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'Fame' hasn't spoiled Jesse Borrego

Lisa Bornstein, Rocky Mountain News

Published February 6, 2007 at midnight

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Jesse Borrego will take the stage this week at El Centro Su Teatro in Drive My Coche, a drama about a man dealing with love, friendship and the memories of the summer before he went to Vietnam. But you may know Borrego better from his roles in the TV show Fame and the movie Bound by Honor. Theater writer Lisa Bornstein caught up with the actor recently.

How was it being a teen idol?

Fame was my first job in the business; before that I was training at the California Institute of the Arts, and that was a serious program. I went to school with (actor) Don Cheadle; it was a pretty fertile environment for being a young actor of color. It was instant fame, so to speak, ha ha ha. There was a lot of angst involved, but I can't say I didn't have a good time.

What prepared you for the show?

My father was a musician, so I grew up in San Antonio watching him perform onstage with people like Flaco Jimenez. One of the things that helped when I walked into that Fame audition was, I was that MGM prototype that they used to want in the old days, because I was a triple threat.

Unlike some Hispanic actors, you've mostly avoided the trap of playing gangsters and criminals.

I've always tried to represent who we are as a culture and as a people. I've tried, and sometimes I've been successful and sometimes I haven't been able to avoid it.

Would your role in Con Air be not avoiding it?

We had just had my daughter, so it kind of financed the move back from San Antonio to L.A. I got to hang out with John Malkovich and really hang out as just guys, but we both knew we weren't doing Shakespeare, working with Bertolucci.

5. Will you be singing again in Drive My Coche?

It's not full-on singing, but yeah, you'll hear me sing. There are little ditties here and there. While you will see my physical prowess as a performer, you won't see any dancing with the stars.

Drive My Coche

• When and where: 8:05 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, El Centro Su Teatro, 4725 High St.

• Cost: $15 to $18

• Information: 303-296-0219