He was the opposite of me, and he gave me so much to live on. When we shot the film, he was this tall, handsome, Indio looking guy with a beautiful Aztec face.
CHUY FROM BLOOD IN BLOOD OUT MOVIE
There are so many guys in the movie I love watching. Who was your favorite character in the movie? In the end, it ended up being a three hour and twenty-minute movie where I, somehow, ended up becoming one of the main leads. So they cut out a lot of that stuff, and they stayed more in prison, thus making it more of a prison film. It was mostly about ‘Paco’ and his girlfriend at first, but we felt it wasn’t playing really well. I told him when you watch this movie, the prison is where it’s at. But he respected my instinct, and he knew I knew what I was talking about. I didn’t understand what was going on, I was just an actor, and it was my first movie. Hackford then takes me into the bathroom, and he kept me in there until I told him every single thing that should happen. I told the director Taylor Hackford that this movie is too long. The movie was five hours long at first, and then they put me in a theater to watch it. What is something not a lot of people know about the filming of “Blood In Blood Out?” I think that’s why the movie is so real to people because it was real to me. I refound my roots filming “Blood In Blood Out,” and I think as did Chicanos saw me finding myself and they relate to it. The thing I love about the Chicano community is that I was accepted more by my Chicano community than by anyone. People outside the community see me and say, “who’s this white guy?” but they understand it because Chicanos all have a ‘Miklo’ running around somewhere. The Chicano community understands it more. When I see people like him, I feel like I’m family to them. He and my grandmother were the ones to give me the love and maternal and paternal support that I didn’t get otherwise. He was the one that was there for me when I was a little boy. I relate to the Indios more because of my uncle. I’m white on the outside but brown on the inside. I think that’s why his character, and myself playing the character was more passionate about it than anyone could be. Here is a guy that comes out of nowhere, he’s a white guy with blue eyes, and he turns out to be more into ‘La Onda,’ the prison gang in the movie than anyone is because he had to fight so hard to get in so it just meant more to him.
I played ‘Miklo,’ but he is real to me, and that’s why I think that’s why his part resonates in the community.
So I know what it feels like to try to fit in when you don’t really fit in because it’s strange being half. To me, it’s wonderful because I grew up very similar to ‘Miklo’ in the way that I am half Mexican and half white. That’s what gave me a certain reality to play “Miklo.” How do you feel about the tremendous Chicano cultural impact “Blood In Blood Out” has had?
It’s very hard to be in prison for anyone, no matter how tough you are. So many people have had to go in and out, and so many lives have been emotionally changed in there. It’s a very interesting place, but San Quinten is very haunting. The only difference was I got to sleep in a hotel room, which is quite a big difference if you are living there. They only let me out at night, I’d go to sleep then be right back in there in the morning. About three others and I were the only ones that weren’t prisoners. San Quinten was the biggest part of the film for me because, to me, it was the soul of the movie for my character ‘Miklo.’ He spends most of his time inside the prison. What was it like to film “Blood In Blood Out” on location at San Quinten State Prison? I grew up in New York but I don’t miss that big city feels because I like to relax. I happen to have to work in big cities all the time, New York, Los Angeles. To me it’s a kind of a place I’d rather be than a big city. I don’t want to say it’s too small because Dayton is not so small, but I’ve gotten used to this kind of warmth that comes with the small-town feel, and I love it. I think Woodland is a very comfortable and relaxing place and the people thus far have been really open and wonderful. What are your initial impressions of Woodland?
In attendance was movie star Damian Chapa, one of the key actors from the 1993 film “Blood In Blood Out.” After signing a few autographs, the Daily Democrat asked him five questions ranging from filming the movie, its cultural impact, and his thoughts on the city of Woodland. Earlier this month, Woodland hosted a Comin Con where dozens of vendors sold collectibles, toys, and video games.