Actor Raul Julia is best known for his starring role in the film Kiss of the Spider Woman, for which he shared with William Hurt the 1985 Best Actor award from the National Board of Film Review. Julia, raised in the Catholic Church in Puerto Rico, became personally involved in the life and faith of martyred archbishop Oscar Romero in playing the title role in the new movie Romero, an experience he said resulted in a renewal of his own faith and commitment. "I really got into Romero's skin many times while making the movie," Julia said. "In a very real way, he became alive for me."
Julia's other films have included Compromising Positions, Moon Over Parador, and Tequila Sunrise, and he will be appearing in the soon-to-be-released film The Threepenny Opera in the role of Mack the Knife.
Julia, his wife, and two sons make their home in New York City. He was interviewed in Washington, D.C. by Jim Wallis and Jim Rice in September 1989.
-- The Editors
Sojourners: What did you know of Romero before doing this movie? Why did you decide to take this part?
Raul Julia: I knew only what I had read in the papers about Romero's fight against the violation of human rights, and that he was so outspoken against the military, the government, the oligarchy, and the rich people. And I remember that when I heard about his murder, I was very upset that somebody could walk into a church in the middle of the day, in broad daylight, and shoot a guy -- and then just leave, openly and shamelessly. To this day nothing has been done, although many reputable people claim to know who is responsible for the murder.
Anyway, I thought -- even at the time, before the script came -- that it would be great to play a part like that, and to make a movie of an event like this. I feel that the people of North America are very ignorant about what's happening in El Salvador. As a matter of fact, they're very ignorant about U.S. government policies, in El Salvador in particular and Latin America in general. But there's always been a tradition of supporting people, in the name of democracy, who are not very democratic.
This tradition has to be examined. The general public really has to get more involved, because what's happening is that we're becoming more and more responsible for crimes that are no different from the crimes that the Nazis committed during World War II. And just not wanting to look at it -- as we say in Spanish, covering the sky with your hand -- doesn't make it go away. Eventually it's going to get worse and affect us in a more palpable way. It's time to look at the situation now, and Romero is an instrument to do that.
So when I got the script, I welcomed it. I prayed that it would be a good script before I read it, because sometimes you get a script about a historical person, a person you like, but the script doesn't do service to the person. But this script did, and I said, "Fine. I'd like to do it."
What did you discover about Romero during the course of making the film?
I discovered that this was a very courageous man. He was an ordinary man, no different from any of us, but he eventually saw what was going on around him and had to make a decision.
I think that he was always a committed man, and very serious. He didn't all of a sudden change from a wishy-washy individual to a strong voice of the people. He was never wishy-washy; he was just not for making waves. When he was criticizing the Jesuits for being too "out there," too militant, he was being serious about that, too. He believed that the church should not get involved, that it should try to be the mediator between factions.
Romero was a good theologian. Whatever he did, he did with commitment. He had his faith, and he was a good priest. Then the circumstances started changing. He started understanding that he had to shift his commitment from being a good theologian, a good priest, and a good writer to being the voice of the people.
Of course it took a lot of courage, because he didn't want to die, he didn't want to get killed. Eventually he had to go on a retreat by himself and take a look at what it was he had to do. It was a matter of choosing to keep doing what he was doing and die for it, or take a break.
A cardinal in Nicaragua, I believe it was, offered him the chance to come there and stay until things in El Salvador cooled off a little bit. He just chose not to. He could have still been archbishop, and still be living today, if he had moderated his attitude.
And who knows? Maybe he could have made a difference that way. But he didn't think so, of course, and that's what made the difference. He chose to go on as he was going on, and die if it was necessary. That was Romero.
A man committed to this little thing -- studies, the church, and administering the sacraments -- expanded and became the people, became the church. There was no difference between him, the people, Christ, and the church; everything became one.
Much of the movie seems to be focused on that conversion story. What would you say were the key elements that led to that conversion?
The circumstances. The outrageous social injustice, the massacres, the torture, the killing of children, and people being raped and murdered. That was like shock treatment to him. It just completely opened his heart to the situation. He just had to react the way he reacted.
There is an artist named Robert Lentz who makes modern icons of people he considers to be saints. He said Romero is a saint because he opened himself to be converted by the poor.
I think that's exactly what happened. I also think he's a saint because he reached the highest human potential. You see, to me, the more human one becomes, the more saintly one becomes.
The great thing about Jesus is that he was 100 percent human. That's what's more interesting to me than his divinity. Whatever you want to say about his divinity is fine, but the great thing about Jesus is his humanity.
A saint to me is not an ethereal kind of thing. A saint is someone who has explored and reached the highest humanity possible.
How did you prepare for this part? How did you get to know Romero?
By listening to his sermons and his diary, which he put on audiotape. Just listening to him, reading about him, and watching the videotapes of him speaking to the people and to the press.
I got in touch as much as I possibly could with what it means to be totally committed to something beyond yourself -- the poor, in this case, the oppressed. I got a pretty good taste of what it means to transcend yourself.
In the church one of the things that always accompanies the lives of people described as saints is the conversion of people around them. Has your participation in this project -- your role as Romero -- involved conversion on your part?
Well, yeah, but if you call it a conversion "out there," you know what the media is going to do. They will say, "Raul Julia converted." Like St. Paul with the light and the horse on the ground, and Raul Julia is lying there. It's not like that. I just got what the church is really about.
What effect did that have on your own personal faith?
I realized the work that the church is doing in El Salvador, the difference that it is making. I saw the positive aspects of the church. I started talking about things with Father Kieser, the producer, who introduced me to a Jesuit priest living in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Mexico City.
Through all of that, I've been participating in the church more and more. When I came to New York City, Father Kieser put me in touch with Father Alfred LoPinto of the Campaign for Human Development [CHD]. He showed me the work that they've been doing there. I was very impressed, and I decided to become a Spanish spokesperson for them.
CHD helps people to help themselves. For example, I went to Brooklyn, to this devastated area. The people lived in tenements, in terrible conditions. CHD helped them to build about 1,500 of their own houses. Now they have about 5,000 houses that they've built on their own.
So in general, I saw that the church really does do good work. I hadn't looked at that before so clearly. And I think it's better to participate than not to participate. There are things about the church I don't agree with, but it's better to change them from within than just to talk about them from outside.
Let's go back to the shooting of Romero. It sounded like a very unique situation for a Hollywood production. I understand that Father Kieser celebrated four Masses for the whole cast and crew. What was that like?
It's very important to realize that this is not a Catholic film. This is a film done by people from different persuasions, different faiths, or no faith at all. Jews, Episcopalians, and non-believers were all involved in the picture.
Everybody would come to the Mass anyway, because it was a kind of communion, a way of unifying the whole production company. The thing that made everybody close and united was the fact that Romero was a great human being, a human being whom everybody respected, whether they believed in his faith or not. There was a commitment to portraying Romero honestly, accurately, and with dignity.
This film is not just for church people. What lessons does it have for the average American?
There's inspiration in a human being that is not a superhero doing superhuman things. Romero was just a regular, little guy. Everyone says that because I'm much taller than he was. "Raul Julia is 6'2" and Romero was just 5'5"."
He was a normal person with fears and doubts, but his commitment was stronger than anything else. He went beyond all his considerations.
It's an inspiration to all of us as human beings to know that we have that capability. It doesn't mean we all have to give our lives for our commitment, but we can live like he lived. And there's no way that we're not going to make a difference if we live with the kind of commitment that Romero had.
How does that sort of commitment change your life now? What does that mean for you practically, day by day?
Romero is an added inspiration for me. It's a matter of taking layers off, until I can become pure commitment, like he became pure commitment. He has helped considerably in taking some layers off, and I'll continue to take layers off.
It's a little scary; sometimes I want to keep those layers, as if I'm going to disappear without them. But I'm growing, and he is now a part of that growth.
So now you are more involved in the church.
Yes. In addition to the Campaign for Human Development, I go to Mass on Sunday, which I didn't do. I go to Communion. It's great, because now it's by choice. It's a meditation for me.
The mass media in this country are not exactly known for being a vehicle for social change. How do you think they will respond to Romero?
The survival of the mass media depends on no positive change. If everything worked in the world, there would be no news because what sells is the bad news.
So, is Romero good news?
Oh, my God, yes!
Why is he good news? Why is he important now?
Romero is good news because he is a person who loved people, who became a champion of the people, and who was really dedicated. He makes you feel good. There are a lot of Romeros right now in Latin America -- people who are inspired by him and who are risking their lives and doing the work that he did. That's also good news. These people want to make a difference in people's lives because they can't stand suffering.
I think it's a natural thing for people to respond to injustice. Even though there are people out there that don't want to look at it, there are many of us that really want to respond to injustice and want to make a difference.
Do you think the film has the potential to have a political impact in Central America?
I think so, especially now that there's a bill in Congress to limit the military aid to El Salvador. It's an important bill because it limits or completely cuts off military aid according to measurable means -- depending on the violations of human rights and other injustices. I think they should completely cut aid altogether, but this is better than nothing. From my point of view, one murder is too much. But the bill is still very important. I think people should write to their representatives and their senators, pushing for it to pass.
Do you think the film will encourage people to try to make a difference?
It already has. I know people have been moved by it. According to Father Kieser, some people have had profound spiritual experiences from watching the film. But a lot of other people just come out really moved and want to do something -- to learn more about El Salvador, to make a difference. That's good enough for me.
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