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Though Lou Diamond Phillips rose to fame on the silver screen with acclaimed roles in “Stand and Deliver,” “La Bamba” and “Young Guns,” the 45-year-old actor says he's still a stage performer at heart. Phillips, a native of Flour Bluff (near Corpus Christi), did theater work throughout high school and college before segueing into TV and movie roles. He even earned a Tony nomination for his starring role in a 1996 Broadway version of “The King and I.” Phillips has returned to his stage roots as King Arthur in Lerner and Loewe's “Camelot,” which will play a six-day, eight-show run at Majestic Theatre Jan. 22-27. Before he took to the stage for an unofficial homecoming show, Phillips talked with 210SA about his career, the life of a celebrity and why even though he's Filipino, some people still think of him as Hispanic.
Considering your many TV and movie roles, do people often forget that you've gotten plenty of recognition for your stage work?
I'm not surprised by it because people only see what's in front of them. Even when I did “The King and I” on Broadway and it was first announced, a lot of eyebrows went up. People don't do the research and realize that I have a degree in theater, that I started in theater in high school and college. They all just sort of assumed I was a movie or TV actor. That's all well and good because I don't expect everyone to know everything about me ..... It's just an ongoing education, which is one of the reasons why I did this.
Having done TV, movie and stage work, which do you prefer?
I'm not a theater snob because I always wanted to be in movies. I like the art form ..... but the nice thing about a theater audience is that they're right there. But it's also nice to turn on the tube and see “Young Guns” on there after 20 years. (With stage), your performance is yours, and you're not at the mercy of an editor or director or producer who changes things.
Even though you grew up near Corpus Christi, is this a hometown show of sorts?
It's a real hometown crowd, as far as I'm concerned. My buddy I went to high school with is bringing 30 people, and my friends from Corpus and Austin are coming in. The very first professional theater I ever saw was “A Chorus Line” at the Majestic.
Does it seem crazy that you've been on the major scene now for more than 20 years?
It flew by, and it's still flying by. ..... I feel like I'm getting to the place in my life where some of my best roles are yet to come.
Do you find it odd that, as a Filipino, your breakout film roles came as a Hispanic character?
It's not strange because if I sat around and waited for a Filipino/Irish/Cherokee character, I'd never act. I don't find it strange at all. I got (the parts) because of my ability, not because of my ethnicity. ..... For that matter, it's stranger playing the king of England than a Hispanic role. When people draw lines like that, it lets me know of their own prejudices.
Do you find it bothersome that your personal life will always be public fodder?
It's not bothersome for me. First of all, there's not that much that I'm worried about getting out there. My life is what it is, and it never really kept me from going to the grocery store or taking my kids to the zoo. I've always lived a fairly normal life. I don't court the press, either. A lot of people today are very naïve about what their actions will reap. ..... A lot of them are young, and a lot of them are not aware of the fact that in some ways, they're role models. They're public figures, and whatever they do is a matter of public consumption.
What is the best performance you ever gave?
That's hard to say. I'd like to think I've given a few good ones. “Stand and Deliver,” I'm proud of. “The King and I,” “Courage Under Fire” and a lot of little ones. “La Bamba” is my Cinderella story, and it's stood the test of time. Even “Young Guns” plays on American Movie Classics.
What's the worst performance you ever gave?
Some people set out to make bad movies, unfortunately, but I never have. Any time I've ever said yes to a project, I had hopes it was going to be good, or at the very least entertaining and rise to the level of what it was supposed to be. Not everything is “Casablanca.” ..... “Bats” was a fun little film. It was scary, but not so scary that you can't watch. It was a fun little popcorn movie. ..... Then there are times when you're halfway through something and you go, “Wow, this is unfortunately not going the way I hoped it would.” Sometimes it's a function of budget and money, and you don't have enough to realize the vision the director might have had. And sometimes the director might be clueless. I've worked with some where I was like, “Wow, how did this guy get the job?”
Clint Hale | 210SA
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