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Blood In Blood Out Star Damian Chapa Visits Yuma for Meet and Greet

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Blood In Blood Out actor Damian Chapa visited Yuma for a meet and greet autograph signing at El Charro Café on Wednesday.

Chapa is no stranger to the cameras, he is an actor, film director, and producer. Chapa has started in many movies such as Mexican Gangster, Blood In Blood Out, El Padrino, Street Fighter, Melrose Place, among others.

Chapa says he is excited about celebrating Blood in Blood out, but more excited to be in Yuma.

“We've been all through the Southwest and everybody kept saying you got to go to Yuma. I put it on the map to go, and within three days 350 people said they wanted to go. So, we’re quite amazed with the turn out already. We’re very excited to celebrate Blood in Blood out and to get in touch with the fans for a movie that never seems to die.”

Blood In Blood Out is about three Chicano relatives who grew up in East Los Angeles. They start out as members of a street gang and as dramatic incidents occur; their lives change. But Chapa says the thing that binds them together in the movie is familia (family).

“This is why I think this movie touches people. It’s because it’s about family. No matter what somebody in your family does, they’re always going to be your family no matter what.”

Chapa says there are many takeaways from the movies he has acted in, but this one changed his life.

“You know, my mother was white. My dad was Mexican, so for me, I went through a lot of things Miklo went through, trying to be accepted on one side of the family and being rejected on the other side of the family. Then at one point, I was being rejected on both sides because I did not know where I fit in. The people that accepted me were the Mexican American side, which is why it was so easy for me to play Miklo because I embraced that society the way they embraced me.”

As for his plans, Chapa says he averages three to four movies a year. Some of them are Latino-based, others are not. But one thing is for sure, Chapa sticks to movies he wants to do. Which is why he left Hollywood.

“I was in the system; I didn’t enjoy it. The money was better, but my creativity was not. I was doing things like Melrose plays and these tv shows I did not really enjoy. But I did them because it was a way of making a living. As an artist, I felt bankrupt. So, I decided to write and direct movies that I enjoyed doing. That is what I plan to do, making movies that touch me in a way I can express myself and I do movies to try to understand certain subject matters, so some of them may be controversial.”

Mexican Gangster 2 coming out in May 2023.

As for his advice to the younger generation wanting to be a movie star, Chapa says to always be yourself.

“My advice, first, is to realize that being a so-called movie star and being a so-called big actor, I’ve never thought of myself as that. I have always thought of myself as an artist. A working artist, I am lucky to work. Some people do know me, some people know me in other places than others, but I always maintain where I came from, and if you do not maintain where you come from, I have witnessed a lot of people where lives were ruined. Whether it was alcohol or drugs. Because they did not maintain who they were, they let the money, they let fame change them. You cannot do that just because you are an actor, it does not change you are a human being. When you start changing, your psyche changes, and what it does makes you abrasive to people, and then people do not like you, because you are not yourself. You must maintain who you are; I have never changed. I’ve always been the same guy and always will be the same guy because that’s a blessing.”

Chapa thanks the community for coming out to see him. Especially the fans that waited hours in line just to get a picture of the legendary Miklo from Blood In Blood Out.

Click here for the latest news on Damian Chapa.

Sumiko Keil