Daily News from New York, New York • 4

4 Wednesday, August 7, 2013 DAILY NEWS NYDailyNews.com NEWYORK Drawing up a new plan becomes the actor. What's happen- i' ingwith "Aztec Warrior?" We shot it last year in New Orleans but it needed more work so we went back to Mex- ico City this past June and reshot a bunch of BY ZAYDA RIVERA Luis Guzman has one of those faces audiences can't forget. Ironically, two of his most recent roles "Turbo" and the upcoming "Henry Me" are in animated films in which we never get to see the familiar face of the popular character actor who has co-starred with such Hollywood heavyweights as Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Mark Wahlberg and Leonardo DiCaprio, to name a few. In his latest movie, the 56-year-old lower East Side native has a cameo as a Mexican highway cop in the Jennifer An-iston comedy "We're the Millers," opening Aug. 7.

But what Guzman is really looking forward to is the release later this year of "Aztec Warrior," about a washed-up wrestler. It'll be the longtime supporting actor's first leading role. You played the part of Angelo in "Turbo" and Yankee great Lefty Gomez in the upcoming "Henry Me." How does acting differ when you're doing voices for animation? It's different in the sense that you're in a recording booth and you're basically just talking into a mic. But I don't think there's a real science to it outside of just doing it. Your voice stuff for over a week.

It's important to me because it's my first film playing the lead and I want it to be right. Not only are you a born and bred New Yorker, you're a famous Hollywood actor. So how'd you end up living in Vermont? I have five children and four are adopted. I use to come to Vermont as a teenager and I just wanted to raise my kids in a different kind of environment. We live in the middle of the woods here and my family makes up all the minorities in this town.

But it's a good environment and really, really good school system. I'm happy because I was able to provide my children with the best of both worlds. They grew up on movie sets but they were never spoiled. I've taught them some wonderful values in life. Like what, exactly? Like a few years ago, I was in Hawaii I asked the publicity people to find me a children's hospital because I wanted to give out toys and put smiles on the kid's faces.

I ended up going to Baptist Children's Hospital and the kids there were between the ages of 2 and 12 years old. Sometimes my heart tells me those are things you have to do because it's not all about being a celebrity. Besides "Aztec Warrior," what's coming up that you're excited about? I'm going to Puerto Rico in three weeks because they're naming a brand new theater wing after me in San Juan. That makes me feel really good. I honestly never thought in my lifetime that any of this stuff would happen.

Just so you know, I'm grateful and I pinch myself every day. doing a movie and I flew them all out, and on Thanksgiving Day we spent it at a homeless shelter. We were providing meals for homeless people and they were totally into it. I wanted to give them a well-rounded upbringing. It makes them humble.

You had your own experience with homelessness not too long ago. What was that like? I shot a documentary in March of last year in New York and I was homeless for three days. The biggest thing I came away with from that is what it felt like to be a human being in a society that people forget about. It's a real lonely existence. How do you give back? I was in Miami promoting "Turbo" and Family film 'Tio Papi' warming hearts on festival circuit walk in the park was the first step in what would A ultimately become a film filmed in Washington Heights, was also honored by the New York Film Commission and even granted its own float at the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in June.

"The biggest champion of the film was the community of Washington Heights," Dedio says. "But it doesn't matter if you're black, white, Latino, Asian, rich, poor, young, or old, this is a movie about family and hope, and anyone can relate to that." Dedio says he's now in talks with networks to adapt a TV series from the film. "The movie stands on its own legs," he says. "But we've been approached about spinning it off into a show and we're in deep discussions now to pick up where the film ends. We're very close to receiving that deal." Zayda Rivera birth of 'Tio The cast, which is predominately Latino, also stars Fatima Ptacek, who is the voice of "Dora the Explorer," as well as David Castro, Franky Gabriela Fanuela and Elizabeth Rodriguez.

"The story is all about hope, doing the right thing and what ultimately matters most in life family," Dedia says. The movie, which opens in New York on Sept. 4, had a successful run on the film festival circuit and is nominated for five Imagen Awards this year, including Best Picture and a Best Supporting Actor nod for Dedio. It has already been named Best Picture of the Puerto Rico Film Festival and Best Family Film of the San Diego Latino International Film Festival. "Tio Papi," which was festival hit.

In "Tio Papi (aka Uncle Daddy)" a dedicated bachelor named Ray Ray Dominguez unexpectedly becomes the legal guardian of his sister's six young children after she and her husband die in a car accident. Ray Ray, played by Joey Dedio who also wrote and produced the film is then forced to redefine his swinging single lifestyle. "I was in Los Angeles two years ago, walking in a park with a friend, and I saw a 'tio' at a birthday party and all these kids were jumping on him," Dedio recalls. "I thought it was really beautiful, but my friend said, 'He's all happy because they're not his That sparked an idea that was the (L-R) Joey Dedio, Fatima Ptacek, Nicolette Pierini, Dax Roy, Ga-briella Fanuele, David Castro and Sebastian Martinez attend the "Tio Papi" Photo Call at Planet Hollywood Times Square on July 19, 2013 in New York City..