This is Latino USA, the radio journal of News and Courture Latino US. Latin Latino USA. I'm Maria Inojosa. We bring you stories that are underreported but that mattered to you, overlooked by the wrest of the media. And while the country is struggling to deal with these, we listen to the stories of Black and Latino Studio United Latino Front, a cultural renaissance organizing at the forefront of the movement. I'm Maria Ino Jossa.
Every time they need a gang member, called Latino a narco, color Latino, an abuser, a murder an abuser, called Latino.
A poor, downtrodden immigrant, refugee color.
Latino, and we were more than that, and I was always fighting for that. I promise myself if I am able one day to produce my own movies in the US, I'm going to try to change that narrative.
Futuro Media and PRX, It's Latino USA. I'm Maria no Josa. Today, Mexican actor and comedian Ehango Derves gets serious. Ellego Derves is one of the most famous Mexican artists and comedians of our generation. And though we do not like to do comparisons. In case there's someone who knows nothing about Ilheingo der Revez, he would be the equivalent of Steve Martin, for example, unable to walk down the streets of Mexico City without getting recognized. He is an actor, a writer,
a director, and a producer. He got his start at the forefront of many comedy series that have made families laugh for decades on television. Some of them include Alderecho, Ijlderves, Dereves and Guando and La Familia Pluce. You can still catch some of Oheno's shows on reruns today. Ilhenho isn't only famous in Mexico, though, he's a well known name across Latin America and in many Spanish speaking households. Right here in the US. You have been talking reorder.
I'm a big fan and I like its range and the grow that he has done since he first started.
He's making Mexico proud.
Either Mexico Latin America. That's right. You might recognize Derbase as the voice of Donkey in the Spanish language version of the Shrek movies. He wrote his own jokes for the role, and some say his version is even better than the original English version.
Oh Wowesta.
In recent Yearshino has reinvented himself in the US, a process that was not easy. While he was a mega star in Mexico, he was just some guy name named Ilho in Hollywood and in the United States. So he sees the opportunity to completely transform his career by becoming a dramatic actor. A big opportunity came knocking with the movie Coda. He played the supporting role of a music teacher.
Do you have something to say? I think so good, then I'll see you in class Bob.
Coda went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture in twenty twenty two. Now, Elhango Dedabase has returned to Mexico to star in Radcal, his first leading dramatic role. In the movie. Again, he plays the role of a teacher. His name is Serchio and one of his students is Baloma Nojola, a brilliant student with a lot of potential. This time the film is based on a true story. Here now is my conversation with Ilhango de Bas. We talk about his work, his drive, and how he keeps
his feet on the ground. I'm really happy that you're here, Iheno.
It's so very happy to finally meet in person.
So Eheno, we interviewed you in twenty thirteen, in twenty seventeen, and now you're back again, So that doesn't happen a lot on Latino USA. I was thinking about this. You're an artist that I respect.
I got to says Maria Calinda. Thank you very much for your kind words.
Thank you.
One of the things that we're going to talk about in this interview is the notion of reinvention.
Yeah.
Absolutely, I wanted to talk to you a little bit going back to your twenty seventeen interview where you talked about leaving Dololokitini is behind in Mexico, all of the fame. You cannot walk down a street in Mexico without being mobbed.
Now that you have a little bit of distance, right the time that you left Mexico to move to Hollywood, the successes that you've had, But can you go back to those first day where you were like me boy, and I'm gonna move to la and start all over again, Like do you remember those emotions?
Absolutely?
It was hard to process because back then, every time I was traveling to the US for a meeting with an executive producer, for example, in Hollywood, and you know, at the airport they were like, mister, the rest here there and a whole antourage around me, paparazzis blah blah blah. And then as soon as I landed in la it was just me carrying my luggage asking for a taxi, you know, then arriving to the producer's offices and they don't even know how to write my name or pronounce it.
They were like, what can you write it down and then sit down, wait, and they kept me waiting there for half an hour. But that helped me a lot to understand that a tira, which your feet on the ground, my fee in the ground. Because I was aware that I was not more than anyone else that in one country, I was trendy, super famous, famous, and then the other one, it's just a human being, that's it. So it was really hard for me to process that. But at the same time it was very I enjoyed it a lot.
It was like living these two worlds sometimes in the same day. So it was a very curious experience.
One of the things that has happened in your time here in the United States, because it's been what a decade now A decade now, Okay, So when you move to the United States, you're breaking out of the comedic box and you're doing work that is increasingly more serious. Right, So what you do is that when you move to the United States, you form your own production company. It's called Trespassos three pas three pass no medias, three pussy. I'm really getting schooled by you, man, I wear pus.
Oh my god, you guys. So it's t R three pas.
Three in English and then pass true And because it's bilingual company, we decided to do that and three puss.
It's guts because.
Every important decision that you're make in your life is with your guts, with your three passes.
Oh my god, is that cool? So part of your ethos right of actually trusting your gut, is that you say yes to playing the role of Bernardo Bielovos in Coda, about a community that is set aside the deaf community.
Yeah.
Do you know what Bowis said about up Dylan a voice like sand and glue.
There are plenty of pretty voices with nothing to say. Do you have something to say?
Then?
In twenty twenty two, Coda wins the Oscar for Best picture an extraordinary moment, so oh yeaheno when you're just like, oh my god, I'm on the stage at the Oscars, what was that moment? Like?
It was the most unbliable thing ever in my entire life. I mean, first of all, he didn't expect it at all.
And I swear, and let me tell you why. It's easy.
We were a small independent movie, but you know, not big commercial Hollywood names, and the other movies were full of them, like Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence. The other one was like Meryl Strip, another one that al Pacino, another one Adam Driver, Lady Gaga. I mean, we were against the biggest Hollywood actors ever.
So I was.
Completely sure, completely sure, we're not gonna be able to win anything.
I mean, there was a part of you that was like, oh my god, wouldn't it be cool if that happened, But it's never gonna happen.
But I was, I swear, I'm not kidding. I was one hundred percent sure that was not gonna happen. So I was actually enjoying. You know, when you were in a show and you're always nervous, ah, what if this, what if that?
I was completely relaxed.
It's never gonna happen.
It's never gonna happen.
So and all of a sudden when they said and the winner is coda, I don't even remember what happened there.
It's like blurred in my mind.
I just remember that I'm on stage already with them, and remembering that. Since I was eight years old, every single year, I was always watching the Oscars with my mom, and I was always dreaming. I was always telling my mom, I want to do that. I want to be a storyteller.
Aiki Lindo. So you didn't say I want to be famous.
No, no, no no.
In Espanol, mama yokiro de di came yokio, contaristorias, kumoras, pelliculas in Hollywood, in.
Because so many people are just like I want to be on the stage because I want to be famous.
No, no, no, it was it was not about fame. It was about movies. I loved going to the movie theaters and my mom and I were every single week and we went to see at least two or even for a day.
To Maria, like.
What movie theater would you go to?
In Mexico City, there were multi cinemas and they were like, the schedule was already like four, six, eight ten, so something. My mama was like, let's do four pm, this one, six, this other one, eight and ten. So what I felt every time I was in the movie theater, I was moved by every story that I watched, and that made me fell in love with cinema. And that's when I told my mom, especially when I was watching the Oscars and I was like, Mom, I want to be one of these guys. I want to be one day an
actor or a director. And my mom was really really kind. She never said nah, but she was like I know, my love, but it's it's really hard.
It's a lot of competition there. It's complicated.
If you want, you need to be well prepared and you have to go to the US and take.
A She was like giving you a serious answer. If you want to do it, you're going to have to do exactly.
And many many years later, I was on that stage. So when I was standing up on the stage and the Oscar goes to okay, coda, there was a moment that I looked copular.
I remember because I was connecting with my mom.
I was like, mom, here it was like, mamay and here I am many many years later, and I was like trying to go all the way back to that small apartment in Mexico City.
It was very, very touching.
What a beautiful story. And it's interesting that you bring up your mom, who obviously had a big influence on you. In relation to Coda, there were many things I loved about the film. Focusing on the deaf community and then just making them part of the mainstream is just such a something really beautiful to watch. But what I loved about Coda was that you were not You were not El Mexicano, you know, the funny guy, the purposely thick accent.
You were an actor playing the role of the teacher. Right. That's how I remember you, is playing the role of the teacher, having this beautiful, this beautiful back narrative. And I'm wondering about that decision to say yes to a role where you were like not going to be able to fall back on the comedic tradition. This was serious acting for you.
It was very challenging and I knew it was a risk.
But at the same time, those kind of roles were never offered to me when I was in Mexico.
Yeah, in Mexico.
There was a time where I wanted to be also a dramatic actor or start doing movies and things with more depth, things that would be more serious, and they never gave me a chance to do something like that. They were like always telling me, as you know, people are going to laugh they see you, you're going to
ruin the movie. They were really really really straightforward when they were telling me why and they were like, no, you know, this is a very dramatic movie and if they see you on screen, they will immediately think that you were a comedian, or they're gonna remember your characters.
Whatever. So they never gave me a chance.
And in the US, when they were offering me a coda, for example, I knew that the director she was not aware of my background or my characters or my TV shows.
It was so refreshing because you.
Went into the audition just like.
As an actor, and because one of the producers told the director, this guy is really popular among Latinos, it would be great, it would be good to have a Latino in this story. What I loved about the character was that because you know, every time they need a gang member called Latino and narco color Latino.
An abuser, a murder, an abuser called Latina.
Who were downtrodden immigrant refugee.
Called Latino, and we were more than that. And I was always fighting for that. And I promise myself, if I am able one day to produce my own movies in the US, I'm going to try to change that narrative and portray Latinos in a different way. So when they offered me this role, I knew it was perfect for me because it was just a music teacher that happens to be Latino. And that's the way it should be. That's real diversity.
Yeah, because that's life in the United States exactly. I mean, we're Latinos are everywhere North Dakota, Alaska, Maine, Florida, Arkansas, everywhere.
Absolutely.
So immediately said yes to Koda, and so we made we adapted some tough to say that he was from Mexico, that he studied in mexicoh blah blah, and then he moved to the US. It was really a very important role to me because they were finally giving me a chance to be a dramatic actor and it was not about being Latino.
You know, people I know this happens to you, ill Henu, it happens to me right, you reach a certain level of visibility and because of social medi frankly, life can look great on social media, but actually it's really hard. Like you're having to go into an audition cold. You don't have to audition for anything in Mexico and here you're going into an audition where they're just like, yeah, try this guy out. People need to understand it's really hard. What does that hard part do for you? The fact
that it's like, oh, what is I mean? You know, your company is named Threepas. It's all about trusting your gut, but you know, the gut is also we can get wounded, we can get hit right in our gut.
Right constantly, constantly since I moved to this country, every single day I am doing things that make me feel uncomfortable in a good way. I mean, when I was in Mexico, I was the king in Televisa.
So here every.
Single day I'm like, oh my god, I have a meeting in Universal Studios or Paramounds or Sony and a lot of important executives and in English, and English is not my first language. As you can tell, it's complicated, so I'm always like full of fear. It has helped me to be more humble, honestly, and it makes me nervous. Of course, I prepare way more than when I was young, because I'm now in Hollywood.
It's the top of the line.
You know, there's nothing beyond that, so I need to be really prepared. I need to take sometimes acting lessons just for a casting. But on the other hand, that's the kind of things that keep me young, that keep me hungry, that make me feel like when I was I don't know, seventeen eighteen years old, and I was studying my life and fighting for credibility, a teenager fighting for a place in the world.
Coming up on Latino USA, we continue our conversation with Mexican actor and producer a Hano that is and talk about the challenges of taking on a lead role in a dramatic movie. Stay with us, not yes, Hey, we're back. We're going to continue chatting with Eheno Verbees. We're talking about his transition from comedy star in Mexico and Latin America to his most recent work, a dramatic lead role
in his own movie Radical. It's the true story of a teacher in Matamoros, a Mexican border city, who tries to support his students in an underserved community. All right, let's jump back to our conversation. So you decide to fight again in an interesting way because you know, after you win the Oscar again, the doors now are more open, just more open. Somebody could have thought, well, Eheno is now going to do a fully English language film, very mainstream,
you know, because he's fully mainstream now. Instead, you released at the end of twenty twenty three radcal or Radical. You make this fully spent language with subtitles. It did win the Festival Favorite Award at the twenty twenty three Sundance Film Festival. That was huge, and we decided that we wanted to have you describe what Radical is about. So what's the plot, what's the storyline? It's based on a true story.
The Wired magazine in the US named a twelve year old kid the next Steve Jobs. And this is the story of a girl that was born in the trash that wants to become an astronaut and that she has the potential to get there. And then I learned that there was a teacher behind this girl and many other things. So I remember I was in twenty twelve living in Mexico. Back then, I was watching the news and everyone was talking about that.
It was a big moment.
It was a big It was a big moment in Mexico.
Wiredespecialnologia a persona in particular Como Lasso says so.
Postive jobs, and I was shocked.
I mean, how come this twelve year old girl from a small public school in Matamora was now named the next step Jobs? But they didn't tell a lot about the story, about the background of Paloma. So a few years later, when I moved already to the US, the journalist who wrote the original article came to us and he offered the rights for the movie, and I immediately say yes, let's do it. I said, this is the
kind of stories I need to tell. First because it's interesting, Second because I know this is going to be universal. This story could happen in any part of the world and you're going to feel identified. And also because it was the kind of movies that I want to tell in my company. Movies were Even though it's a raw, very raw and tough movie, you can see also people
like Sei Ho, the teacher or Paloma the student. There are good people, good Mexicans, and I was tired of watching the news and just watching the faces of the narcos or the criminals or the gang members.
And we're more than that.
So it's time to put the spotlight on the good people too.
The interesting thing is for you in this movie is that there's nothing between Eheno Derbz and the audience. We don't see you actually in any comedic form. We don't see you wearing any kind of interesting get up or look at all. It's very, as you said, raw, And it's kind of like again this time because it's not in somebody else's film, it's your film. It's the comedic megastar who is really choosing to be quite serious. So can you tell us a little bit about that very
particular decision. Again, of the United States is a place where you've had to keep yourself grounded. But what about this notion about you, the comedic megastarre really saying I'm gonna be serious. I'm taking it yet another step further than coda. Right. Absolutely, it's intentional.
It's completely intentional, and it was actually this is my first dramatic role starring in a movie, because I've done a little bit, but not much, but some dramatic roles in other movies. But it's just like Coda probably was the biggest role I've got.
But I was part of the ensemble cast, right, this is you.
This is me just starring in a dramatic moviecause st Loco.
Let's that's what youngle that.
So look, I'm okay, you see see what.
Probably two days before you start shooting, I was having second thoughts. I got cold feet. I was like, what am I doing here? People are going to criticize me. They're gonna say, what what is he doing here?
Hello?
He should go back to his characters exactly, all that stuff that I was like, Oh my god.
I was so nervous. I thought it was a mistake.
Probably I thought that I should just produce it but not be an actor in it. So I was panicked, honestly, especially because the director, Christopher Sala, who's been all around the world, he was not aware of Mexico and how they perceive my image there, and so I was constantly fighting with him, like Chris, you don't know people. They know me really well, so I don't want them to see hen you at a bese on screen, I want
them to see the character. So I was fighting to put something in my face, like a different hairdle or glasses or something, and he was like, no, I want you just like that. Yeah, And I felt so insecure. I remember that I was talking to my business partner and because he was like, if you want, you can talk as a producer and say no, there's away and do whatever you want. I didn't want to because I was like, I've been there and I don't want to
be the respectful with the director. So now I'm talking as an actor and I don't feel comfortable, but I need to obey my director.
And probably he was right.
He was right, he was right.
And now it's probably one of the most beautiful compliments that I've been reading constantly and social media that they say, I didn't see Anulaves in that character. I forgot that it Wasves and for me that it was one of the best compliments I've got in my career.
So this notion of wanting to do stories based on real life, right, because you also did the twenty sixteen film Miracles from Heaven. But there's again, it is a quite serious decision. For you. I want to do stories that are gritty, very much about gannas also three pass guts, desire, being hungry, and based on real life. And why is that.
I love stories that are based in real life For some reason me as an audience, I love those kind of stories because I feel they have an extra ingredient that makes you realize that even if it's something that it's incredible, you know that it happened and it immediately has a bigger value for me.
And it's a beautiful true story. And that's what I love that.
I'm always thinking that there are still good people that can make great changes in the world.
So the story is about said here the teacher who is working with Baaloma. It's a lot about, you know, breaking what's happening in failed educational systems. When we were prepping the interviews, it's not a failed public educational system just in Mexico. No, it's a failed public education system in the United States. Even though the Secretary of Education now Miguel Gardona, you know, talks about bilingual as a superpower.
It's a big change, but it's in general in this country, they're trying to not teach history right, like literally literally change it. So when can you give us a quick update on what's happened in all of the time since Baloma was written about and said he was the teacher, Like, what's the quick update and what do you want people to take away?
Well, there are a lot of messages here.
First of all, let me tell you what's going on with the real Paloma and the real Serhiu. The real Paloma. Usually in that kind of environment in those schools, kids they don't even finish elementary school. When we were talking to say, one of the worst problems in the school that he was teaching, it was that kids quit in the middle of the year because they have to work, because they have to take care of their families, their
little brothers, so mom or dad can go work. Some of them end up in crime, you know, working for the criminal organizado. They're not so it's unthinkable that someone would go all the way up to high school forget about college. Well, Paloma, she's like two or three months away of finishing college nowadays. She wanted to be an astronaut, but she ended up in law school because she felt that she would be more helpful to her community by being a lawyer and right now, she's about to finish
college as a lawyer. The teacher when I was shooting the movie and he came to visit, I asked him, where are you now and he said, I'm still in the same school, teaching the same grade. And I was like, but why, and he said, after the magazine came out, a lot of people approached me, especially private schools, and they offered me amazing opportunities, a great salary. It's in a much better place, with a lot of equipment and computers, et cetera. And I felt that I was betraying my
kids by leaving to a better place. So I decided to stay in the same school, in the same grade because I feel that here is where they need me more.
That isn't that beautiful the lessons we learn from the people that we need. You know, as a journalist, when people ask me like, oh, what famous person, It's like, no, Actually, the people who inspire me the most are the people. They are just out there doing their thing exactly, whether as artists or as teachers, or as people defending their community. Now it is impressionante, I know. If you look at humanity from the possibility as opposed to humanity as a threat, right,
because you are of these two worlds. Are you hopeful about the United States? Are you hopeful about Mexico. It's an election year in the United States, it's an election year in Mexico. Like, are you feeling hopeful or not?
Oh, that's a great question.
Not much, honestly, why Because I remember years ago we were all excited about some candidates and there will always differences, and you want to, oh, I'll go right or left, or black or white. But nowadays in both countries, you don't see like something that you like, you know what I mean. It's not like, oh, I would like this person to be or president in this country or in this other country. I feel that it's like always the same thing. There's not a new air or a big change,
and that makes me a little bit concerned. I would like to have another option, you know, so we can at least have something different. But nowadays it feels like everything is the same. And I love both countries because I was born in Mexico, but now I live in the US and I love the US too, and I'm worried about both countries.
Honestly.
All right, Well, we're gonna switch Channa Lists. Let's talk about dreams. One of the things that I do. I'm a professor at Barnard College, my alma mater, and I start all of my classes I ask my students, what's your craziest, wildest dream, Like I want to be an astronaut. So right now, do you have a crazy, wild dream that you're like that you're prepared to say?
God?
For many many years, it was winning an Oscar, But now I feel that it's more about telling stories that could change the world more than winning an award. Sometimes there are movies that are amazing that they didn't made it to the Oscars, and sometimes there are movies that won an Oscar and they're not that good. Probably, So now I'm part now of a movie that won on Oscar. That makes me happy. I'm probably still I would like to have one by myself. Probably that would be my
wildest dream. But also make a movie that can make a difference. And that said, I probably feel that radical is one of them. So I feel that radical can make a lot of huge changes in the world. We are already talking to politicians in Mexico and in the US, and my hope is that we can start a conversation about a new way of teaching kids, and I hope they can approach to Cerciu, the teacher in Radical, to see if we can reply his model in other schools.
That would be for me one of a dream come true. Definitely the best.
It has been so much fun talking to you, which I get to ask us then we want to come and visit Latino Usa. We love having you on the show and continue success.
Thank you very much, Love you.
This episode was produced by Gini Montalbo and Glori mar Marquez. It was edited by Marta Martinez and mixed by Julia Caruso. The Latino USA team also includes Victori Estrada, re Renardo Lanos Junior, Andrea Lopez Rusado, Mike Sargent, Nor Saudi, and Nancy Trujuio. Benile Ramirez is our co executive producer. Our director of Engineering is Stephanie Lebau, additional engineering support by Gabriel Lebias and JJ Carubin. Our marketing manager is Luis Luna.
Our theme music was composed by Zane Roinos, I'm your host and executive producer Marianno Posa. Join us again on our next episode and in the meantime, look for us on social media and remember always and forever not Bayes. Bye.
Latino USA is made possible in part by the Ford Foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide, the John D. And Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and Agnes Gund