Festival recognizes actor for his work with the military When it comes to veterans issues, actor Lou Diamond Phillips doesn’t have to feign interest.
The son of a Navy vet and named for a legendary member of the Marine Corps, Phillips is quite familiar with issues that the members of the armed forces face. His commitment is reflected in visits to Veterans Affairs hospitals, public service announcements for the United Service Organizations, and trips to Capitol Hill.
| If you go |
| The GI Film Festival recognizes Lou Diamond Phillips with its Spirit Award during the “Salute to Hollywood Patriots” event Friday at the Arleigh & Roberta Burke Theater in the U.S. Navy Memorial. The Fifth Annual GI Film Festival runs from Monday to May 15. For more information, visit gifilmfestival.com. |
This Friday, the GI Film Festival presents its annual Spirit Award to Phillips.
“I’m incredibly flattered and humbled,” said Phillips during a phone interview last week. He spoke from outside Santa Fe, where he’s filming a pilot. “I have the highest regard for our troops, our people in uniform. I’ve been able to use my celebrity over the years to shine a spotlight on some deserving people and to speak up for charities. To get an award for that sort of thing, it’s very flattering but it’s not why you do what you do. You don’t do it to get awards. You do it because it’s the right thing to do.”
The Spirit Award is given annually to “an actor who embodies the spirit of an American GI in their creative and philanthropic work.” Rick Schroeder, Gary Sinise, Karri Turner and Jon Voight are past recipients.
Phillips, whose parents named him after well-known Marine Corps member Lou Diamond, said his father was a major influence in his life.
“He’s got an amazing code of ethics,” Phillips said of his father, who was an aircraft mechanic in the Navy. “He’s got amazing character. It’s something he certainly instilled in me.”
“It’s not always easy to maintain those standards in Hollywood,” he added, laughing.
Born on a Navy base in the Philippines, Phillips came to national prominence portraying Ritchie Valens in the 1987 film “La Bamba.” Shortly after that breakthrough came “Stand and Deliver” and “Young Guns.” More recently, he’s made a number of television appearances. He’s currently host of the television series “An Officer and a Movie” on the Military Chanel.
But it might be Phillips’ work with wounded warriors and the military in general that may be his greatest legacy.
“I think no matter what opinions you may have of whatever administration, or how you look at government, I think the important thing always is to maintain that honor and respect for our troops,” he said. “Our country would not be what it is today if not for men and women who stepped up and heeded the call of duty and sacrificed, sometimes their lives, for the average citizens. No matter what your politics are, I think being a patriot is without party affiliation.”
Phillips added that though he has played heroes on the big screen, there’s a major difference between that and real life.
“I get to go home at the end of the day.”
