CINCINNATI — Emilio Estevez feels the magic every time he returns to Cincinnati. So much so that it was the first topic to come up in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, published online this week.
"It’s so cool! I love being able to tell people in L.A. or New York, either come visit us to see what the hell is going on, or please stay away. One or the other," the actor and director said. "It's a really magical city."
In the interview, Estevez spoke about his local family roots. His mother was born here, and his father and fellow actor, Martin Sheen, was born an hour north in Dayton.
He said his "love affair" with the Queen City began a decade ago, when he was touring for his film "The Way."
"(O)ur last stop was in Cincy, and Kristen Schlotman, who runs the film commission, said, 'Hey, you should stick around and see what Cincy has to offer,'" he told the magazine. "And I did. That began the love affair back in 2010. And in the last 10 years, the city has just exploded."
In the time since, Estevez has become one of the city's most famous residents after buying a place in Over-the-Rhine. He shot and set his latest film, "The Public," in Cincinnati, with most of the story taking place inside the Downtown branch of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library.
As an OTR resident, he recently get involved in city politics when he wrote a letter to Mayor John Cranley and City Council asking them to reconsider keeping the streetcar closed indefinitely after it was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"As much as I love to walk, it's getting hot now, and I know that I speak for many of the OTR residents who would like to get on the streetcar and ride to Findlay Market and other businesses that can use all of our help to get back on their feet during this pandemic," Estevez wrote late last spring.
Estevez went on to applaud the city's booming beer brewing scene, restaurants, night life and architecture.
"I call it the Paris of the Midwest. I didn’t coin that, but that’s how I feel about it," he said.
The magazine published the interview in anticipation of an upcoming "Mighty Ducks" reboot, "The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers," which premiered on Disney+ Friday.
