Quotes

[upon winning his Emmy Award for La conquête de l'Ouest (1976)] I don't know about Mr. Roarke, but this certainly fulfills my fantasy. Thank you very much.

[In a 1978 interview, analyzing the success of L'île fantastique (1977)] What is appealing is the idea of attaining the unattainable and learning from it. Once you obtain a fantasy, it becomes a reality, and that reality is not as exciting as your fantasy. Through the fantasies, you learn to appreciate your own realities.

Mexican is not a nice-sounding word and Hollywood is at fault for this because we have been portrayed in this ungodly manner.

[on his famous role on L'île fantastique (1977)] Mr. Roarke manipulates everything and everyone. In the eye of the fantasizer, Roarke has the power of life and death.

[on the Nosotros Foundation] I received tremendous support, but there also were some negative repercussions. I was accused of being a militant, and as a result, I lost jobs.

I played caricatures of what a Latin is supposed to be like. In reality, we are family men. I should have had the courage of Dolores Del Río who returned to Mexico and made her best movies there.

[on Sayonara (1957)] I was and still am very pleased with my performance and very much saddened by this picture. I was hoping for an Academy Award nomination, but unfortunately most of my scenes ended up on the cutting-room floor.

I think every actor loves the stage. The pros are that it is the actor's medium; there's no way your scene is going to end up on the cutting-room floor, and it's up to you to get and keep the attention of the audience by the truth of your performance.

Mexico is my mother; the United States is the best friend I will ever have. And so I dream of the day when my mother will say, "Ricardo, you have chosen a wonderful friend." And the day when the friend will say, "Ricardo, you have a sensational mother.".

My sister and I are the only Mexicans in the family, but I am a full-blooded Castillian. Both my parents were Spaniards.