Crossing Borders

 by Luis Chavez (Cesar Uman)

I have never before, in a single show, have had so many first-time experiences. Working on “Crash,” to give you a few examples, I have milked and drank raw milk from a cow for the FIRST time; climbed up a high fence, barefoot, for the FIRST time; and worn the SAME pair of jeans and shirt again and again (accumulating natural dirt, episode after episode) for the FIRST time! Oh, but how much fun it’s been!

I am not very athletic and I am afraid of heights, so when I am able to film a scene where any of my phobias and weaknesses are tested and conquered (at least while the camera is rolling), I feel a sense of accomplishment.
A typical shooting day for me starts with a 6am call time. After a long car ride, I arrive to the middle of nowhere (or at least it feels that way). Most of my fellow cast members spend hours on the production soundstages. As for me, I have not once stepped foot in there to shoot one frame of the show.

So far.

Hot dry winds, sand, dirt, and strong water currents are some of the natural elements I work with. I feel lucky that I have shade and water to replenish my energy when needed--unlike the people who in real life cross the border, risking it all without a safety net, and follow the same journey as my character.

Since many of my scenes are in Spanish (to give an authentic, organic feel to my story) and my character is Guatemalan ( I am Mexican), before I step out of my trailer I go over my lines in “Guatemalan Spanish.” I have a great Guatemalan friend who I call on a regular basis to help me out with that. Believe it or not, there are differences in the way a Mexican and a Guatemalan speak. Even though the script supervisor and some directors do not speak Spanish, and might not be able to tell the difference between the two, I feel that it is important to portray them accurately. I try my best.

During camera set-ups for the next shot, I like to take in all of nature’s beauty around me. My first day of filming in New Mexico, I was standing by the Rio Grande River. I remember hearing of that river when I was growing up in Mexico. My dad told me about it. He said the Rio Grande becomes the Rio Bravo at the border with Mexico and he, himself, crossed it decades ago to reach the U.S. It was ironic that now I, too, was in front of the same river, about to cross it. But I was gonna do it on a raft, fully padded with floating devices and being PAID to do it.
It made me appreciate even more the sacrifices my dad made for me and my siblings.

I like the fact that I get to enjoy the great exterior locations New Mexico has to offer. Being that we are usually in isolated areas for my character, we shoot all of my scenes for any given episode in one single day. On some occasions I have doubted our ability to do so, but the awesome crew and director of the show make it happen.

After the sun goes down and a long day of filming, I head back into Albuquerque, where I wait with excitement to see what new challenges await Cesar in the next episode.