Steven Bauer Talks About Acting, Being Latino and Anti-Bullying Campaign

Steven Bauer, also recognized for playing Manolo in “Scarface,” said he is proud to be part of a very early group of Latinos who moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting

Cuban-American actor Steven Bauer is already preparing for the second season of "Ray Donovan," the crime drama TV series on Showtime.

His character, "Avi" is Ray Donovan’s right-hand man and in various occasions his “physical equal and his conscience.”

"It’s an amazing experience because I get to work with this tremendous cast of great American actors," Bauer said. "It makes what we do really easy and really fun because there is a really great creative exchange."

During the upcoming season, which is set to air in 2014, his character is expected to develop.

"You’ll know about my background and how I fell into Ray Donovan’s life," Bauer said. "But you’ll know more about me. Hopefully I’ll have a romance and everything."

Despite his Cuban and Miami roots, Bauer plays an Israeli with a very recognizable accent.

"It was really hard in the beginning but it’s gotten much better for us Latinos," Bauer said. "The doors have opened much more so the opportunities are greater."

Bauer, who is also recognized for playing Manolo in "Scarface," said he is proud to be part of a very early group of Latinos who moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting.

"When I started out as a kid and I went to Hollywood, doors were not open for Latino actors or people with a Latin background," he said. "I feel partially responsible, I feel very proud to have been part of that first wave of Latino actors."

But being Latino also brought hard times for Bauer, whose real name is Esteban Ernesto Echevarria, said he was frequently bullied for being a Latino.

"In my life I was very picked on because I was a Cuban boy and because I was not a tough boy," Bauer said. "I never wanted to fight and I always kept my mouth shut. But I was picked on because of my name."

He is currently working on launching "Love is All," anti-bullying campaign inspired by his son, who was also bullied in school.

"I feel that it’s very important to stop bullies, to stop them and made them realize and make them see that it’s not cool," he said.

The campaign will include a song and a series of videos that he hopes will go out to numerous schools across the U.S. and the world.

"My whole idea with this anti-bullying campaign is to stop it," Bauer said. "To stop that cycle of victimization because if you don’t stop the perpetrators, if you don’t stop the bullies, they will always be bullies."
 

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