Pinero

In his first starring vehicle, Benjamin Bratt plays volcanic poet and playwright Miguel Piñero. A former thief and drug user — he served time in New York’s notorious Sing Sing prison ? Piñero spun the urban rhymes that helped give birth to rap and hip-hop. But the fame that came following his 1974 Tony-nominated play ”Short Eyes” drove him to dark places. ”Ben dove into this guy’s world,” says John Penotti, a producer along with John Leguizamo (who ultimately decided not to take on the role due to scheduling conflicts). ”He became so facile with him.”