“Where is Tina Fey when you need her?” actor Benjamin Bratt replied when asked how it felt to be a maverick. Referring to Fey’s impersonation of Sarah Palin, Bratt instantly hit it off with the sold-out audience in the California Theatre on Thursday, March 4th to conclude the Cinequest Movie Festival.

Bratt spoke after a special showing of La MISSION, a movie that earned him the Maverick Award for his character based on a true story of a San Francisco man, Che Rivera.

In the movie, Bratt delivers a noteworthy performance as a tough, “Machismo” character whose violent behavior disables him from finding a meaningful relationship with those closest to him.

Directed by brother Peter Bratt, La MISSION took place in the Mission district of San Francisco, where the Bratt brothers grew up.

You may recognize the Maverick Spirit Award winner from programs such as Law & Order, The Cleaner, and a favorite of mine, Miss Congeniality.

At 47, Benjamin Bratt is still lookin’ good! Event interviewer (and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s wife) Jennifer Siebel Newsom couldn’t resist his charm.

Bratt accepts the 'Maverick Spirit Award'