Jay Hernandez

Jay Hernandez

Jay Hernandez portrayed Chato Santana/El Diablo in Suicide Squad.

Significant roles

• Antonio Lopez in Hang Time (1998-2000)
• Eddie in Undressed (1999)
• Carlos Nunez in Crazy/Beautiful (2001)
• Joaquin "Wack" Campos in The Rookie (2002)
• Cisco Gonzalez in American Family (2002)
• Dalton in Torque (2004)
• Keith Perez in Ladder 49 (2004)
• Brian Chavez in Friday Night Lights (2004)
• Paxton in Hostel (2005)
• Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way: Rise to Power (2005)
• Dominick Pezzullo in World Trade Center (2006)
• Carlos Green in Six Degrees (2006-2007)
• Pablo in Live! (2007)
• Paxton in Hostel: Part II (2007)
• Javier Villareal in Lakeview Terrace (2008)
• Jake in Quarantine (2008)
• Ozzy in Nothing Like the Holidays (2008)
• Eddie Hatcher in Takers (2010)
• Paul O'Brian in Gimme Shelter (2010)
• Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby in Five Minutes (2011)
• James in LOL (2012)
• Paul Wells in Last Resort (2012)
• Dante Rivas in Nashville (2013)
• Daniel Acosta in Gang Related (2014)
• Dean in The Night Is Young (2015)
• Chato Santana/El Diablo in Suicide Squad (2016)

Quotes

• "Most of these guys are happy to get out there and kill people, but he jut wants to stay put of the fight."
• "As a lesser known member of the squad, there wasn't as much anticipation and there wasn't people saying, "You're veering off doctrine". There's a certain level of freedom that I thought was great."
• " Suicide Squad is the next step. Everything starts somewhere and is going to end somewhere. I think this is that next step in the evolution of super hero movies… There are characters from the other movies that have come in onto our project. It's interesting because, as a filmmaker and as a writer, you have to make it make sense. You have to find some way to infuse characters that aren't really part of the narrative, but still have it make sense and have it not just be this weird piece where you're setting up the other movie. It's fluid and it has to feel right."
• "Everyone kind of discovered who we each were throughout this process. As things would come out about certain individuals - stuff that he did not know - would just be so perfectly connected to the character they were playing. How did he know that before he ever heard this story? He's f-g intuitive. Somehow he sees qualities in people that come from something and he knows how to use that to get at the character he's trying to put out there."
• "There's an audience of fans who are wildly excited about it. They're committed to the process and the making of the film as much as we are. DC fans want this to be a success. That's powerful, man."
• "There's almost a religious, Zen-like quality to him. He's turned his back on his lifestyle. Part of the story is waiting for the moment when he decides to fight so you can see what he can do. When it happens it's phenomenal."
• "The stories he's told delve into the seedy underbelly of humanity and he's bringing some of that into this movie through my character. It's such a unique thing to see in a superhero movie."
• "Yeah I am bothered about it, I think it sucks, obviously we worked hard and tried to give the fans what they wanted. It's weird that some of the criticism I heard was that it was 'too much like a comic book', in terms of you have these characters being objectified like Harley Quinn, there are just certain elements that are just part of being a comic book. If you're trying to portray that on a film, you have to stay true to that, because if you don't, the fans of the comics are going to be offended. The critics can kiss my ass."
• "It was interesting, because there were some changes that happened later on. I didn't know that's how the end was going to happen, early on. For me, it was important to make it good, make it impressive, and go out in a blaze of glory. Ultimately, I think it worked to give it some meaning, some emotional weight to the end of the story."
• "Of course there is [a chance he could return]! I'm not saying anything, just that it's a possibility."
• "It was the scene I was most focused on. I wanted to make sure, because a lot of the story hinges on that moment. It's the moment the Squad is sort of galvanized. Before that, it's a bunch of just random people and everybody has their own goal and direction, they hate each other, some are plotting to kill each other. After that, they sit down and they realize this is it, this is their shot or not, and they decide to do the honorable thing. I think part of why that happens is the opening up of Diablo, who has been closed off for the whole movie up to that point. It was a pivotal moment, and a really important scene for me."