Janitor to Commander: 'Star Trek: Voyager' Commander Chakotay, Robert Beltran Shares Past and Hollywood Insider Perspective [INTERVIEW]
Star Trek: Voyager is where we know him best: the tribal tattoo above his left eye pronounces his character's Native American heritage; soft flute music accompanying his entrance into rooms reminds us; and phrases like "A-koo-chee-moya" proclaimed whenever he contacts his animal guide or the spirit of his father, or performs the Pakra, makes damn sure that we never forget that he's a Native person.
Robert Adame Beltran, the actor who perfected the role of Commander Chakotay, has much more under his belt than an ability to play a convincing and strong-willed Native person, despite popular belief. The silver fox has a long career in film, theater and the arts, which dates back to the late 70's. And, beyond all of that, Beltan is just a zany, fascinating and relaxed performer who's never divided himself from his craft; and always claims the attention of doting audiences whenever he's on stage or on the screen.
The Mexican-American Beltran was born to Aurelia Olgin (née Adame) and Louis Perez Beltran, first generation Mexican-Americans living in the industrial city Bakersfield, California -- which is on the southern end of San Joaquin Valley, located smack-dab between Fresno and Los Angeles.
There, he lived with and shared space with his parents, his two sisters and his seven brothers, which includes the well-known Latin Jazz musician Louie Cruz Beltran. There, Beltran also worked the fields in the metropolis.
"We're a very close family -- still. Although we didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up, we had a really good time. We had a lot of fun. It was a small town then, but it's grown a lot from when I was growing up there," Beltran said, sharing that the town had a population of 60,000 at the time, but now has nearly 400,000 residents residing. "Bakersfield is an agricultural area; and although I've never had to work like a migrant worker, during the summers, I used to work out in the fields...all throughout my high school years. It's not like I had to pick up the leaves...and we didn't have to pick up and move camps like migrant workers had to do. It was just a summer job, and it was very hard and very hot, but I didn't have a boss standing over me, so that was something that I liked about it."
While the idea of the actor, who graduated from California State University with a degree in Theater Arts, working in the fields may be unexpected, it's one of the least surprising jobs that the handsome 60-year-old held before he made it big as an actor.
"When I came to Hollywood, I began acting immediately ... so all of the odd jobs that I'd had came before my acting career. I've been fortunate, in that I've been acting since ... 1981, being solely an actor. Before that, I was a janitor at a cinema in Bakersfield ... at an American movie theater house and a Spanish movie theater house. Both were owned by the same family. That, I didn't mind so much ... I would go early in the morning and go mop down the theater ... clean up all the rows and clean up the mess from previous days. Vacuum and clean the toilets. While it was a job that I grew to dislike very much ... due to my boss, it was a job I could just get my work done ... and, then, afterward I could sit and watch movies," Beltran said with humor. "Another job was working at a Wienerschnitzel. And, I didn't like my boss, so I ended up giving most of his food away. Another time, I worked for a grocery store ... doing delivery ... mainly to housewives. It was kind of hard to get away from some of those housewives because some of them were... let's just say... lonely," Beltran said with a slight laugh. "I had to handle things very delicately in order not to hurt some people's feelings."
Beltran also sold encyclopedias, and admitted to being terrible at it, saying that he never sold a single encyclopedia. He was also a bagboy at a supermarket; sometimes helping little old ladies out by carrying their bags to their cars. Many of the positions came and went like seasons, and Beltran often found himself back in the fields, where he harvested grapes, cotton and tomatoes because he was able to be independent. He would cover his bare skin with long sleeves, hats and scarves to protect himself from the penetrative rays, comparing the experience to an Arab in the desert.
"You sweat. By the end of the day when you're covered in sweat and you're tired, but in a way ... it's sort of beautiful. But, believe me, it was hard work." Beltran said.
While labor intensive work was something that Beltran was drawn to in his youth, theater and film peaked his acting interest. Beltran was attracted to acting because of great plays, and the plethora of impressive roles that seem to be available. Well-written and well-produced plays, film and television shows were his forte, and he wanted to become netted in that world. Even now, the incredible performer still enjoys acting as much now as when he first stepped onto the scene, viewing roles as an intellectual challenge.
"It's totally engaging to me, still," Beltran said to Latin Post in an interview regarding his past work and upcoming projects in Hollywood.
When Beltran first entered Hollywood, he was able to find jobs but also found that opportunities were few and far between for most Latinos.
"It's difficult for Latinos everywhere," Beltran said, expressly. "In a movie business it's a different thing ... just look around look at television ... there's a few Latinos in television, there always are; but the number of them ... you can count on one hand or maybe two hands. Although, I've been lucky and able to make a living throughout my years acting, there are many who aren't as lucky ... particularly because of their ethnicity," said the actor who made his first film appearance in Zoot Suit in 1981. "There's lot of competition for Latino roles, that's true of all actors, but that's especially true for Black actors, Latino actors, Native American actors, Asian actors... there's not a lot of opportunity out there. That's what I was confronted with when I first came to Hollywood. But, I've been able to work and make a living for my family, and it's great to make a living in way that you can help others."
The actor, who played Deputy Kayo in Lone Wolf McQuade, also commented on the roles that Latinos are tasked to take on in Hollywood nowadays, many of them still adhering to the old tradition of Latinos playing laborers and drug lords.
"A lot of the auditions that I go to are often for the same type of characters; for instance a drug lord. Drug lords are still really big. And, then the other roles, like the henchmen or a part of the inner circle," Beltran said, then began to mimic the characters that he's often asked to embody, even adding a thick accent to the impression. "The drug lord always says something like, 'We have to kill this person.' And, then the other person says, 'Ohhh, how will plan it?' The drug lord says, 'I don't know, that's your problem. You get it done, or I'm gonna kill you,'" Beltran said, concluding the dialogue between the drug lord and henchman. "...you know, that kinda shit. Very seldom do you see doctors. Most likely, you see drug lords and gardeners. Sometimes you see a truck driver, and that's nice. But it's black and white, you know. Characters are either all bad or unrealistically good. There doesn't seem to be any kind of real representation of Latino culture in television, there just aren't... not even in this PBS documentary about Latinos in America. Even then, it stinks with cliché and stereotypes. It's so simplistic that it turns out not to be very helpful at all. It tends to reinforce stereotypes. So, I'm not big on what's happening in the industry right now, in regards to Latino actors or any actors. Actors of color are having a hard time right now."
Portraying everything from a priest to a chief, he's shown the American public an assortment of his interpretation of diverse characters. Beltran shared some of his favorite and least favorite screen performances, naming his time as Commander Chakotay on the Star Trek: Voyager as his one of his better roles.
"To date, I really liked the Chakotay character and the character of Ahbleza on the ABC mini-series The Mystic Warrior. That was a lot of fun. I've enjoyed many of the roles that I've played, and I'm lucky in that way because for the most part I haven't had to take jobs that I normally wouldn't take. So there've only been a few dry spells for me...where out of desperation I had to take a job. I haven't been confronted with that very much. I would say just about every role that I've done I've enjoyed," said Beltran, who's recognized for his leading role in the film Eating Raoul atop of his Star Trek: Voyager recognition. "I especially liked Chakotay and The Mystic Warrior and a few others. My least favorite...well, I had big expectations for my role on Big Love, and it turned out not to be what I hoped for, and it became...it was not a fun job to go to everyday. I didn't like the experience. The main thing was that the same scene seemed to be written over and over. There was no growth in the character. I was disappointed that it couldn't have been better."
Please be sure to show Beltran’s upcoming film support on Twitter and on Facebook. And, be sure to follow the wonderful actor, also.
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