Lou Diamond Phillips on how 'La Bamba' brought him to Hollywood
Daily Times Lou Diamond Phillips didn’t think he was the right fit to play Frankie Valli. That’s not a misprint. It was, however, an error his agent’s office made when first alerting the young actor about auditions being held in Dallas for La Bamba — which, of course, was about the tragically curtailed life and career of Ritchie Valens — not future Jersey Boys subject Frankie Valli. Born on a naval base in the Philippines and raised in Texas, Phillips was living in Arlington, working on local commercials and tiny underground film projects as well as teaching acting, when the call ca...