BARRIO TO BOX OFFICE; ACTOR RETURNS TO ROOTS, INSPIRES KIDS.

Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writer

The sun blazes down on the schoolchildren's tiny heads, but they don't care, instead they squeal and cheer. After all, their guest speaker, actor Jacob Vargas, isn't just any celebrity, he's one of their own.

On the verge of stardom with supporting roles in such films as ``Selena,'' ``Get Shorty'' and the current ``Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion,'' the 26-year-old actor spent his Thursday morning doing what he said keeps him grounded - giving back to his community.

``You can't forget where you came from and that there are people out there who are living the way you did years ago,'' said Vargas, who gave a motivational speech at an outdoor assembly for his alma mater, Vaughn Next Century Learning Center.

Raised in Pacoima, Vargas is no stranger to the poverty of its sun-baked barrios - a point he makes candidly to youngsters. Hard times meant living with his family in a cramped garage and surviving on oatmeal.

``I remember what it was like to only eat twice a day. . . . I remember what it was like to share a Happy Meal with three brothers,'' said Vargas, the third of six children. ``And I've never forgotten that.''

Few positive role models came to his neighborhood, said Vargas. That's what motivates him to speak at countless school assemblies in the northeast San Fernando Valley, where he tells students how he, too, ate tortillas with butter and cruised the streets on his beat-up Schwinn bicycle.

``I grew up in the same area, I went to the same parks, I swam at the same public pool, I lived in a garage for a while. We were poor,'' said Vargas, during an interview from his sky-blue, two-story home in Castaic, which he is selling to move back to the Valley.

``The kids can relate to my experience. I tell them how I stayed away from drugs and gangs, and that it's possible - that you can do it too because I'm not any different from you.''

At Fenton Avenue Elementary in Lake View Terrace, where Vargas spent five years as a bilingual aide and started an after-school acting program, his supervisor recalled how his acting classes were the first to fill up.

``When he was leading that class, there was immediate respect for him,'' said curriculum adviser Yvette King-Berg. ``Sometimes we had waiting lists because the kids wanted to sign up for his class. They loved it. They loved him. He was a dynamic person, and that's what they were drawn to.''

Vargas' commitment to his community stems from words of advice given from veteran actor Edward James Olmos during the filming of the 1996 epic ``Mi Familia.''

``(Olmos) said that being in this media you have power and you need to use that power responsibly,'' said Vargas, who also prepares income tax forms for the elderly in Pacoima. ``You can go around trashing hotel rooms and getting into bar fights or you can go out into the community and help out and make a difference.''

Born in the state of Michoacan, Mexico, Vargas immigrated to Sunland with his parents at the age of 1. The family of eight moved constantly until his father saved enough money to purchase a home in Pacoima, where his parents live today.

The family members eked out their existence sewing women's clothing out of their home and selling it at the local swap meet.

``It was something we had to do because that was the way we survived, but it really taught me an important work ethic,'' said Vargas. ``It taught me that nobody is going to give you anything. You really have to work for what you want and you need to work hard.''

Always the family clown, Vargas' parents remember how he would sing ``rancheras'' at the top of his lungs and imitate legendary Mexican comedian Cantinflas.

``Ever since he was 2 or 3 years old he'd dance and sing and he would say that one day he would be a singer or an actor,'' said his mother, Rafaela. ``We never thought that he'd be where he is now. We're so proud of him.''

As the streets of his barrio began to crawl with gang members, Vargas took up break dancing, a passion that focused his energies away from the violence that took the lives of his friends.

It was break dancing that led to his discovery at age 13 by a Vaughn Street Elementary drill team adviser, who encouraged him to try out for a guest spot on the television series ``Diff'rent Strokes.'' He landed the job almost immediately.

``When we finished taping the show they invited us to go out into the audience and meet the crowd and sign autographs,'' said Vargas. ``And for a kid from Pacoima who was sewing all his life to this, was incredible. I caught the bug and I knew then, that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.''

His ninth-grade drama teacher at San Fernando Junior High further fueled Vargas' interest, introducing him to Shakespeare. Vargas searched for Latino actors to emulate, but found few back in the '80s.

``Edward James Olmos and Erik Estrada, those were the only two role models that I had to look up to,'' said Vargas. ``And I knew then that we needed more, and I thought, well, maybe I can be one of them. So I worked towards that goal.''

Now a 13-year veteran of acting, Vargas is that role model he aspired to be, as attested by the mob of students who chased him as he left Thursday's assembly.

His film credits include ``The Principal,'' ``Crimson Tide'' and ``American Me,'' in addition to dozens of commercials and roles in various television series.

As Vargas moves on to direct his first movie, titled ``Road Dogz,'' he also harbors the dream of one day opening a youth center in Pacoima. The center would offer acting classes for kids like 10-year-old Edith Gutierrez, who said someday she'll become an actor like Vargas.

``I think it was a great speech for us because we might have some dreams and they might come true like Jacob's dreams did,'' said Gutierrez, a native of Pacoima.

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos

PHOTO (1 -- color) Actor Jacob Vargas signs autographs for students at Vaughn Next Century Learning Center, his alma mater, on Thursday.

(2) Silvia Anguiano, 11, waits to take a snapshot of actor Jacob Vargas as he makes a motivational appearance at a San Fernando school.

(3) Teacher Ed Reiter, left, gets a visit from an old student made good, actor Jacob Vargas, at Vaughn Next Century Learning Center in San Fernando on Thursday.

Andy Holzman/Special to the Daily News

(4 -- color) Jacob Vargas