DENVER — John Leguizamo owns every character he plays, from the blind pig-herder Eumaeus in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” to Bruno in Disney’s “Encanto” and the stylish Shakespearean live wire Tybalt Capulet in “Romeo + Juliet.”

But it’s his larger, trailblazing body of work — including Emmy- and Tony-winning projects, original one-man shows, stand-up, writing, music, and his longtime advocacy for Latinos in popular culture — that earned him the John Cassavetes Award for the 49th Denver Film Festival.

The 66-year-old Colombia-born actor will receive the award on Friday, Oct. 30, at the Sturm Infinity Theater at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. The event includes a pre-film Q&A with Leguizamo, followed by a screening of “The Odyssey,” for which Leguizamo is a favorite for a best supporting actor nomination.

The Denver Film Festival runs Thursday, Oct. 22-Sunday, Nov. 1, and tickets for the Leguizamo event are $32.56 at denverfilm.org/denverfilmfestival.

We caught up with Leguizamo via phone to talk about the importance of festivals and independent cinema, his upcoming projects, and why the John Cassavetes Award — named after the landmark actor and “A Woman Under the Influence” director — is among his proudest achievements.

[This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.]

Q: What does the Denver Film Fest’s John Cassavetes Award mean to you?

A: The title of it is just so hot to me, to have that on my resume. It’s inspiring because my favorite genres of film are independent films and documentaries, and Cassavetes was the king of independent film. He’d make it at any cost and just went ahead and did it. (His films) had innovative storytelling, and edgy, character-driven stuff and weren’t so plot-driven like commercial films. That’s where the art is made: Low-budget storytelling.

Q: You probably receive a lot of invites to film festivals. Why are you attending this one?

A: I love Denver! I did a whole episode of my show at MSNBC (2023’s “Leguizamo Does America”) on Denver. It was one of those places I didn’t usually go to and I was just fascinated by it. There’s a huge Latino presence that’s always supported my work, plus incredible history. The first case against school segregation for Latinos was in 1914 in Colorado, which is a big deal to me historically. And it’s just a great city with a lot of creativity and celebration of the arts. I love coming back.

Q: Why are film festivals still important to you, and in general?

A: Film festivals have always been the place where marginalized storytellers can get a chance to be seen, because studios don’t really care about independent films. Independent films are about art, and studios don’t care about innovative storytelling. They just care about money. Film festivals are supposed to be the home for art and great films that are tone poems, films that are avant-garde and that have cutting-edge voices that are unheard.

That’s what it’s supposed to be at its best. It doesn’t always get there, and sometimes it gets a little commercialized and just seems to be a marketplace. But it’s best when the artists and audiences can mingle and share their love of storytelling and feed and nurture each other. Telluride (Film Festival) is one of the artiest ones in America, where they really celebrate the art as opposed to just being a commercial marketplace.

Q: Is there a particular reason for the uptick in your work lately, as compared with previous years? Is it “The Odyssey” effect?

A: I don’t know what to attribute it to. I’ve been consistently working my whole life. I’m self-generating. I’ve never really relied on Hollywood, especially as a Latin artist, because it’s impossible to depend on Hollywood. I’m always working at my theater in New York. We’re equal to the whites in New York City’s population, so I have a huge fan base that supports my work and keeps me sharp, keeps me arty, keeps me storytelling.

But is the uptick because of “The Odyssey”? It could be. I’m working with some of the great filmmakers of the moment: Christopher Nolan, Michael Flanagan (director of the upcoming “The Exorcist: Martyrs”), and the Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert of “Everything Everywhere All at Once”), who are the most inventive filmmakers out there.

Q: That Daniels’ movie doesn’t even have a title and is already on my must-watch list.

A: They’re doing this beautiful teen movie that’s like “The Breakfast Club,” but through their lens. And the cast … to work with these young kids just gave me so much hope for the future. And then now onto “Miami Vice ’85,” which I start filming Monday, with some incredible stars. Michael B. Jordan (the lead) is such a great talent and great dude and awesome brother. There are so many talented people I can’t name them all.

My picture book also came out (“Kiki in the Can” ), and I’m really proud of that. Scholastic told me that less than 5% of picture books have Latin children in them. You can see more animal faces than you can Latin children, but they’re 30% of the public school population. It took me five years to do and may be my last. But a lot of schools are ordering it. It’s the story of a little kid who feels unseen, and his whole family jumps in to get him hip to Latin contributions, and he paints us back into history with his spray can (with illustrations by Leguizamo friend and legendary muralist John “Crash” Matos).

Q: Phew! That’s a lot.

A: And I’m still working on “The Other Americans,” my next play. Sometimes you can’t do it all, and I do listen to myself to build in soul-replenishment time. If I can’t find the physical or psychic energy to do it, I will say no. But I can’t say no to this beautiful celebration in Denver.

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