Andy Garcia goes ‘For  Greater Glory’ in...

Andy Garcia goes ‘For  Greater Glory’ in...

Andy Garcia plays Enrique Gorostieta Velarde and leads a rebellion against the Mexican government in 'For Greater Glory.' 

For all his time in Hollywood, the role Andy Garcia plays best seems to be humble everyman.

The actor, known for his iconic roles in The Godfather: Part III, The Untouchables and the Oceans Eleven franchise, is an Emmy winner and Oscar nominee, but his surprising affability is on display more than any award.

The trait comes in handy on- and off-screen.

A large part of Garcias ability to jump among playing comic, lovesick and frighteningly violent characters comes from recognizing the humanity in their flaws.

In the war epic For Greater Glory, opening Friday, Garcia portrays Enrique Gorostieta Velarde, a former army general who finds himself leading a ragtag army of oppressed Catholics in the Cristero Rebellion against the Mexican government.

The real-life general had turned his back on religion at the time, making his quest all the more unlikely.

Hes not Superman, you know? Hes just a man, Garcia says of the character. He can get overwhelmed and he goes through so many things; he has pains, he has joys.

He certainly is heroic just because of his efforts and his actions, but that doesnt mean hes all-powerful. And thats the important thing to remember.

For the 56-year-old actor, who rose to prominence in 1987s The Untouchables, that reserve is something hes carried off-screen.

Born in Cuba and raised in Miami, Garcia says he had high aspirations from early on, but still took each successive role as an honor.

Godfather, the first one, was one of the main motivations that pushed me to pursue a career as an actor, he says of finding his calling. Thats what got me interested in film.

I wanted to metaphorically be in that movie, and I wanted to work toward being in those movies. And I actually got the blessing of being in one of the Godfathers, so that was a unique situation.

From there, Garcia worked his way through a series of parts ranging from suave to stoic to straightup gangster in films like When a Man Loves a Woman and City Island.

Throughout his career, the actor never forgot his Latin roots - though, much like his For Greater Glory character, he says he never intended to be any peoples champion.

My responsibility was to my craft and to my art and doing the things that I wanted to do to the best of my abilities, he said. I certainly am Hispanic, and I have a Cuban-American background, but I dont consider myself a Latino actor.

I think that hyphenation is part of what we do, but no actor should be hyphenated. Were just all actors. And some of the greatest performances ever given by actors, whether it be on stage or in roles on the screen, were given by actors that have nothing to do with the heritage of the character that they were playing.

jchen@nydailynews.com