:

  “This hustle, this constant hustle, how we love it, how we feed into it and praise it, this relentless hustle, it's this treadmill life…And so, the American dream is this constant chasing for the gold ring.” — John Leguizamo (05:36)

• On the generational effects of colonialism:

  “I've always felt colonialism played a huge part in what happened to my family through the centuries…certain cruelties that the conquistadors brought that get passed down.” — John Leguizamo (07:37)

• On stage performance as therapy:

  “Sometimes going through this together, the performers, the audience, it provides clarity, something that you didn't even know that you needed.” — Trey Santiago Hudson (20:05)

• On breaking down after an explosive scene:

  “As an actor, your body doesn't understand the difference between imagination and reality. It assumes everything is real…you do put your body under stress…he gave it all.” — John Leguizamo (23:44)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:01] – Writing origins and inspiration
• [04:53] – Why it's set in 1998
• [07:37] – Complexity of Nelson, internalized racism, and colonial legacy
• [10:00] – Nicky’s homecoming, family dynamics
• [11:46] – Mental health stigma in Latin families
• [14:19] – Nicky’s transition to Forest Hills
• [16:01–16:22] – How writing/acting the play helped Leguizamo process trauma
• [17:33] – Working with a real-life father as director
• [20:49] – Role of strong women in the play
• [24:40] – Set design and intimacy
• [26:44] – What the title The Other Americans means
• [27:08] – Audience response and the impact Leguizamo and Hudson hope the play has

Summary

The Other Americans is not just a family drama but a layered meditation on identity, industry, trauma, and heritage. Through Alison Stewart’s thoughtful questions, Leguizamo and Hudson reveal the play’s deeply personal roots, its social critique, and the cathartic journey it offers both its creators and its audience. It confronts the myth of the American Dream, exposes the hidden costs of assimilation, and affirms the power of empathy, laughter, and pain. Audiences are not just spectators—they’re participants in the emotional healing the story provides.