Born on May 12th, 1962, Emilio Estevez began his acting career in his late teens with his screen debut in the movie Tex (1982). Emilio then made his first noteworthy appearance in Francis Coppola’s The Outsiders(1984). With one well-received film under his belt and using the Estevez surname that father Martin Sheen had set aside, Emilio took his place as a serious actor. His next film Repo Man secured his place as a talented actor, not an easy thing to do when the big screen seemed to be full of fresh young faces. Emilio joined fellow actors that found themselves carrying the dubious brat pack label through most of their career in films such as The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo’s Fire. When you consider the amount of fresh new faces Hollywood was putting before the public eye during the next several years, Emilio’s ability to stand out in the crowd is noteworthy. His determination to use the Estevez name and not depend upon his fathers well-known choice of Sheen, made an undeniable statement to anyone who cared to pay attention, I’m not just another brat. Emilio’s talent is all his own.
In addition to his screen appearances Emilio tried his talented hands at another venture with the writing of That Was Then This Is Now. In 1986 and in his early 20’s, Emilio wrote, directed and starred in Wisdom. Now in his late 30’s, Wisdom is not a film Emilio would call one of his better ventures, but it paved the way to later projects and he added to his directing credits Men At Work, The War At Home and more recently Rated X (2000). The Bang Bang Club seems to be his most current directing and acting project, but is still in development.
Emilio continued to add to his acting credits with appearances in Stakeout and Young Guns I & II. After his appearances in quite a few noteworthy films Emilio seemed to disappear and then, as if he’d never slowed, he appeared again to delight the younger generation and give hockey enthusiasts something to cheer over with his role in Disney’s “ The Mighty Ducks. Emilio followed up with two more Mighty Ducks sequels, which were also well received.
With the completion of "The Mighty Ducks 3" (1996), Emilio once again took the director's chair trading his wages for the financing of the film about a Vietnam veteran returning home to his family and dealing with the effects of the war. The War At Home was a critical success and once again put Emilio back into the spotlight, this time proving himself as not only a great director, but a fine serious actor.
Emilio comes from a family where almost every member is in the acting profession, with the exception of his mother Janet. Emilio's brother Ramon was in the film "Cadence" with his father, sister Renee was in "The Room Upstairs" and "Babies Having Babies" directed by her dad, but Emilio's most well known sibling is actor Charlie Sheen (Carlos Estevez), who has starred in films such as "Platoon" and "Major League" and is a fine actor in his own right. The Sheen/Estevez family is a very close and well-respected family in the entertainment industry, and is one of the most famous acting families that have ever appeared in film. Emilio's not only a fine actor, writer and director but he’s an active father of two children, it remains to be seen if the future generation of Estevez’s intend on continuing the legacy of several generations of actors in the family. In the meantime, Emilio Estevez continues to work and there is not doubt he will continue to add to his many credits.
(This little interview is not for grabs it was done expressly for this site and we’ll all make ugly noises at you if you steal it.)
(Please be kind and don’t make us lose our mind, you can look and you can link, but before you steal, please stop and think)
Q Do you have a favorite role that you have played or remember a role in which you really enjoyed playing?
A Probably Andy in Breakfast Club, but I also enjoyed playing Jeremy in War at Home, both so totally different.
Q How do you handle your fan mail?
A Some, I answer personally, but most of it goes through a fan mail service.
Q Ultimately, what do you see yourself as when you see your future, an actor or a director and why?
A I see myself directing a few more films, but really want to stick with acting. It's my first love and much less demanding then directing.
Q Do you keep in contact with anyone you worked with before, like Matt Dillon and Ralph Macchio?
A Not really. I still keep in touch with Kathy Bates, but I don't really hang with many younger actors anymore.
Q Do you have any regrets about getting into the movie business?
A None !!
Q Where do you see your career going from here? More acting or more directing or something different altogether?
A A bit of both! But concentrating on acting mostly.
Q Last year MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch had a bout between you and your brother Charlie, what did you think of that?
A I thought it was hilarious! But I wish that they hadn't given me such a squeaky voice!
Q Are you happy with your progress professionally at his point? Is there anything you haven’t yet done that you would like to do?
A There is a ton of things I have yet to do. In my opinion, I have yet to do a "perfect film". A film that stands for decades.
Q Even the most professional get the nerves and jitters, have you ever froze up in front of the camera?
A Sure, there have been a few times that I froze and couldn't remember the lines!
Q What do you think are the good points of your profession? And the bad?
A Being a part of a business that allows you to be creative is a wonderful element, but to give up your privacy is something I've never gotten used to.
Q Your entire family is so incredibly talented, do you have any plans to act with any of them in the near future? I'd especially love to see you as a guest on "Spin City" or "West Wing".
A No, I have no plans to appear on either show.
Q When did you first know that acting, and eventually writing and directing was what you wanted to do?
A When I was a boy of 9 or 10! I started making 8mm films in our backyard!
Q If you had to pin point it, what or who would you say has had the most influence on you and your career?
A My father for sure!
Q Your brother Charlie has a renowned Baseball collection, do you collect anything?
A Art & Wine!
Q Do you have a favorite author?
A John Fante, Kurt Vonnegut, Gore Vidal
Q Your father is very much the activist and passionately speaks his mind, has there ever been a time when you wished he wasn't so vocal?
A No, my father believes very strongly in his causes and I applaud his courage!
Q What's the biggest misconception that people have about the offspring of famous people?
A That they have it easy! The opposite is very true - there are more expectations for famous offspring.
Q Which would you prefer to do? Parts that have a big payoff money wise? Or parts that have a big payoff moral wise?
A I believe a balance is important. I've been overpaid and underpaid!!
Q Any traveling in the future? What locations are in the works? Or where would you like to travel to?
A South Africa, perhaps on a new picture called "The Bang Bang Club."
Q What projects are you working on now? Do you have any films that are coming out soon? Are you planning on directing anymore either on film or television?
A Nothing coming out at the moment, but several in development, including a film in South Africa called "Bang Bang Club", which I will direct and star in. It's about photojournalists in apartheid S. Africa.
Q Some of your family is now working on TV, any plans to either guest star, direct or work on anything on TV in the future?
A Perhaps another film for ShowTime on "ALS" or Lou Gerhigs disease called "Saving Stephen Heywood".
Q You have had a lot of success playing the nice guy in movies, is there any bad guy roles in your future?
A I would love to play a bad guy, but I have such a big heart!! It makes it difficult.
Q What ever happened to Avatar? Is that still a company you do projects with?
A Avatar was my company at Disney, which is now defunct.
Q Do you have any future writing plans? Either a script or book?
A I've been writing three original screen plays as well as re-writing the script for "Bang Bang Club".
Q Of all the films you've made which one did you have the most fun in making?
A Repo Man, Breakfast Club and The Outsiders.
Q What advice would you give to someone that wanted to get into the film industry?
A Be strong. Be Prepared. Don't expect success, but if it happens, enjoy it and don't abuse it.
Q You learned to skate for the "Ducks" movies and shaved your head for "Rated X", is there anything you would not do for a film?
A Probably wouldn't wear a dress!!
Q There was talk of you doing a project with Tom Cruise sometime back is that still something the two of you are interested in?
A No, the script didn't turn out that well.
Q If you could work with any directors, which ones would you be interested in working with?
A Coppola, Scorcesese, Aug Lee, Robert Zemeckis, Terry Malick or Oliver Stone.
Q Did you meet Bon Jovi through the Young Guns movies and would you like to work with him again in any future films? How did it come about that you worked in his new video for the group?
A Yes, he was a fan of "Guns 1" and wanted to be in "2", we got friendly and he came to visit and do a cameo. I thought I would return the favor and be in Jon's new video.
Q Are there plans to release "The War at Home" to DVD soon? If so, would you like to do a director's cut of that film?
A Not at this time. I would love to do a directors cut, but I'm not sure if Disney/Touchstone feels there is enough of a demand to see the film on DVD. Perhaps if enough fans write and pester Disney about a DVD, they would ask me to do it! J
Special thanks goes to Emilio for being a truly kind individual and being generous enough to take his time to answer our questions. Thank you Emilio for having such a big heart.
FYI – Disney’s email address is - DISNEY EMAIL (we might not get a DVD, but it can’t hurt to try)