A Native American pioneer in film, 'Blue Beetle's' Raoul Trujillo looks back

Each morning, Raoul Max Trujillo wakes up to enjoy the beauty that surrounds him in northern New Mexico.

The native New Mexican has earned this lifestyle by carving his own path through his career in dance and film.

“I’ve been making movies since ’89 and been on stage since ’77,” he says. “Through it all, I feel blessed to still be able to support causes and raise awareness for matters that are really important.”

For more than 45 years, Trujillo has long been a point of inspiration for the younger generation.

He is a descendant of Ute, Apache, Comanche, Pueblo, Tlascalan, French, Sephardic Jew and Andalusian Moor.

He’s had roles in all types of film and TV productions over the years. His latest role could be his biggest.

He landed the role of Carapax in the DC Comics film, “Blue Beetle,” which is currently playing in theaters.

Trujillo’s often looked at as one of the Native American pioneers in film – a position he’s honored to be mentioned in.

“There are real breakthroughs happening that we’re witnesses and representation in projects,” Trujillo says. “People don’t realize that Tantoo Cardinal and Gary Farmer were part of who started the first Native American renaissance. We were those people knocking those barriers down. Now, everybody acts like it happened overnight.”

Trujillo says Native filmmakers have been inspired by the generation before them.

“Sometimes there’s a little resentment, but we have to stop with the collective amnesia,” he says. “People like us have been knocking this down. We were also doing it on a road that wasn’t as paved as it is now.”

Trujillo has seen his share of successes — though the rejections far outweigh that number.

He recalls being cast as a lead in one project when he first started. It was a role he turned down.

“In those days, there were few of us,” he says. “I knew in my heart I wasn’t right for the role and let it pass me by. They cast a non-Native actor, and it made me think that I should have gone along with it.”

Trujillo spends most of his time these days helping out charities around New Mexico — most of which help out the Indigenous community.

“Who I am as a human being hasn’t changed,” he says. “I’m still the guy who moved to New York with $500 in my pocket to make a difference in the world. Raoul hasn’t changed, and I’ve been committed to causes and found a way to bring it into my work.”

Now, 68, Trujillo gets more opportunities to look back at his career.

While it can be bittersweet, he’s proud of every moment.

“I love the years and the wisdom that has come with the passage of time,” he says. “I’m still paying for what happened to my knees 18 years ago. I’ve gone through six months of stem cell injections.”

After decades of doing his own stunts, Trujillo can feel the effects today.

Though, he wouldn’t change a thing.

“I think about my dad before he passed,” he says. “He was 94 and a couple months before, he was pruning his own fruit trees with his chainsaw. I’m feeling the daily aches and pains the day after we went on our daily horse ride. We climbed 10,000 feet in elevation. I like to say, ‘If you’re not living on the edge, you’re in the way.’ Take the leap of faith.”

After high school, he spent three years serving in the military in Germany. After his discharge, he worked as an Alpine ski instructor in Taos.

He left the world of professional skiing after traveling extensively through Mexico, and Central and South America on his way to teach in San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina.

This was a wake-up call to his exploring Native America and beginning his journey in creating art based on his cultural roots.

Trujillo started work in the theater as a scene painter, and landed his first job in 1977 as an actor/dancer in a production of “Equus” in Santa Fe.

It was his first paid professional work, as well as his debut in the theater with no training at all, except high school drama.

He now had the bug to study formally and began dancing in Los Angeles in 1978 at University of Southern California.

Trujillo hasn’t slowed down.

“With each role, my goal is to represent all my ancestors through the character,” he says. “There’s been a lot of hard work to bring our stories to the forefront. We still have a long way to go. I’m only but one piece in this puzzle. And we are all needed.”

Thirty-three years after his big break from Graham Greene, Trujillo is still with his same agent and enjoys his time being seen as the elder and the mentorship that comes with the territory now.

“I like the idea of taking on protégés and passing it on,” he says. “The reason I do it is because the students in places like Española need to hear that they can make something of themselves while staying true to themselves. Don’t let people tell you what you should be doing. This is your story that you should be able to tell.”

Trujillo recalls when he was enrolled at University of Southern California, he took a dance class to see how he did.

“The teachers told me I had to go somewhere to get the proper skills,” he says. “I went to a summer intensive in Toronto. Those are the people we want. Someone who believes in you. One thing we have to remember is that it takes a lot of hard work. Most people want to sidestep the hard work aspect.”

At events he attends, Trujillo is often asked advice on starting in the film industry.

“If you need to ask that question, it’s not for you,” he says. “No one prepared me. When I was in New York City dancing, I had enough to pay my rent every month with $75 to get food for the rest of the month. There is a bulk food store and I loaded up on beans and rice. I was also able to get a job as a landscape gardener. I never thought the skills I learned from my dad working on the land would help me survive dancing in New York.”

Trujillo’s advice is to first believe in yourself and take a leap of faith.

“It’s been a long journey for me,” he says. “Each story gets more authentic, and we are still able to tell our own stories. You have to keep moving.”