Stunts, superheroes, and Kazakh hospitality: Esai Morales’ candid moments at Comic Con Astana 2025
Hollywood actor Esai Morales, best known for his villainous role alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible, took the stage at Comic Con Astana 2025 for a candid Q&A session. During it, he reflected on his first impressions of Kazakhstan, his experience filming high-intensity action scenes, and his love for storytelling and young creatives, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports from the event.
The session began with a warm welcome from fans, to which Morales responded by sharing his first impressions of Kazakhstan. He spoke about arriving late at night just two days prior and how quickly he was struck by the beauty of the city and the kindness of its people. He mentioned visiting landmarks like Baiterek, noting how clean and family-oriented the city felt, and even joked about how his hand matched the imprint of Kazakhstan’s first president, a detail that clearly delighted him.
Reflecting on his Puerto Rican roots, Morales drew a connection between his homeland and Kazakhstan, emphasizing shared values like pride, resilience, and warmth.
“I identify with the pride of the Kazakh people,” he said. “Because we (both nations) are hard-working, hard-loving, hard-playing people with a lot of passion and a lust for life and deserve respect back.”
When discussing his acting career, Morales opened up about the significance of portraying villains, particularly in Mission: Impossible. He described the honor of being the obstacle the hero must overcome.
“Well, to play the bad guy is a big honor because for the hero to have a meaningful success, what he or she has to overcome has to be very important, has to be very formidable. So when I had the chance to play the bad guy to Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible, that was a chance of a lifetime because I had to play someone that was very scary, and that was very meaningful for him to fight. That is the biggest honor for me. It was gorgeous to play a villain who scared the hero,” he said.
Morales described his rigorous physical preparation for the role, which included sneaking out during lockdowns in Puerto Rico to swim in the ocean and build the stamina needed for intense fight scenes. He also had to train for high-altitude skydiving sequences in the sequel.
“I had to prepare with learning to fly the plane a little bit, even though we had a professional pilot for me, but Tom did his own. He piloted his own plane, which is amazing. Every day I would go up there and say, ‘God, please, I’ve got a child; please protect me.’ Because when you’re 6,000 feet in the air, there’s not a lot of room for accidents. And a few times we had to go up without parachutes. Yeah, it was very scary,” Morales shared.
When asked what kind of superhero he would create, Morales shared his idea of a blended Latin American identity with a message of love.
“If he’s Latino, I will take the stereotype of a Latin lover and call him Lover Man. The superpower is to love any and all who deserve and want to be loved. A person who could help end conflicts and unnecessary strife, somebody who could have the power to stop the wars, to stop not just the pain, but the unnecessary pain, because sometimes some pain is necessary for growth,” he explained.
The actor also spoke about his views on the film industry and mentoring young creators. While he noted the importance of being selective, Morales expressed openness to supporting new voices in cinema if the passion and potential are truly there.
“Filmmaking is a very, very special craft. It is something that helps us get to know each other by telling each other stories. I encourage anyone, if they have an inkling, especially you folks out here who love it so much, to try to see what it would be like, because you never know, you might become - you might have the talent to tell stories,” he said. “I would support young filmmakers, but I also have to be careful because I can’t make everybody’s dream come true. But if somebody shows the right passion and they send me a story and it’s doable, if I see that they have potential, why not?”
Morales also encouraged the audience to go after their dreams, explaining that, “The film industry is a special craft. I think that the most important thing is to be able to tell stories. You guys, who are here now, try to tell your own stories too. You love stories; that’s why you are attached to this world. I think that love is the number one ingredient to be in the film industry and make films.”
Earlier, Kazinform shared an exclusive interview with Kazakh actor Kobylandy Bolat.
