Actor Lou Diamond Phillips (La Bamba, Young Guns) portrays real life serial killer and rapist Richard Ramirez in the TV movie The Night Stalker. In the 1980s, Ramirez was found guilty of brutally killing 13 people in Los Angeles. To get into the character, Phillips said he would arrive on set already in character. Knowing that Ramirez listened to the AC/DC song “Night Prowler” while hunting for his prey, Phillips said, “I blasted that in the car, on the way to work every morning and put myself into that mindset.”
Phillips said he also studied the predatory characters in the films Silence of the Lames, Monster, and Taxi Driver. Phillips said Ramirez, who wanted to make a mark in the world, reminded him of Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. Phillips says of The Night Stalker: “It is this elegant and intelligent psychological drama that is just as frightening on different levels.” The Night Stalker premieres on June 12 at 9pm on Lifetime.
