‘Westworld’ Star Leonardo Nam On How His Character Broke Barriers In Hollywood

“Westworld” star Leonardo Nam did not have an easy time making a name for himself in Hollywood. His mother warned him that “there are no Asian men in TV,” and he had to sleep in Central Park just to see his dreams as an actor realized. But in the end, all of his hard work paid off because he nabbed the role of Felix Lutz, the compassionate lab technician in Westworld.

Even while auditioning, Nam said he appreciated the fact that “Westworld” did not limit its cast to just one race. “When I was in the audition room, you saw all walks of life there. They were casting multiple roles at once, you didn't know what they were going to do or how they were going to go,” Nam told NBC News. “When I finally did see the cast and was on set, it really reinforced what I had thought and hoped from the beginning — that this was something special.”

Nam said that Hollywood can embrace diversity just as long as writers adopt an open mind with their characters and let actors audition for roles regardless of their ethnicity.

“For people to say, ‘Leonardo Nam as Bond’ or ‘Leonardo Nam as Hamlet’ and to be a part of that discussion and it not being sentenced solely on ‘He is isn't white,’” Nam said, “would be an amazing place for us to be in.”

In the HBO series, Nam got to film a lot of scenes with Thandie Newton, who plays Maeve Millay. Nam told Entertainment Tonight it was really nervewracking to work with Newton, not just because they filmed a lot of scenes with her in the nude, but because of her caliber as an actress.

“I really gotta give it to her. She really gave her all to this performance, and it really shows. People have really responded to her character and our storyline, so I'm just really grateful to be part of it,” he said.

Nam gushed that Newton is an “ultimate professional” who is also both loving and caring as a friend. “She was just so wonderful, just so darling and really took me under her wing,” he added.

“Westworld” will return to HBO in 2018.