'This Is Us' star Jon Huertas talks directing success and bringing more Latinx faces to television

LOS ANGELES -- Jon Huertas has been gracing our film and television screens for about 30 years, starring in hit shows like "Castle" and "This Is Us."

Now, his latest chapter is taking him behind-the-scenes.

"The gratification that I get from that is something that I never experienced as an actor," he told On The Red Carpet's George Pennacchio.

Huertas, 53, spent eight seasons playing homicide detective Javier Esposito in "Castle" and six playing Miguel Rivas in "This Is Us."

He's back working with his "This Is Us" co-star Milo Ventimiglia directing this weekend's season finale of "The Company You Keep." It's his second episode of the series.

"When you get behind the camera, you really don't know until you've been asked back, and that's happened on 'The Rookie,' it's happened on 'This Is Us,' it's happened on 'The Company You Keep,' and so I think I found my new job," said Huertas.

With all of his years working as an actor, Huertas noticed something was missing, something he'd like to have a hand in changing.

"In television, I've only been directed by one adult Latino in my career and I've done over 450 episodes of television," he said. "I felt like it's a responsibility and it is something I've always wanted to do since taking my first cinematography class in high school."

Now, Huertas has been on a roll and loving this new chapter of his career, hoping it makes a difference.

"I'd like to make sure that we continue to get more people who are LatinX behind the camera," he said. "You want people to look at your art and say, 'I like that,' and that's basically what a director is doing. Every time they do an episode of television or make a movie, they're making their version of a piece of art and for people to admire it is the goal."

The season finale of "The Company You Keep" airs Sunday night at 10 p.m. on ABC7.