He said he is most recognized for his Oscar-nominated depiction of Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver. The inspirational film, based on the true story of a math teacher who pushed his students at James A. Garfield High School in East Los Angeles to great academic heights, has long been shown in classrooms across the country, inspiring both students and educators.
Olmos’ other key roles include Abraham Quintanilla in Selena, Paco in My Family (1995), and the voice of Chicharron in the animated Coco (2017).
“These movies have become centerpieces of the Chicano movement, of the Chicano people,” Olmos said. “These are our stories. There have only been maybe two films and maybe one TV show that weren’t in my wheelhouse. I did them as favors to friends, but I’ve only pretty much told the stories that I wanted to tell.”
For the Cal State LA event, organizers tasked Olmos to pick which of his films would be screened. He said The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez was an easy choice.
The critically acclaimed film stars Olmos as the title character, a Mexican American farmer who is accused of killing a sheriff in Texas in 1901. In 2022, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.”
“This is the best film I have made in my life,” he said. “The aesthetic of this movie is now understood by many. We teach it. You don’t romanticize it, you don’t glamorize it, you don’t exploit it, you don’t manipulate it.”
Olmos, who overcame throat cancer in 2022, continues to work. He is in constant search of projects that convey the Chicano experience honestly.
He said he wants to bring a biopic of Master Sergeant Raul Perez “Roy” Benavidez, a Medal of Honor recipient during the Vietnam War, to the big screen. He is looking to produce, direct, and act in a film version of Luis Miguel Valdez’s 2018 play Valley of the Heart.
“I almost died three years ago from cancer of the throat,” he said. “Life is fragile. I want to live as long as I possibly can because it’s more important now than ever to tell these stories.”
The “We Are LA: Community Weekend” celebrated two days of connection, culture, community, and Golden Eagle pride. On the same evening as the Olmos event, the Golden Eagles men’s and women’s soccer teams hosted a double header against Cal State Monterey Bay at University Stadium. The men’s team posted an impressive 3-1 victory, but the women’s team fell short in a 2-1 heartbreaker.
The weekend festivities continued on Sunday, Oct. 12, as Cal State LA participated in the roll/walk/ride at CicLAvia in the heart of Los Angeles.
Community Weekend was affiliated with the University Convocation and Investiture of Eanes as the ninth president of Cal State LA.
“It was beautiful, very emotional,” Olmos said of his return to campus. “I was crying up there. Tonight was very special, and it was full of provocative thoughts. The university isn’t a place to hold back. I spoke the truth. I spoke it loud and clear and straight.”