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Luis Guzmán says he’s always mistaken…

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Luis Guzmán says he’s always mistaken for late ‘Ghost’ actor: ‘Why did you kill Patrick Swayze?’

Oh my darling.

Luis Guzmán might have over 150 credits under his belt, but somehow remains most easily recognized as Willie Lopez in the film, “Ghost” — a film he didn’t even have a role in.

“To this day, you and I could be walking through an airport, a mall — today — and someone would go, ‘Why did you kill Patrick Swayze? What was it like working with Whoopi?'” the “Traffic” and “Wednesday” star, 66, recently told “The Rich Eisen Show.”

“If I had a nickel since that began — I would probably own this studio, an island and a couple of private planes. I swear,” said Guzmán.

He went on to recount a time at the airport when an elderly woman mistook him for the late Rick Aviles, who portrayed Willie Lopez in the 1990 film.

“I felt so bad, and I explained, ‘No, no. That was someone else.’ And then she goes, ‘So what might I have seen you in?’ And I go, ‘Did you ever see “The Count of Monte Cristo?” And she says, ‘I love that movie. That was such a great movie!’ And I said, ‘Well, I was Jacopo.’ And then she goes, ‘No, you wasn’t in that!'” recalled Guzmán.

Released in 1990, “Ghost” stars the late Swayze as a murdered man, whose spirit — with the help of a psychic (Whoopi Goldberg) — appears to his grieving girlfriend (Demi Moore) to warn her of danger.

The romantic modern classic earned Goldberg an Oscar for best supporting actress and also took home the Academy Award for best writing, screenplay written directly for the screen.

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Luis Guzmán wants to remind you he's not in Ghost

The Wednesday actor says he's most recognized for a role he never played.

Nick is an entertainment journalist based in New York, NY. If you like pugs and the occasional blurry photo of an action figure, follow him on Twitter @NickARomano.

The movie Luis Guzmán is most recognized for is one he's not in.

Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show , the Wednesday actor says he's often mistaken for the late Rick Aviles, who played robber Willie Lopez in the 1990 film Ghost .

"To this day, you and I could be walking through an airport, a mall — today — and someone would go, 'Why did you kill Patrick Swayze ? What was it like working with Whoopi [Goldberg] ?'" Guzmán said. "If I had a nickel since that began, I would probably own this studio, an island, and a couple of private planes. I swear."

Aviles' Willie is the one who kills Swayze's Sam Wheat, a banker who comes back as a ghost and seeks the aid of medium Oda Mae Brown (Goldberg) to save his still-living girlfriend Molly Jensen ( Demi Moore ). Guzmán confirms he was never offered the role of Willie.

The actor used to correct bystanders who mistook him for Aviles, but he shared one moment that made him give up.

"I was in Detroit one time, changing planes, and a 90-year-old lady comes up to me: 'Oh, my god. I loved you in Ghost ,'" he recalled. "I felt so bad, and I explained, 'No, no. That was someone else.' And then she goes, 'So what might I have seen you in?' And I go, 'Did you ever see The Count of Monte Cristo ?' And she says, 'I love that movie. That was such a great movie!' And I said, 'Well, I was Jacopo.' And then she goes, 'No, you wasn't in that!'"

"From that moment on," he added, "I said, 'I'm always going to be the guy in Ghost ."

Guzmán can be seen now in the Netflix series Wednesday as Gomez Addams.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly 's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• Meet the parents: See the first photo of the Addams family from Tim Burton's Wednesday
• Luis Guzmán reveals how Community got that statue of him
• How a Ghost took control of Whoopi Goldberg

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Luis Guzmán Says He's Recognized Most for a Film He's Not in: 'If I Had a Nickel Since That Began'

"To this day, you and I could be walking through an airport, a mall — today — and someone would go, 'Why did you kill Patrick Swayze?' " the actor said of the confusion

Ryan Parker is the former Senior News Editor, Weekends for PEOPLE. He left PEOPLE in 2023.

Of all the classic characters he has played and all the iconic films in which he is a part, Luis Guzmán says he's recognized mostly for a role he never portrayed.

During a recent interview on The Rich Eisen Show , the actor, 66, explained that for decades, he has been confused for the late Rick Aviles, who played Willie Lopez in the film Ghost .

"To this day, you and I could be walking through an airport, a mall — today — and someone would go, 'Why did you kill Patrick Swayze ? What was it like working with Whoopi [Goldberg] ?' If I had a nickel since that began — I would probably own this studio, an island and a couple of private planes. I swear."

In the 1990 romantic fantasy film directed by Jerry Zucker, Swayze's Sam Wheat is killed by Aviles' Lopez. Sam's ghost sets out to save his girlfriend, played by Demi Moore . Aviles died in 1995 at the age of 42.

Guzmán, who currently stars in the Netflix series Wednesday , based on The Addams Family , told Eisen he was never offered the Ghost role. And, for a while, he did correct fans who approached him — but after one specific encounter, he gave up.

"I was in Detroit one time, changing planes, and a 90-year-old lady comes up to me: 'Oh, my god. I loved you in Ghost .' I felt so bad, and I explained, 'No, no. That was someone else.' And then she goes, 'So what might I have seen you in?' And I go, 'Did you ever see The Count of Monte Cristo ?' And she says, 'I love that movie. That was such a great movie!' And I said, 'Well, I was Jacopo.' And then she goes, 'No, you wasn't in that!' "

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These days, Guzmán said he happily welcomes the kudos and Swayze chastising, noting, "From that moment on, I said, 'I'm always going to be the guy in Ghost .' "

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Luis Guzmán wants to remind you he's not in Ghost

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The movie Luis Guzmán is most recognized for is one he's not in.

Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show , the Wednesday actor says he's often mistaken for the late Rick Aviles, who played robber Willie Lopez in the 1990 film Ghost .

"To this day, you and I could be walking through an airport, a mall — today — and someone would go, 'Why did you kill Patrick Swayze ? What was it like working with Whoopi [Goldberg] ?'" Guzmán said. "If I had a nickel since that began, I would probably own this studio, an island, and a couple of private planes. I swear."

Jerod Harris/Getty Images; Paramount Pictures Luis Guzmán says he's often mistaken for Rick Aviles in 'Ghost.'

Aviles' Willie is the one who kills Swayze's Sam Wheat, a banker who comes back as a ghost and seeks the aid of medium Oda Mae Brown (Goldberg) to save his still-living girlfriend Molly Jensen ( Demi Moore ). Guzmán confirms he was never offered the role of Willie.

The actor used to correct bystanders who mistook him for Aviles, but he shared one moment that made him give up.

"I was in Detroit one time, changing planes, and a 90-year-old lady comes up to me: 'Oh, my god. I loved you in Ghost ,'" he recalled. "I felt so bad, and I explained, 'No, no. That was someone else.' And then she goes, 'So what might I have seen you in?' And I go, 'Did you ever see The Count of Monte Cristo ?' And she says, 'I love that movie. That was such a great movie!' And I said, 'Well, I was Jacopo.' And then she goes, 'No, you wasn't in that!'"

"From that moment on," he added, "I said, 'I'm always going to be the guy in Ghost ."

Guzmán can be seen now in the Netflix series Wednesday as Gomez Addams.

Sign up for  Entertainment Weekly 's free daily newsletter  to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

Meet the parents: See the first photo of the Addams family from Tim Burton's Wednesday

Luis Guzmán reveals how Community got that statue of him

How a Ghost took control of Whoopi Goldberg

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Luis Guzman Wants Everyone to Know He Didn't Play Willie in Ghost

Wednesday's Luis Guzman says he'd be incredibly wealthy if he had a nickel for every time a fan confused him for the Ghost antagonist.

With dozens of roles in movies and TV over the course of decades, there's no shortage of titles from which veteran actor Luis Guzman can be recognized. However, oddly enough, the one that he gets approached about the most is for a character he never even played. That would be the Ghost villain Willie Lopez, played by late actor Rick Aviles. In the film, Willie murders Patrick Swayze's character, making him one of pop culture's most reviled antagonists.

Over two decades after the movie's release, Guzman is pretty much guaranteed to be mistaken for Willie if he so much as takes a trip to the grocery store. The actor spoke about the confusion during a recent interview for The Rich Eisen Show , and while it sounds like it's something that's happened countless times for many years, Guzman seems to have a sense of humor about the whole thing. After debunking the rumors that he was in consideration for the role, Guzman reveals that he "frequently" gets confused with Aviles' Ghost character to this very day.

"I never had that part. I never even auditioned... To this day, you and I could be walking through an airport, through a mall. Today. And someone [would say], 'Why'd you kill Patrick Swayze? What was it like working with Whoopi?' Honestly, if I got a nickel since that began, I'd probably own this studio, an island, and a couple of private planes, I swear... Don't ask me how that happened."

Guzman also explains how he'd usually correct people, but this would lead to an awkward interaction with an elderly woman. When she refused to believe he was in another movie she'd seen, Guzman decided that life would just become much easier if he would no longer object, taking credit for the role that he didn't play if that's what makes people happy.

"I was in Detroit one time, changing planes. 90-year-old lady comes up to me, 'Oh my god, I loved you in Ghost!' I felt so bad. I explained, 'No, that was someone else.' And then she goes, 'Well, what might I have seen you in?' And I go, 'You ever see The Count of Monte Cristo?' 'I love that movie, that was such a great movie!' I said, 'Well, I was Jacopo.' And then she goes, 'No, you wasn't in that!' So, it was from that moment on that I say, you know what, I'm always gonna be the guy in Ghost. 'I loved you in Ghost!' 'Hey, thanks.'"

Related: Wednesday Fans Are Trying to Catch Jenna Ortega Blinking

Maybe He'll Be Recognized More Often for Wednesday

These days, Guzman can be seen playing Gomez Addams, father to Jenna Ortega's titular character in Netflix's Wednesday . The series has become an instant hit for Netflix, managing to surpass Stranger Things 4 's record as the most-streamed series in one week's time since its premiere. Given the popularity of the series, perhaps Guzman will start getting recognized more often for Gomez, a role he actually portrays.

Wednesday is streaming on Netflix.

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Luis Guzmán Has Given Up on Correcting People Who Think He Starred in ‘Ghost’

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After 32 years, Luis Guzmán is setting the record straight: No, he was not in “ Ghost .”

The 1990 Academy Award-winning drama starred Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg, but fans constantly insist that Guzmán was also part of the cast. In fact, it was late actor Rick Aviles whom Guzmán is often mistaken for.

“To this day, you and I could be walking through an airport, a mall — today — and someone would go, ‘Why did you kill Patrick Swayze? What was it like working with Whoopi [Goldberg]?'” Guzmán said during “ The Rich Eisen Show .” “If I had a nickel since that began — I would probably own this studio, an island and a couple of private planes. I swear.”

The “Wednesday” actor continued, “I was in Detroit one time, changing planes, and a 90-year-old lady comes up to me: ‘Oh, my god. I loved you in “Ghost.”‘ I felt so bad, and I explained, ‘No, no. That was someone else.’ And then she goes, ‘So what might I have seen you in?’ And I go, ‘Did you ever see “The Count of Monte Cristo”?’ And she says, ‘I love that movie. That was such a great movie!’ And I said, ‘Well, I was Jacopo.’ And then she goes, ‘No, you wasn’t in that!'”

He added, “From that moment on, I said, ‘I’m always going to be the guy in “Ghost.”‘”

Guzmán also was infamously confused in 2014 with drug kingpin El Chapo, whose full name is Joaquín Guzmán, in a New Jersey newspaper. A photo of the “Carlito’s Way” actor was printed with a news article on El Chapo. Guzmán tweeted at the time, “Lakewood Shopper you owe me a fuckin apology!!! Wtf.”

The “Boogie Nights” actor previously told Remezcla that while “a lot has changed” when it comes to representation in Hollywood, there still is room for growth.

“The question is always asked, ‘Do you think that Hollywood is giving Latinos a fair shake?’ And I don’t think that question today applies anymore,” Guzmán said. “We really do have the power as Latinos to improve the quality of stuff that’s out there, because we can create some of that quality. But I also feel, and this is really key to me, that we have to really improve the quality of our own products, of what we put out there when it comes to entertainment. And I believe we’re making progress in that direction.”

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Luis Guzman says he’s always mistaken as the “The Guy who shot Patrick Swayze” in ‘Ghost’

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Actor Luis Guzman says he constantly has to tell people he was never in the movie “Ghost.”

The 66-year-old actor is frequently mistaken as “The guy who killed Pattrick Swayze” in the 1990 film.

In the movie Willie Lopez, played by the late Rick Aviles, guns down Sam Wheat, played by the late Swayze.

Guzman recently told “The Rich Eisen Show” that the mistake is still made to this day.

“I could be walking through an airport, a mall, today, and someone would go, ‘Why did you kill Patrick Swayze? What was it like working with Whoopi Goldberg?’ If I had a nickel since that began — I would probably own this studio, an island and a couple of private planes. I swear.”

He used to always correct people, but now he rolls with it by thanking people and playing along.

Guzman currently plays Gomez Addams in “Wednesday”.

Catch his interview on “The Rich Eisen Show” below.

feature image of Luis Guzman from David Shankbone Via wikimeidia commons. Image of Rick Aviles via youtube

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