Mexican actor Demian Bichir doesn’t have to bother celebrating his 2011 movie, “A Better Life.” Others are doing it for him.
He’s currently enjoying Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and Independent Spirit Awards nominations for his leading performance as an undocumented immigrant laboring to make opportunities for a son who’d prefer to take his own chances. He shares his SAG nomination with Hollywood favorites such as George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.
The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will air Sunday, January 29 at 7 p.m. Seth Rogan will host the Independent Spirit Awards Saturday, February 25.
The next step, of course, would be an Academy Award nomination, but since Bichir missed out on a Golden Globe nod, that prospect remains a question mark until Oscar nominees are announced on January 24.
Bichir feels privileged to be a part of “A Better Life,” recognizing his responsibility to “give life and voice to someone who represents more than 11 million undocumented aliens.”
For him, appearing on screen probably always seemed natural. Both Bichir’s parents and his two brothers have several acting credits to their names, and he was once married to Mexican singer/actress Lisset Gutiérrez. Steadily working in various television and film productions since the early 1980s, he caught a bit of a Hollywood indie break playing Fidel Castro in Steven Soderbergh’s 2008 film “Che.” Afterward, he read for a part in “Twilight: New Moon,” for which he caught the attention of “A Better Life” director Chris Weitz.
His credits include Mexican films “Cilantro y perejil,” “Sexo, pudor y lágrimas,” and “Todo el poder” as well as international films “Sin noticias de Dios” and “American Visa.” Before that, he logged extensive time in a host of Mexican soap operas, and more recently has played a regular character on Showtime’s “Weeds.”
Look for Bichir to appear next year in the Oliver Stone film “Savages” along with John Travolta, Salma Hayek, Uma Thurman, and Benicio Del Toro.