The 'Office Romance' actor is working on a "real masterpiece" for his next project

NEED TO KNOW

• Edward James Olmos is working on Valley of the Heart, a cultural love story written by the “brilliant” Luis Valdez
• Olmos praised Jennifer Lopez, his Office Romance costar, calling her a profound artist and storyteller
• The actor also reflected on surviving throat cancer in 2022 and expressed gratitude for his recovery journey

Edward James Olmos is working on a "special" project, decades into his incredible acting career.

While attending the opening night of the 25th edition of The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival on May 27 at the TCL Chinese Theatre, Olmos, 79, shared whether he had any films or dream roles that were still on his bucket list.

"I'm making one now that's really special," he exclusively told PEOPLE. "It's a thing called Valley of the Heart, which deals with a cultural film between the Mexican-American culture and Japanese-American culture during the Second World War."

He added, "It's beautiful. And it's a love story and I think people will really appreciate it."

Written as a play by La Bamba writer and director Luis Valdez, Valley of the Heart follows "two immigrant families struggling to provide a future for their American-born children after the Great Depression on the farmland they share," according to an official synopsis.

"But as their oldest children fall in love — secretly — the attack on Pearl Harbor throws these Mexican and Japanese American families into uncertainty and turmoil," it continues.

"He's a brilliant writer and what he's done here is a real masterpiece," the Selena actor said of Valdez.

During the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, Olmos was joined by his Office Romance costar Jennifer Lopez. In the new rom-com, he plays her father, making it the third time they've worked together.

Lopez, 56, previously starred as Selena Quintanilla in 1997's Selena, and Olmos played her dad, Abraham. They were also costars in 1995's Mi Familia, as Lopez appeared as a younger version of Olmos' character's mother in the film.

Given their bond, both onscreen and off, Olmos had nothing but kind words to say about the "profound" Lopez.

"Her impact is overwhelming. It's so profound because it touches all humanity," he told PEOPLE. "She's really, really good in telling a story and people like watching her. Cameras love her. She's been a great artist, great storyteller and a great producer… So I'm very grateful that she continues to be on for another 40, 50 years."

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lopez also discussed their reunion on the red carpet.

"I'll tell you what happened. We were standing on the carpet just a few minutes ago," she said. "I was standing with him, and I remember taking the cast photo with Selena and I said, ‘Oh my God, do you remember when we did this years ago?' and he goes, ‘I remember it well!' "

She added: "I was like, ‘And here we are.' He's like, ‘Here we are.' He's like, ‘I'm so proud to be here with you.' I said, ‘I love you so much, thank you.' "

Olmos was previously diagnosed with throat cancer in 2022. "There were moments in time when the body almost gave up," he said to PEOPLE at the Office Romance premiere on May 26.

He ultimately underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment, and felt grateful for his "brilliant" team of doctors, adding, "I'm going three years now since my throat cancer … I'm very grateful that I got past it."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

However, he also struggled once his treatment plan ended. “Once they stopped all of the chemo and all of the radiation and all the treatment is when the body gave up. And that's when it really became difficult," Olmos shared back in 2024.

Office Romance is out on Netflix on Friday, June 5.

Source link