'I got another six years, then I'm going to retire from the department,' he added. 'She's living the way I want her to live, the way she should be living.'Īfter playing a cop for many years, he became a real cop, working Internet crimes against children in Virginia. 'My mother hasn't worked since 1977,' he said of when the show began. He made a deal with his mom that if he didn't make it in acting by the time he was 30, he would return to NYC and become a cop. His drive to be an actor was always to help his mother out and get her out of the projects. It's safe to say thing worked out for Estrada with a long, successful career in TV and movies. 'I got bit by the acting bug,' he said, adding his dreams of being a cop had to be put on hold. So, I wanted to be a cop.'īut at 18 years old, there was a girl who was into acting. His mother dated a cop after she left his father due to drug problems. They went with it and it helped open doors for Latino actors.'Įstrada grew up wanting to be an New York City cop. Prime time had never had a Latino in a positive role image. For 7, 8 years I had been playing the Latino with the gun, the knife, the bad. 'When I got the contract, I walked into the producer's office and said we need to change a couple of things. 3 - His Character Was Originally Italian-AmericanĮstrada wanted to pave the way for other Hispanic actors and actresses.
