John Leguizamo has a simple reason for why he looks so good at 62.
“Brown don’t break down,” he told Page Six gleefully at the New York premiere of “The Power” earlier this week. “Just a fact, sorry it’s genetic.”
The “Super Mario Bros.,” star added that he had brought his mom, Luz Marina Peláez to the red carpet.
“You just saw my mom?” He asked. “She’s 82, she looks 72. Amazing.”
The Tony-winning actor was promoting the Amazon series, which is based on the Naomi Alderman book of the same name, in which, without warning, all teenage girls develop the power to electrocute people at will. Eventually, the teens learn they can awaken the special power in older women.
And Leguizamo believes that women don’t need the ability to fry up the opposite sex at will, they’re already more powerful.
“That’s why men have always been afraid,” he explained. What’s amazing about this set is that women were the producers, writers, directors, the leads, and I’ve never felt more taken care of or more nurtured or been more collaborative in my life.”
For more Page Six you love…
The Queens-raised actor also sees obvious parallels between the show and what is happening right now.
“I feel like it’s an allegory and a metaphor and a parable for what’s going on in the whole world with totalitarianism, fascism, attack on Roe v. Wade, the ban on drag shows, the taking down of AP courses in black history,” he said. “This show covers it all, it’s so interesting because it was written in 2016 but it’s still so in the zeitgeist with what’s going on.”
Leguizamo knows a thing or two about drag having memorably played a drag queen in the 1995 film, “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar,” which garnered him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.
“Drag has existed since the beginning of time,” he exclaimed. “It’s how everybody got their rocks off, why are they taking that away, why are they wrecking the world? It’s so silly, what a dumb thing to do, to attack the most vulnerable, oh how tough you are to attack the most vulnerable, ridiculous.”
Leguizamo also brought along his wife, Justine Maurer, and daughter, Allegra Leguizamo. Other stars who attended included Toni Collette and “Ted Lasso” star Toheeb Jimoh.
“The Power” premieres on Amazon Prime on March 31.
