John Leguizamo Recalls How He Squashed Beef With Patrick Swayze Before His Death

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Some stories mellow with time; others get the ending they deserve. As the cult classic To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar hits its 30th anniversary, John Leguizamo is looking back at the long-discussed tension with his co-star, Patrick Swayze, and how they finally settled it before Swayze’s passing in 2009. With that, Leguizamo discussed the specific logistics that were involved in making the reconciliation happen.

John Leguizamo explained that he and Patrick Swayze weren’t able to reconnect face-to-face in order to make amends. However, as the veteran actor wen ton to tell PEOPLE, they found a way to close the loop, thanks to a bit of help:

We were never in the same location, so that was kind of difficult. I’m a New Yorker and he was West Coast. But we did contact each other through letters and publicists; the polite way of doing it. And we made up. It would’ve been better in person, obviously.

The friction between the two Wong Foo stars wasn’t exactly secret. By the Moulin Rouge! veteran’s own telling, his improv-heavy approach clashed with Swayze’s stick-to-the-page style back in 1995, a mismatch that sometimes bled from the work into real life. Leguizamo has since admitted he can carry a grudge and even jokes:

Sometimes I’m not the most mature person in the room, maybe. I don’t know what it is. Sometimes I hold grudges… Yeah, I’m going to keep going to therapy and someday I’ll fix all this.

Perspective is a powerful thing and, now, after 30 years, John Leguizamo feels comfortable admitting that maturity isn’t his strongest quality. What stands out today is the grace found in the epilogue. Instead of a flashy reunion photo, we witness a very Hollywood-style reconciliation.

This softens the narrative surrounding a film that has only grown in prestige over the years, as it was one of the earliest mainstream movies to celebrate drag culture and the LGBTQ+ community. Patrick Swayze’s Vida Boheme, Leguizamo’s Chi-Chi Rodriguez, and Wesley Snipes’ Noxeema Jackson transformed what could have been a typical road comedy into a heartfelt and culturally impactful story, making it a film that continues to be rediscovered by new audiences every few years.

The Mario Bros. veteran actor hasn’t kept his affection for his Wong Foo family quiet. He says he’s still in touch with Blythe Danner (“one of the greats,” in his words) and remains close with Snipes, as it’s one of his best performances, praising his co-star for both talent and character. He now speaks about those relationships with nostalgia and gratitude, which makes for a nice bookend to the less flattering old headlines.

If you’re feeling the pull to revisit the movie, and why wouldn’t you, because it’s one of the best movies of the ’90s, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar is currently available to purchase or rent with a Prime Video subscription.

As for John Leguizamo’s professional life, his latest project, the crime drama Smoke, landed on the 2025 TV schedule earlier this year, and all episodes are available to stream with an Apple TV+ subscription.