John Leguizamo says he was deep into negotiations to play the villain Vulture in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming before the studio asked him to give up the role for Michael Keaton.
The 66-year-old actor recalled that terms had already been accepted, although he had not signed a contract, when he received the unexpected call.
“They offered me Spider-Man, the Vulture, and then the head of the studio called me, ‘Oh, John, this is really terrible,’” Leguizamo said during a podcast conversation recorded before an audience of Chapman University students. “We had already negotiated. We had accepted terms. I hadn’t signed a contract, but we had accepted terms. It was pretty far along negotiations.”
According to Leguizamo, the executive told him: “We’d like the role back. Michael Keaton wants it back.”
Leguizamo said he was stunned by the request and believed he could have pursued legal action. However, he also acknowledged that such a move might have backfired. “I’m not a litigious person anyway,” he said. “That’s not who I am. I’d rather move on and create my own stuff.”
A major moment in The Odyssey
The revelation comes as Leguizamo is receiving career-best notices and Oscar buzz for his performance as Eumaeus in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. He plays Odysseus’ blind, elderly and loyal servant, a role that has placed the veteran performer in awards-season conversation despite his never having received an Oscar nomination.
Leguizamo discussed how he prepared to portray a character who is both blind and elderly, as well as his experience working on the first film shot entirely with IMAX cameras. He also reflected on seeing the completed film — and his own performance — for the first time.
Nolan’s use of non-traditional casting held particular meaning for Leguizamo, a longtime activist for Latino representation in Hollywood. He said the approach opened the ancient story to a much wider audience.
“Now that ancient story that’s so powerful to Western literature belongs to everyone, and how beautiful is that?” he said. “How generous is that? How open and inviting is that, to have Lupita Nyong’o play twins, Clytemnestra and Helen of Troy, and Travis Scott be the bard, and Corey Hawkins be Polybus, one of the evil suitors?”
His view of casting in 2026
Leguizamo also addressed how his thinking has evolved about the trans character he portrayed in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar.
“I shouldn’t be playing it today,” he said. “It’s not fair. There’s plenty of great LGBTQIA actors out there that could play these roles and should be playing these roles. But that was back then, that was the ’90s.”
His broader position on casting is more nuanced. Leguizamo said that in a genuinely fair industry, performers should be free to play any kind of character. But he argued that Hollywood’s history of limiting opportunities for disabled, gay and Latino actors makes the current emphasis on authentic casting necessary.
He pointed to directors he knows who now make it mandatory to cast at least one disabled performer or create a role for one. He also cited the long history of white actors being cast in Latino roles, specifically referencing Charlton Heston’s appearance in Touch of Evil.
“I think, in this moment of correction, and perhaps it’s an overcorrection, it’s important that we cast the people who are written as the role and give them the opportunities,” Leguizamo said. “And then maybe eventually, when things are fair, then everybody can play everything all over again.”
Four decades across stage and screen
Leguizamo has spent 42 years in the entertainment business, working in major studio franchises, independent films, television and theater. His movie credits include the Ice Age and John Wick franchises, Poison, Chef, Super Mario Bros. and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar.
On television, he has appeared in ER, Waco and When They See Us. He has also written and starred in six one-man stage shows. His honors include an Emmy Award and a special Tony Award, along with Golden Globe and Critics Choice award nominations.
His roster of directors spans Brian De Palma, Spike Lee, Baz Luhrmann, Jon Favreau, Mike Nichols, George A. Romero, Ridley Scott, Todd Haynes, M. Night Shyamalan, Ava DuVernay and Nolan. His screen partners have included Sean Penn, Harrison Ford, Al Pacino, Leonardo DiCaprio, Wesley Snipes, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert De Niro, Keanu Reeves, Nicole Kidman, Kevin Hart, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Matt Damon.
Looking back, Leguizamo reflected on his journey from Bogotá to Jackson Heights and then Hollywood, as well as the way discovering comedy and acting changed his life. He also discussed the difficulty of making early career progress when Latino performers were often considered only for stereotypical parts.
His memories of individual projects remain sharply divided: He said he hated working on ER, while describing his experiences with the Ice Age series and Encanto with affection. Now, with The Odyssey generating some of the strongest attention of his career, Leguizamo’s latest role may also bring him something that has so far eluded him — a first Oscar nomination.