Actor Theo Rossi rolls up on cultural identity in 'Lowriders'

By Alex Cohen and Redmond Carolipio

Published May 12, 2017 8:55 AM

Listen • 6:18

Theo Rossi, left, plays Ghost in the movie "Lowriders," which came out Friday. Rossi talked to Morning Edition about how the film dives into the essence of Latino car culture.

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A new film out Friday looks at what life is like for young Latinos residing here in Los Angeles.

The film is called "Lowriders," and the story revolves around a competition of these low-slung, custom-built cars held in Elysian Park.

You might recognize Theo Rossi, one of the film's stars who recently spoke to KPCC Morning Edition host Alex Cohen about the film. Fans of Marvel's "Luke Cage" on Netflix will remember Rossi as Shades, one of Luke Cage's core enemies.

Previously, Rossi appeared on the hit FX show "Sons of Anarchy." There, he played Juice, a tattooed tough guy with a love of motorcycles. In "Lowriders," Rossi plays a character named "Ghost" ... a tattooed tough guy with a love for custom cars.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k0mm_cxzy0

Rossi himself talked about the subculture surrounding the lowrider and how it permeated the making of the film. Here are some of the interview highlights.

On the cultural significance of the lowrider:

It’s so much more than a car. It’s heritage, it’s culture … it’s history, it’s legacy being passed down — there’s hundreds of thousands of dollars being put into these cars because they’re living art pieces. They’re a representation of not just community, but of an expression of who they are, who their family is, and they’re priceless … It was such an honor to be a part of that and to represent that.

On the “gang” label attached to car culture:

In our art world, in our culture depicted on film and depicted through television, video games even, anybody who is in a lowrider was, you know, a shady character, was a certain way. What people don’t realize is this subculture, like many others, is actually an incredibly beautiful community. It’s people who – it really is, more than anyone, more than motorcycle, more than other stuff — it’s all about family, and it’s about expressing yourself.

Click on the play button above to hear the whole interview and hear Rossi address the broader subject of racial representation in Hollywood, and how he deals with people trying to "put me in a box" as an actor.