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Eugenio Derbez, the Latin American star who has made generations laugh in comedic roles, is now tugging at the heartstrings of audiences worldwide.
“Look, I’ve been dreaming ofthe Oscars, and at least being part ofthe Oscarsin a certain way, for so many, many years that I want to have high expectations,” he tells PEOPLE of the awards buzz surrounding the film. “Of course, I think this movie has a lot of potential because it’s inclusive, it’s interesting. It’s a new story. You haven’t heard about these kinds of stories.”
“It has everything. It has comedy, it has heart, it has drama. It has everything,” he continues. “So I think it’s perfect for the award season. But I don’t want to think about it too much.”
While Derbez is a superstar in Mexico with shows likeLa Familia P. LucheandXHDRbZ, the actor says he’s “never been in a nominated film” prior to hisSAG Awardsrecognition.
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For Derbez, the dream of one day having a film at the Academy Awards has been a lifelong one.
“When I was little, I was always, every year, sitting with my mom watchingthe Oscars,” he recalls. “Every weekend we went to the movies to see two or three movies a day. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So I was in love with movies and I always told my mom, ‘I want to go to Hollywood. I want to conquer Hollywood.’ My mom was like, ‘Be careful. Don’t dream that much. I don’t want you to be disappointed. Be prepared for anything.'”
“So basically I dreamed with Hollywood, but then I forgot about my dreams for many, many years, until I was 45, something like that, when I remembered that I had a dream,” he continues. " I would say to myself, ‘Don’t forget about your dreams. You have to work, you have to do stuff.’ Life takes you on other paths and you forget about your dreams. But it’s never too late to go back and remember what you wanted and quit everything and fight for your dreams. That’s what I did. I was 52 years old when I started all over again in this country. 52 when I decided to finish with everything and to start all over again. So it’s never too late."
Derbez’s next project, a film namedLotería, honors his Mexican roots with hisDora and the Lost City of Golddirector James Bobin writing the script.
“It’s going to be like a LatinJumanji,” he said. “We had the opportunity to buy the rights ofLotería. I was like, ‘Wait.Dora, adventure, action. What if we hired James Bobin to directLotería, and Roberto Orci, then it’s also Mexican in a certain way? It would be an amazing Mexican-American action movie.’ We got together, we planned everything, and they’re writing a script right now.”
The Screen Actors Guild Awards will air live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, February 27 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.
source: people.com
