John Leguizamo is a New Yorker through and through. After moving to Jackson Heights, Queens from Bogotá, Colombia as a child, he often reflects on growing up as an immigrant and making it in Hollywood. Now, thanks to his massive success in movies, TV, voice work, producing, and more, he makes sure his roots shine bright within his family’s Manhattan West Village home.
John Leguizamo has been a powerhouse in the entertainment industry since the 1990s. From his breakout self-written one-man show, “Mambo Mouth,” to now starring in Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of the epic journey of “The Odyssey,” he’s truly made his mark in Hollywood.
Recently, Leguizamo was interviewed for the Summer 2026 issue of Mansion Global Experience Luxury where he discussed how much he still loves his job and the excitement that comes with being in a Nolan movie. Additionally, he talked about his experience living in New York his whole life, and why it’s always been important for him to remain connected to his Columbian culture.
Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s classic epic journey of “The Odyssey” is currently in theaters with Leguizamo playing Eumaeus, the loyal friend and swineherd to Odysseus. The actor stated that collaborating with Nolan was a major career milestone that “exceeded his expectations.”
“He’s a visionary, so he can do whatever he wants – and I’m so glad he does,” he said, adding that Nolan still works like an independent film director on his sets, despite his huge budgets. “He does it old school. He stands behind the camera.”
“When I started out, that’s what all the great directors did. Monitors can’t really capture what your eyes are doing because your face is too tiny in the monitor, but [Nolan] is looking at you directly.”
Leguizamo moved to Jackson Heights, Queens as a child from Bogotá, Colombia. He told the publication that growing up, he experienced the “beauty and burden of the immigrant experience on his way up the Hollywood ladder,” Lara Morgan wrote.
In the beginning of his career, he reflected on what it was like being a Latin man and barely being able to get into audition rooms to read for roles, however, he knew he was talented and auditioning was his “superpower.”
As of today, Leguizamo has over 160 credits throughout movies, TV, theater, voice acting, documentary producing, and more. Through his rise to success, however, he always made it a point to remember and embrace his roots. This is one of the main reasons he makes sure his brownstone in Manhattan’s West Village, that he shares with his wife and family, is filled with reminders of his culture.
“We like that bohemian arty thing. I like a place to feel very individual, very personal. I wanted it to feel lived in and not just ‘designed.’ I don’t want to live in a place that looks like it’s for sale. How can you be creative if your place doesn’t inspire you?”
Before Leguizamo and his wife, Justine Maurer, moved into the NYC home, it was subdivided, so the couple decided to restore it to its original glory and embrace its molding and mahogany.
“That’s one of the great things about artists; we do respect history and we do respect the originality of things,” he said.
Leguizamo then told Mansion Global his top five favorite things in his home that not only accent the space, but truly make it feel like a home for him and his family, specifically through artwork that embraces Latino culture and has personal connections to his loved ones.
For example, in his living room there’s a colorful graffiti piece done by Bronx-based artist John “CRASH” Matos, who is not only known as a pioneer of the NYC graffiti movement, but is one of Leguizamo’s close personal friends from high school.
“Crash is not just my friend and my high-school friend, but he’s an important artist. That’s a huge thing. He’s in museums,” he explained regarding how Matos was one of the first graffiti artists to move to canvas. The artist also emphasizes a lot of his Puerto Rican identity in his work, and the specific piece in Leguizamo’s house was gifted to him about 20 years ago.
“It reminds me of the New York of the ’70s, when it was the most creative the city has ever been. Graffiti was such an incredible expression of a people that were kind of erased, but it was our way as Latins of screaming to the world and saying, ‘We’re here, we’re alive and we’re vibrant.’”
Leguizamo’s then touched on a meaningful painting that was done by fellow actor Matt Dillon. The painting itself is of a man playing congas, and means a great deal to Leguizamo for a multitude of reasons.
“He’s [Dillon] a superstar and also an incredible painter. The thing that bonds us the most, is that he loves Latin music. He might be one of the most knowledgeable Afro-Cuban connoisseurs in the world.”
Like most of the art in the home, the painting also offers a personal meaning to Leguizamo and emphasizes a cultural value that he’s constantly trying to instill in his children.
“I think art has to represent you, to speak to you somehow. It needs to communicate and chat with you. I felt invisible growing up as a Latin man, so I made sure I had plenty of indigenous art and photographs of indigeneity and African art and Latin music around. I wanted to make sure my kids grew up seeing themselves reflected back.”
Maurer, a costume designer, and Leguizamo collaborate on all the pieces throughout their home so that they both feel connected to the space and what holds it. In the corner of their parlor sits a baby grand piano that’s been in Maurer’s family “forever.”
“It’s so representative of parents’ ambitions for their children. I think her parents wanted her to be a pianist and that didn’t pan out. But in my house, it was the same thing. My brother always wanted a piano, but we couldn’t afford one. So having this just reminds me of how far we’ve come.”
Their daughter also played the piano all throughout high school and still plays it whenever she comes home to visit. Leguizamo also said that they’ll hire a pianist to play whenever he hosts events at their home.
On the opposite end of the bold street art throughout their home, they also have a wondrous sky photograph done by the late Santiago Garza, a Mexican artist. “He’s no longer with us, but he was a beautiful photographer, a beautiful artist. He took these sky photographs in the Hamptons and he put them on canvas and enlarged them. I just find them so stunning and so peaceful and beautiful. It brings you to it instead of coming at you.”
Finally, the last pieces that Leguizamo shared with Mansion Global is by Bill Tansey, a painter and photographer who’s based in both NYC and Eastern Long Island. The actor has two naturalistic paintings by the artist on both sides of an archway adjoining two spaces; including the area with the baby grand piano.
“I went to Bill Tansey’s house in the Hamptons, and I just love his work. I find it so beautiful. We have a couple of his other paintings, but those are my two favorites of his.”
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
