Eli Castro, comedian and creator of "Law & Disorder," joined Cheddar News to discuss his new show, "Law & Disorder," why he changed careers and reflected on his Puerto Rican roots.

<div class="block">Eli Castro, comedian and creator of &quot;Law &amp; Disorder,&quot; joined Cheddar News to discuss his new show, &quot;Law &amp; Disorder,&quot; why he changed careers and reflected on his Puerto Rican roots.</div>

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Hispanic Heritage Month: Eli Castro on "Law & Disorder," His Career Change & Puerto Rican Roots

Today is the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month and to kick off our coverage, we're talking to a comedian who turned his story into the Off Broadway Show, Law and Disorder. Ellie Castro. Welcome to the show, Ellie. Thank you. We're so excited to have you. OK, Law and Disorder. Tell us how you left a career as a lawyer to make comedy to pursue comedy. What made you take this leap? Uh It was really a need to, to be happy. I need to, to follow my dreams. I mean, I, I did the law thing. I became a lawyer, I became a prosecutor uh to please my parents is what they wanted. That was their dream. But having done it, I just felt, I just felt empty. I felt this void and I, I feel like I don't know, I, there, there needs to be more and uh I started kind of just uh wishing it and wanting it and praying for it and, and then I got up and I did an open mic and things kind of started picking up from there. Yeah. Was there a moment in your career in your life where you realized, you know, what I'm going to do this, I'm going to take this chance. Yeah. It, it, it really involved the health scare, you know, I just felt like I was really stressed out and, um, I felt like something's gonna happen, something bad's gonna happen if I, if I don't kind of get out. And, uh, and that was kind of my sign. Uh, I, I said, I, I can't be known as the guy who, who collapsed in court or in, in, in his office doing something. He didn't really like, I, I was good at it. That's the problem. It's just that I, I never lost, but I just felt like I was going in a downward spiral and if I didn't get out and do what I wanted was just to entertain families. I was gonna regret it. You are so inspiring. I have to ask, are there any similarities between practicing law and doing comedy? Oh God. Yeah. Really? Yeah, that's what a trial is. A trial is a show that audience? That's, that's, that's a jury, right? In that court room is a stage. And I always said the judge was a heckler, right? So you just got to overcome the judge and perform for the jury. If I, if I could make that jury laugh, I'd win every time. That's a fantastic analogy. I'm always gonna remember that. Do you have any advice for people who are watching who are maybe thinking of switching careers or wanna take that chance but are afraid to, it's never too late. People always think. Well, I could have done it in my twenties. I could have done in my thirties. It's never too late. I mean, it's risky. It's scary. But, but not going for it or thinking or wishing or wishing you had that's worse. So once you figure out that not going for it is worse than going for it, just take a step, take two, take three, they'll build upon each other. But the goal is not so much achieving your dream, it's going after it. If you can fall in love with the journey, it'll take you far as you mentioned, it is Hispanic Heritage Month. You are a proud Puerto Rican. Why is that something you wanted to focus on in your work? Because if you, if you can say where you're from, if you can see that you're proud from where you're from, then it'll invoke the same pride in somebody else, regardless of where they're from. It's not about being Puerto Rican. It's about being proud of who you are, whether it be Irish, Puerto Rican, whatever it is that matter. So I try to evoke that pride so that it can be contagious and not just my pride in where I'm from, but and what I love to do. So if somebody tells me, well, my dream is to be a beautician. Well, great. Tell me about that because in that we share that, that, that in common, that, that ability to, to dream and that ability to go after your passion. Speaking of dreaming, you have achieved a lot of success. Last year you performed your show made in Puerto Rico at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Congratulate. I know that is quite the feat. We're seeing some video of it. Now. Was it meaningful to share your story and identity at our nation's capital? Absolutely. Yeah. Any time I get to do AAA large venue as star, as historic as that one, it's, it's incredible because it's beautiful to see our people come to a venue that they've never been to. Uh my parents, I've never been to, I've never been to. So it's great to kind of open doors like that and to show our people that, that we can go places that we've never been to before. We just saw a video of you walking up to your poster that had to be quite a moment in your life. It still is. I, I still get chills when I see my name on, on lights or, or my my picture on a poster. Uh because I never got that treatment when I would go into court, right? They never put the poster of the prosecutor and the defense lawyer. I wish they did. I, that's a good idea. Uh But III I come from kind of a beginning where your name really didn't matter, right? It's about what you say versus now your name matters as well as what you say. So II I never lose track of those little upgrades in life. Right? Are there any fellow American Latinos show that you look up to that you've been inspired by because it is Hispanic Heritage Month. I have to ask. Yeah, absolutely. Uh We have one in the Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor justice Sonia Sotomayor is from the Bronx New York City uh and made it all the way to the Supreme Court, which is incredible because no one expects us from that community to go as high as she did. She is an absolute prime example of what we're capable of. She is incredibly intelligent and she's beautiful. I feel like I've known her my whole life. I can't wait to meet her and I know that when I do it'll feel like I'm talking to my aunt. Well, I have a feeling it's gonna happen. Ellie, I feel like everything you want is gonna happen. You've accomplished so much. Thank you for your time. Here is the continued success. Thank you to Ellie Castro. You can see his One Man show Law and Disorder at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater in New York through October 29. Thank you again.