Lou Diamond Phillips started out big; after toiling in three minor films in the mid-'80s, he landed the lead in "La Bamba," as young, ill-fated '50s rock 'n' roll star Ritchie Valens, who died in the same plane crash that claimed Buddy Holly.
"La Bamba" was a hit and led to Phillips co-starring in "Stand and Deliver" and the two "Young Guns" retro-Westerns.
Then, throughout the '90s, Phillips became king of straight-to-video B-movies, while occasionally landing supporting roles in such big-ticket pictures as "Courage Under Fire" or TV gigs like his two-episode stint on "24" last year, with his buddy Kiefer Sutherland. Phillips even starred on Broadway in a popular revival of "The King and I."
This summer, he'll be seen in the comedy-thriller "Hollywood Homicide," starring Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett. Phillips' character is named "Wanda" . . . but more about that later.
Early in his career, Phillips told interviewers that he was just happy to be working. And, apparently, that hasn't changed much.
"I've been lucky," Phillips said during a telephone interview from Los Angeles to promote the re-release of three of his films in a DVD set ("Lou Diamond Phillips 3-Pack," Columbia/TriStar, $36.95, 3 discs). "I've been fortunate to have enough hits to keep me on the dance card, and there have been enough interesting roles to keep me happy. I probably told you way back when, that I was lucky to be an actor — and I feel the same way today. I'm still standing, I'm still offered interesting things.
"There are so many actors who were around when I started in mid-'80s who are not as around anymore. And it's not due to lack of talent. To have something like this three-pack come out, which spans 16 years of my career — it's interesting to see that I've been able to stay in films and do interesting work for this long."
The three-pack films are "La Bamba" (1987), "The Big Hit" (1998) and "Bats" (1999).
"Bats" is a horror movie about genetically altered killer bats, and though it is set in west Texas, it was filmed in Utah. "No disrespect. But we had to try and avoid those snowcapped mountains. We have some rolling hills (in Texas), but I'm standing around in a cow pasture, going, 'Man, this is quite a bit more green than west Texas,' which is, like, desert!" ("Bats" was filmed primarily in Magna, as well as American Fork and Park City.)
Of dark farce "The Big Hit," Phillips said, "It's a bit left of center, and it's a personal favorite of mine. I don't often get to do comedy, and I love comedy. Remember, 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' had not come out yet, so the Hong Kong influence was just starting to have a groundswell. The urban hip-hop scene had not yet taken off. But our Hong Kong, action, hip-hop, black comedy opened at No. 1 (at the box office), and since then, it's been rediscovered on video."
"La Bamba" was, of course, Phillips' watershed picture, a largely upbeat, thoroughly entertaining pop musical with a serious story that focuses on the relationship between Ritchie and his abusive, drug-running brother (played very well by Esai Morales).
Meanwhile, Phillips just keeps on working.
He just finished shooting "Red Water" for cable-channel TBS, a shark-attack picture scheduled to air in August, and in which he co-stars with Kristy Swanson, Coolio and a remote-control 15-foot bull-shark. "It was freaky, man," said Phillips. "When you're neck-deep in cold water and that fin is coming at you, all logic and rationality goes out of your mind. I just wanted them to hit that mechanical shark's off button!"
Phillips, who has written and directed a few projects in the past, also has a script he's peddling — a family film, a children's adventure story. He won't get too specific about it, but he wants to direct it himself.
And then there's Phillips' character of Wanda in "Hollywood Homicide." "I haven't played a leading lady before," Phillips said, with tongue planted firmly in cheek. "And having Harrison Ford as my leading man was not so bad."
Actually, Phillips plays a vice-squad cop who goes undercover as a female prostitute, which he said gave him a whole new outlook. "It was an enlightening experience, to say the least. It took 1 1/2 hours to shave my legs and wax my eyebrows. I feel for every woman out there."
OK, the movie is a comedy. But Phillips says he looks pretty good as a woman — and it will definitely take the audience aback. "It's going to be a bit of a surprise. It will take you a little bit to figure out it's me.
"Baby, I'm pretty hot."
E-MAIL: hicks@desnews.com