Lou Diamond Phillips Gets Frank About Starring in ‘La Bamba’: ‘Scared S***less’ (Exclusive)
What To Know
- Lou Diamond Phillips reflected on his breakthrough role as Ritchie Valens in La Bamba.
- He emphasized his lasting connection with the film family and highlighted recent events celebrating the film.
- Phillips praised director Luis Valdez’s enduring impact on Chicano theater and film.
Lou Diamond Phillips has been a star of stage and screen for the better part of five decades, from his work in ’80s classic Young Guns to his Tony Award-nominated performance in The King and I. And it all started with his casting in 1987’s La Bamba when he stepped into the role of 1950s crooner Ritchie Valens.
While chatting with TV Insider, Phillips talked about the audition process.
“I remember there was one overriding emotion and that was being scared sh**less,” laughed the actor.
Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection
“I was an unknown kid from Texas, and they cast me out of an international talent search out of Dallas,” said Phillips. At the time, he knew that not only was it his big break into acting, but it was probably going to change the course of his life. “Not only was it hugely intimidating, [but] I also knew that it was my Cinderella moment. It was lightning in a bottle.”
“I think one of the things that has stayed with me most was my connection to the family. And I’ve seen them a lot lately. We did a screening of the new 4K [restoration] at the Academy Museum,” explained the star of The Chair Company. “Just recently, there’s [been] a beautiful coffee table book of behind-the-scenes photos from Merrick Morton, I believe his name is. And the family was there, the surviving members [were] all there.”
“I hope I’m not jumping the gun here, but I will get to see [director] Luis Valdez in a couple of months because a documentary about him has been accepted into Sundance,” revealed Phillips. “So I’ll be there to support that.”
Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection
Valdez is widely recognized as the founder of modern Chicano theatre and film, celebrated for his groundbreaking work on La Bamba, as well as his seminal play and 1981 film Zoot Suit, and his creation of El Teatro Campesino, the influential theater troupe that helped define Chicano cultural expression.
“The contributions that Luis Valdez has, you know, done not only for cinema, but, you know, for theater and whatnot. He came from Theatro Campesino and farm workers, so interestingly enough, Luis’s artistic vision, his voice, is probably as relevant today as it was then when we’re looking at what’s going on with our country, with immigration, with people following the American dream, with what is an American, all of this,” explained Phillips. “I think it’s fortunate that we’re going to continue to have this conversation and that Luis Valdez, a voice who has been so strong for so many decades now, will once again be at the forefront and given a platform.”
— Additional reported by Leah Williams.
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