He then played featured parts in the major productions Traffic (2000) and The Last Castle (2001), and gained further recognition for his co-starring role as Perry Edward Smith in the biographical film Capote (2005).
His subsequent films include Babel (2006), Star Trek, Crank: High Voltage (both 2009), Pacific Rim (2013), Knight of Cups (2015), The Mule (2018), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), and Nightmare Alley (2021).
Collins' work on television series includes a starring role as Jack Hill on Thief (2006) - which earned him an Emmy Award nomination, Thomas on The Event (2010–11), Maximo Gomez on Ballers (2015–17), and Lawrence Gonzales / "El Lazo" on Westworld (2016–2020).
He played various small roles, notably in the Hughes brothers' Menace II Society (1993) and Dead Presidents (1995), and a more prominent supporting part in the cult action film Fortress (1992).
He next portrayed a gay hitman named Francisco "Frankie Flowers" Flores for the Mexican drug cartels in Steven Soderbergh's 2000 ensemble drama Traffic.
[2] For his portrayal of a US Marine prisoner in the 2001 film The Last Castle, Collins was nominated for the 2002 American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.
[8] The following year, he guested on two episodes of CSI: NY as a man named Raymond Harris, an ex-convict who seeks revenge against Mac Taylor and his partner to get some answers regarding a 17-year grudge against them.
In 2014, Collins portrayed a law enforcement official, Franco Rodriguez, alongside Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie, Norman Reedus, Woody Harrelson, Kate Winslet in Triple 9.
[9] In 2015, HBO's science fiction drama Westworld added Collins as Lawrence / El Lazo, a charming but lethal outlaw, with a knack for maneuvering and negotiating the various criminal elements.