In 1988, he graduated from Belen Jesuit and enrolled in NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. It was there his life took a big turn.
In college during his sophomore year, he fell in love with a male instructor. He was only a few years older than him. After he graduated from college in 1992, this man helped him get a job.
This man also believed in him like no other.
"He was tough and impossible and manipulative and brilliant and really inspired and believed I’d be a big star," Esparza confessed during his interview. He had no judgment about Esparza and took no issue with him being gay or straight.
Esparza's Cuban mother, however, took a big issue with his inclinations. She even suggested he saw a therapist.
The man, who Esparza refused to acknowledge as his lover or partner during the entire interview, was on his side when he told him about his mother's reaction. He thought his mother should go see the therapist, instead.
The Broadway actor himself had doubts about the experience. "There was a part of me that was trying to get rid of it," he confessed.
He later changed his mind about that. While talking to DNA Magazine in 2019, he felt no need to explain to people who and why he loved someone. Esparza also didn't feel sad or guilty about how he had felt in the past.
"I’ve become less interested in trying to explain myself or apologise. I’m much more joyful about the reality of simply being myself," he told DNA Magazine.
During that New York Times interview, it is mentioned that he was involved with another actor. He took no names, though.
As of July 2021, he was dating Bill Curran. But as he's secretive, nothing else is known about their relationship.
