With a career spanning more than four decades, Luis Guzmán is, among many honors, a Screen Acting Guild (SAG) award-winning actor with over 150 feature film and television roles to his credentials. ​​​​​​In Story Ave, a film written and directed by Aristotle Torres, Guzmán stars as Luis, a New York-based MTA conductor who, after sensing greater potential in a South Bronx teenaged stick-up-kid named Kadir (portrayed by Asante Blackk of This Is Us), alters the youth’s path from peril to possibilities despite Kadir’s attempt to rob him.

In a remarkable twist, Luis offers Kadir the money he sticks him up for, in exchange for a conversation and a meal along with the surrendering of the gun. What happens next in the film is a refreshing and poignant depiction of an inspiring life-altering friendship that leads to Kadir’s realization about the potential for his life if he uses his gifts as an artist instead of his attempt at street smarts.

Story Ave deservedly won the Best Cinematography prize at the South By Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas and is a beautifully touching film that is told with Guzmán at the helm in an extraordinary performance. The actor spoke to us about the film and its importance to him, even though his representatives initially recommended that he not.

Why Story Ave Is So Special to Luis Guzmán

Regarding the pre-production stage of Story Ave, Guzmán shared, “It took 18 months for Aristotle to connect with me because there were people in my camp, unfortunately, that initially said no, that I wasn’t going to do this film. But then, a mutual friend of ours connected us. I read the script, I called that young man, Aristotle, and I said, ‘I’m doing your movie.’” Guzmán said he simply couldn’t put the script down when he first read it. Reflecting on the journey, now that the film is complete and in theaters, Guzmán summed it all up:

If this was the last film that I ever did, I would feel very complete in my career.

He explained that the purposeful and personal nature of Story Ave is what appealed to him the most. “I’ve been doing this for a long time. Finally, something came my way like this, and I’m so grateful that it did,” he said. “These are the stories that need to be told.”

Guzmán’s Personal Connection with Story Ave
Kino Lorber

While some actors might accept roles for the earnings or accolades, Guzmán’s personal connection is what drove him to commit to starring in and exploring the world of Story Ave. “I always say this,” he said. “My life is my reference. And this character was a big reference to my life because I grew up with an alcoholic father. A lot of my friends grew up with alcoholic fathers.” He continued:

“And so, seeing and showing young people like Kadir who needed that guidance in their lives, was important to me. They need to know that there were people out here that will help guide them to not make the same mistakes that others before them made.”

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“So for me, these are the stories that need to be told,” continued Guzmán. “We lose a lot of young people nowadays because of a lack of guidance. And also, we lose a lot of our parents because of their own self-torment. Tortured souls. That’s what my character was, and he just didn’t want to see that young man lost.”

Without a mentee, a mentor cannot serve their purpose. In Story Ave, Guzmán is extraordinarily paired with Asante Blackk (Landscape with Invisible Hand) in a seamless duo-dynamic that is award-worthy, inspiring, and with impossibly believable chemistry.

“Acting” in Story Ave
Kino Lorber

Regarding the chemistry between himself and Blackk, Guzmán reflected, “It was just about complementing each other, complementing a story, our artistry, our commitment to the characters, and the foundation of what Aristotle laid out for us with the script.”

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From there, Guzmán continued, “Asante and I just built upon our characters emotionally and spiritually and artistically. I’s that kind of story. It’s not just black and white. It was so many different levels of emotion.” Guzmán went on to give Blackk his specific accolades:

Working with Asante, there were times that we would be shooting, and I would hone in on the emotionality that he was expressing, because it wasn’t acting to me.

“For example, when his character spoke about the death of his little brother, I felt that it was real. And that was beautiful. And that’s part of the art, you know what I’m saying? It’s not delivering the line. It’s delivering the emotion,” he said.

In conclusion, Guzmán summed up his experience with Story Ave. “I’m just so grateful to Asante and to Aristotle. Story Ave is a beautiful film, and it’s going to save lives. It is going to make a difference in people’s lives. It is beautiful art.”‘

Story Ave is now playing in select theaters from Kino Lorber.