Edward James Olmos still has one major project on his Hollywood bucket list.
The 79-year-old actor spoke with People at the 25th Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, where he named Valley of the Heart as the story he still wants to bring to the screen.
The project began as a stage play by Luis Valdez, the playwright and filmmaker behind Zoot Suit and La Bamba. Olmos described the material as a story about Mexican American and Japanese American families during World War II.
The comments came as Olmos returned to the screen in Netflix’s Office Romance, which reunites him with Jennifer Lopez nearly three decades after Selena.
Valley of the Heart Is the Story He Still Wants to Make
Valley of the Heart follows two immigrant families trying to build a future for their American-born children after the Great Depression, according to People.
The story turns on a relationship between the eldest children from the two families as the attack on Pearl Harbor throws Mexican American and Japanese American communities into uncertainty.
The Center Theatre Group, which staged the play at the Mark Taper Forum in 2018, described the story as one in which Pearl Harbor sends the two families into turmoil after their oldest children secretly fall in love.
People reported that Olmos praised Valdez’s writing and called the project “very special.”
Olmos and Valdez Have a Long Creative History
Olmos’ interest in Valley of the Heart also continues his long connection to Valdez.
Their history reaches back to Zoot Suit, the landmark stage and film project that helped establish Olmos as one of the most important Latino performers of his generation.
Cal State LA reported in 2025 that Olmos wanted to produce, direct, and act in a film version of Valdez’s Valley of the Heart.
At that same event, Olmos also spoke about wanting to bring the story of Master Sergeant Raul Perez “Roy” Benavidez, a Medal of Honor recipient from the Vietnam War, to the screen.
Office Romance Reunites Him With Jennifer Lopez
Olmos is also appearing with Lopez in Office Romance, the Netflix romantic comedy starring Lopez and Brett Goldstein.
Netflix Tudum says the film reteams Lopez with Olmos, who played her father in the 1997 biopic Selena. In Office Romance, he once again plays her onscreen father.
People reported that Olmos accepted the role without reading the script because of his bond with Lopez.
The reunion adds another link between the two actors, who also appeared together in Mi Familia before Selena.
Captain Jack Cruz Gives the Reunion a New Shape
Netflix’s cast guide lists Olmos as Captain Jack Cruz, Jackie’s father and the founder of AirCruz.
Lopez plays Jackie Cruz, the airline’s CEO, while Goldstein plays Daniel Blanchflower, the company’s lawyer.
The new role gives Olmos and Lopez a very different father-daughter setting from Selena. Instead of a music biopic about the Quintanilla family, Office Romance places them inside a workplace romantic comedy built around an airline executive and her company’s attorney.
The film premiered on Netflix on June 5.
Olmos Has Also Spoken About Surviving Throat Cancer
Olmos also told People about surviving throat cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2022.
He underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment and credited his doctors with helping him survive.
In a separate People interview, Olmos said his body almost “gave up” during treatment.
His latest comments place Valley of the Heart beside a busy stretch that includes Office Romance, festival appearances, and renewed attention on the stories he still wants to tell.