Phillips, the embodiment of a Filipino who has made his dreams come true, was a perfect choice--being an advocate of many civic-related projects in the past and himself a former active member of Amnesty International. "We are fortunate to have the means to make our dreams come true but there are children out there who can barely afford to dream," he shared during the project's formal launch last Jan. 13 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Makati. "I am honored to have been invited to call the attention of people to the plight of these children."

The second reason is to promote his new movie Bats--a thriller in the mold of the classic The Birds. "It'll keep you on the edge of your seat. I'd say it's that scary," he says about the movie.

Yet unlike his new movie, the six-foot tall, well-built Hollywood celebrity is anything but intimidating. In fact, the moment you step into a room with him, you feel a certain warmth--a friendliness one wouldn't normally expect from a Hollywood star.

Lou Diamond Phillips skyrocketed to fame via La Bamba, the commercially successful 1987 movie where he starred as Richie Valens, a promising rock n' roll star who lost his life along with Buddy Holly in a tragic plane accident. After the commercial success of La Bamba, Phillips starred opposite Edward James Olmos in the critically-acclaimed Stand and Deliver as Angel, a troubled gang member who learns his lessons through the guidance of a caring teacher--a role which earned him a Golden Globe Best Supporting Actor nomination and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor.

He has since starred as an enigmatic Native American (Young Guns 1 & 2), a police officer who tracks down a supernatural killer (The First Power), a determined army gunner desperate to protect his honor (Courage Under Fire--for which he won a Blockbuster Award for Best Supporting Actor) and a host of other characters.

But the most memorable character he's played of late is one which was not tailor-made for him. In 1996, Phillips starred in the Broadway production of the Rogers & Hammerstein classic musical The King and I as the King of Siam, a role which was made popular by veteran actor Yul Bryner. The play opened to rave reviews and received six Tony nominations, including a Best Actor nomination for him.

"I think it was more naivete than courage that helped me pull that one through," he says of his role in The King and I. "I didn't know that Yul had actually done the King as late as 1985. I always thought that a new generation would appreciate a look at this classic tale not knowing that it never really left the consciousness of people. So when I got to New York, people were warning me of the eventual comparison. What I did was tackle the role the way I saw it, not the way I saw Yul play it, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera..."

Phillips also grabbed the opportunity to clear his oft-maligned lineage. "I am half-Filipino and part Scottish, Irish and Cherokee," he clarifies. "My mother was born and raised in Candelaria, Zambales. My biological father was part Scottish, part Irish and part Cherokee. They met while my father was stationed in Subic Bay. When I was two years old, my father died. My mother remarried my stepfather George Phillips--which is where I got my family name."

His Filipino lineage is something Phillips has maintained and been proud of ever since. "It never really was an issue as much as it was a non-issue. I've never kept it a secret but I've never really talked about it. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud to be a mongrel," he laughs. "It's not something I'd run away from, really--not that I want to. In fact my wife (model Kelly Preston) who is all blond and blue eyes, knows about this and even learned to cook my favorite Filipino dishes through the course of our marriage. She now makes the best adobo!"

Phillips is the proud father of three girls--twins Isabella Patricia and Grace Moorea and youngest daughter Lili. His marriage with the former model (not to be mistaken for John Travolta's actress-wife who goes by the same name) is now on its sixth year of going strong--and it has been the source of greater maturity for Phillips both as an actor and a person.

"I'm planning to come back to the Philippines later this year and I plan to bring my family along," reveals the actor. "I'm looking forward to enjoying the country where I was born--with my family."

Phillips' maturity as an actor has also been boosted by stints as a writer, director, producer and musician. Phillips not only starred but also served as associate producer for the mild hit Dakota, an old-fashioned romance set in his American hometown of Texas. He co-wrote the film Ambition, where he played a man so desperate for success he was willing to kill for it, directed the psychological thriller Dangerous Touch and toured briefly with the blues band The Pipe Fitters.

"Those guys were really just buddies of mine who starred in a play about a band. The play opened and closed in one night in L.A. a few years ago but people loved the band," he recalls. "So when people were asking them to play in small clubs, they came looking for a place to practice. My garage was the only place big enough so I let them use it. I'd visit their gigs and they'd let me sing back-up every so often. It was a touring band that was pretty good but one that never really went looking for a record deal. It was fun while it lasted."

Another thing people often overlook is the fact that Lou Diamond Phillips did not only graduate with a degree from the University of Texas in Arlington before hitting it big-time, he actually majored in theater. "When I auditioned for the role in The King and I, a lot of people were wondering if I could hack it--being a movie actor first and foremost. What they didn't know was that before that I already had background in theater. I did not come from out of the blue. I studied and worked hard to get my big break," he reveals.

Which is why to this day, Phillips is a staunch advocate of education. Whenever he has the time, Phillips guest lectures at the American Film Institute. A day before his interview with Starweek, Phillips gave one such lecture at a drama class at the Ateneo. "If I make a positive influence on at least one person I meet in a day, my life would have been worth my existence," he shares. "I grew up idolizing Bruce Lee. In the 70's when your archetype movie heroes were all still blond and blue eyed, he came in and opened the door. He taught me that nothing is impossible as long as you dream and work towards achieving that dream. I'd like to have that kind of effect on people too."

No doubt, this positive role model has done just that. Amidst the flood of Fil-foreigners who've been the center of our collective attention of late, Lou Diamond Phillips, with his positive and passionate outlook in life, stands out as one individual we can all definitely look up to.

Click Here For Ritchie Valens Articles

Click Here For Ritchie Valens Directory