Description
Actor and director Edward James Olmos is interviewed by Lourdes Portillo in his home in Encino, California on May 15, 2014. It is a co-production with the Getty Foundation’s Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA initiative and is part of the project From Latin America to Hollywood: Latino Film Culture in Los Angeles 1967—2017. Olmos describes his upbringing in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles during the 1950s. He details being raised by his grandparents and the importance of church and Hollywood films in his family’s traditions. He describes how the legendary actor Paul Muni inspired him and how sports and music largely influenced his performance style. After attending East Los Angeles Community College, Olmos’s first major acting gig was as El Pachuco in Luis Valdez’s play Zoot Suit in 1979. He especially connected to the role for its portrayal of Chicano youth culture in language reflecting the way young men spoke to each other, rather than from an outsider’s view. After Zoot Suit’s international success, Olmos transitioned to film work in a feature adaptation of the play followed by Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982). Olmos describes his long-term relationship with Robert M. Young, sharing the process of making The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) and the crucial role historical research and language played in the film. He then describes his work on Stand and Deliver (1988) and American Me (1992) and how vital giving back to the community through motivational speaking is in his career. Olmos touches upon issues of representation, being a Latino actor in Hollywood, and the importance of the Latino market on American culture. Throughout the interview, Olmos emphasizes his collaborations with other Chicano artists, and the role his work has played in giving visibility to the Latino community. Finally, he discusses his involvement in the Academy and names a few important Latinos in Hollywood today.
(jtakahashi 07/21/2017)
