In “The Perfect Game,” veteran actor Carlos Gómez, 48, plays Umberto Macías, the father of Ángel Macías, who pitched a perfect game in 1957 to earn Monterrey, México its first Little League World Series title. Gómez, who has starred in a number of films over the last 20 years including “The Mambo Kings,” “The Negotiator,” “Desperado” and “Fools Rush In,” says he was inspired by this true story and wanted to be a part of it when he started doing research for the role.



During an interview with EXTRA, Gómez, who is of Cuban descent, talked about how he was able to relate to the film and his character and what kind of research he had to do for a story he had never heard of before.



EXTRA: What spoke to you when you learned about this character?

Carlos Gómez: The father is a conflicted character. He doesn’t want his other son to leave México and play baseball. He wants him to stay in Monterrey and work at the iron mill like him and his father and his grandfather. Culturally, it’s a story that is very Latin because sometimes, as parents, we don’t want our kids to go away from us and explore. The character has a beautiful arch that he goes through.



I’m sure you had to leave the nest yourself at the beginning of your career. Could you identify with what Umberto was going through? Did your parents react the same way he did?

It’s similar to my family because I wanted to be an actor and be in the entertainment business. My parents were supportive, but they are Cuban parents and wanted us to be doctors and lawyers. The fact that I wanted to act and be an ...