in 1988, phillips co-starred with edward james olmos in the inner-city high school drama "stand and deliver", in a role for which he was nominated for the golden globe award for best supporting actor – motion picture and won the independent spirit award for best supporting male. he plays angel david guzman, a "cholo" "gangster" who is inspired by his math teacher, jaime escalante, to excel at calculus. working to master the subject, he develops a friendship with his teacher. "stand and deliver" was filmed before "la bamba", but it was released a year later.