Tower Heist, the latest movie from director Brett Ratner, hits theaters this Friday November 4th. Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy lead an all-star cast that includes Casey Affleck, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, Judd Hirsch, Téa Leoni, Michael Peña and Gabourey Sidibe. A comedy caper about the employees at a luxury Central Park condominium who seek revenge on the Wall Street swindler who cheated them out of their retirement money. They plot the ultimate revenge: a heist to reclaim what he took from them.

Michael Peña started his acting career in the 90’s. His resume includes many guest appearances on renown TV shows like ER, NYPD Blues, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, 7th Heaven, Felicity and a regular role on The Shield. Peña’s jump to the big screen started with Gone in Sixty Seconds and haven’t stopped since, with notable roles in Crash, Million Dollar Baby, Babel, World Trade Center and The Lincoln Lawyer.

Peña plays the role of Enrique Dev’Reaux, the bellhop, on Tower Heist.

Entertainment Affair: Tell me about Enrique, what was your inspiration for this role?
Michael Peña: I had the inspiration from someone who actually exists. There was this one person who I met when I was [shooting World Trade Center in NY. I felt he was probably the worst coffee maker of all time because he kept talking and talking and talking. He’s in front of you and he’s talking to a guy on the other side, not doing anything and then you’re just waiting to order your coffee and he’s like: [with a NY accent ‘Yo, and then I told Rosa, I was like, yo Rosa, why are you gonna do that for?’ And then he goes: [with a NY accent ‘You know what I say? You know what I say?’ I couldn’t believe this guy! But instead of being mad at the guy, [I thought he was just hilarious. He doesn’t really know how he’s being, he lacks all social graces but at the same time he is a good guy. I took inspiration from that.

EA: How was it to work with Brett Ratner?
MP: Oh, it was great! I’ve worked with him before on a pilot with John Leguizamo and it was really cool. I had a great time working with him and then 10 years later I get to do it again. He’s really interesting, he almost directs by his energy, when he’s talking to you and telling you what he’s looking for. I actually took a little bit of inspiration from his energy. He’s a super smart guy, so he helped me with the inspiration for the character. I would say something almost exactly how he would say it, with a different accent but with the energy that he would say it. I definitely was like: ‘Dude, I’m gonna play you but the little kid version.’

EA: Did you have to go through the whole audition process? Or because he knew you from before, it was a given that he wanted you to play this role?
MP: I had to go through the audition process because I’m not really a known comedic actor. I’m known as a dramatic actor, first and foremost, with [movies like Crash and World Trade Center. So I did have to audition, but I’m glad I auditioned because if there’s a part of a person that they [directors don’t know, they want to see for themselves if you can do it or not. So it was good!

EA: Was it intimidating working with Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller?
MP: Yes. [Laughs There was a lot of pressure on the set [for me, mainly because obviously, they are amazing at what they do and they have a lot of experience and they’ve been at the top of their game for a long time. Ben Stiller, magically seems to have one of the most successful franchise career, that I can remember, with Meet the Fockers and Night at the Museum. Those movies alone can make an entire career, but then he also has Tropic Thunder and Zoolander. Movies that I really admire and like. Eddie Murphy, the same thing, with his work on SNL when he was 19 years old, which is amazing. Then all of the sudden he has Delirious, Raw, Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hours, Coming to America, which me and my brother would quote constantly. And when you are that much of a fan, you have to pinch yourself in that moment every ten seconds.

EA: How was life on the set? Any funny stories?
MP: You know what I learned? I think, for me, those comedians are so smart and just know what’s happening, they’re so aware. To do comedy is what they get paid for but they are so bright, so it ends up not being too funny on set, to be honest. It’s very chill and down to earth.

EA: How is it preparing for a comedic role different from a dramatic role?
MP: I think it’s the same. I don’t think it changes up the game. I don’t abandon successful actions. [For example, if you know how to cook hamburgers and then you take that [knowledge and apply it to cooking steaks, you don’t abandon all of your cooking skills. Definitely attack it as much as you would anything else, you don’t rest in your laurels.

EA: Any future films, you can talk about?
MP: Well, I just finished the movie End of Watch with Jake Gyllenhaal and I’m in the middle of shooting Gangster Squad with Sean Penn and Josh Brolin. After that I don’t know, but hopefully I’ll be doing something in the Summer.