Alambrista is about the journey of an illegal migrant; it is as relevant today as when we shot the movie in 1976.
I joined the cast of this film about illegal migrants when it was already in production. Robert M. Young, the film’s director had initially cast someone else. When it didn’t work out, I was hired and immediately flew up to Sacramento, California. At the airport I was met by one of the crew members and driven to Stockton California. Upon arriving on the set we immediately got to work on this scene and shot it all night long. 
Just before leaving for location I had a conversation with Lee Strasberg about joining the cast of a film already in progress, having only given been an outline of the film and a brief sketch of my character. Lee’s advice: “Just stay calm and don’t respond too quickly.”
It’s a perennial film festival favorite, winning awards along the way including The New York Film Festival, San Sebastian (Golden Seashell), Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival (Inter Film Award) and earned the first Camera D’Or at Cannes. Along with a book about the film, it’s been used as a teaching tool in schools and Criterion has released it as part of their collection.
In 2023 Alambrista! was added to the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry.