Will Smith's slap in the face of Chris Rock on Oscar night overshadowed a lot.

One of the most important was the great triumph of CODA

in Hollywood night

How a tiny movie with a budget of only 10 million dollars, released on a

platform , prevailed over the giants of the industry.

That Sunday, the idea of ​​​​conquering the most longed-for statuette of the night, that of Best Film, did not even cross the minds of its protagonists.

“Being nominated was already an award, how were we going to compete with

,

or

and the best actors in Hollywood?

I felt that I had no chance, ”says Eugenio Derbez (Mexico, 60 years old), the actor who plays the music teacher who inspires the daughter of the deaf to sing, a key role in Apple's great bet.

"It was such a low-budget movie that I had to put on my wardrobe," says Derbez, whose flashy, modern-style clothes stand in contrast to the working-class Massachusetts community where the story takes place.

The role is rare for Latinos trying their luck in Hollywood, an adventure the successful comedian began more than a decade ago.

“I have always tried to change the perception of Latinos here.

It bothered me that the only thing they offered me was roles as a narco, a gang member, a murderer.

At best he was a gardener or cook.

I avoided it for a long time, ”he assures.

Over the years, Derbez has become one of the most identifiable Latino faces in an industry where only 5% of the roles are for Hispanics.

Apple bought

for $25 million after seeing it at Sundance.

The amount became an excess even for Netflix, a company always generous with the portfolio to acquire new content.

This was the exception, as he refused to negotiate until the price dropped to a reasonable number (the estimate was 18 million).

The bet has more than paid for the technology company, which has achieved what Netflix has not, the Oscar for Best Picture.

That success has also drawn a line for Derbez in his career.

"It has changed my life.

They are offering me dramatic roles and that would never have happened in Mexico.

That for me is starting a new career at my age.

It's a breath of fresh air,” says Derbez, son of the actress from the golden age of Mexican cinema, Silvia Derbez.

Three of Eugenio's children have followed in his footsteps in film and television,

Derbez says he is surprised by the political weight that his words have acquired in recent years.

He describes two recent episodes as absurd.

The first was in April 2020, when the pandemic began to emerge in Mexico.

The comedian went to social networks to request masks and medical supplies for a public hospital in Tijuana.

"The IMSS denied it because they did not want to be exhibited, they wanted to pass it off as

, but it was not because it was in contact with the doctors at the hospital," he says.

The second was last month, when Derbez appeared in a choral video with artists who denounced the devastation in the jungle left by the construction of the Mayan Train, one of the priority projects of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

He called the actor a "supposed environmentalist" and compared him to the "corrupt conservatives" who oppose him.

These statements were followed by several criticisms in the networks of supporters of the Administration.

“Never in my career had a government attacked me like this.

And that speaks sadly of the lack of freedom of expression in the country.

It happens with journalists.

I am a simple comedian who gives his opinion or who tries to help a cause and they crucify me, ”says the actor, who says that his opinions have had consequences.

“I am banned from a television station,

on my own television station [Televisa], which was once my home, for having talked about the Mayan Train.

Is strong".

On Friday, Emilio Azcárraga, president of the board of directors of Televisa, rejected that there is a veto.

“You and I both know that the real reason is that you are angry because you want us to give you our copyrights.

”, the businessman wrote on Twitter, referring to a popular comedy series that Derbez made between 2002 and 2012.

Stereotypes in Hollywood

Always luckier with the box office than with the critics, Derbez embarks on a new journey that forces him to turn his back on his code in Hollywood.

This Friday he premiered

on Hulu, the streaming service of the ABC network, owned by Disney.

The film is a version of the 2006 French hit

, by Francis Veber.

In the adaptation, Derbez plays a valet who must appear to be in a relationship with a movie star involved with a married man in order to avoid a public relations scandal.

Derbez had rejected stereotypical roles for Hispanic migrants in the United States.

There was an important reason that led to saying yes to this project: Donald Trump.

Although the script began to develop during the presidency of Barack Obama, the racist and xenophobic rhetoric of the former Republican president forced the team to modify the route.

“We had to change the script saying: this has to be a tribute to Latinos.

The society of this country leaves their buildings every morning and the floors are clean, the cars at the door, they stop at a restaurant and the breakfast is hot.

All of this is because of Latinos who are behind doors, in a kitchen, hiding in janitorial closets.

It is a working class that is invisible.

They only notice them when they're missing," says Derbez, who also serves as producer.

El valet

(

in Spain) was made by 3Pas, the production company that Derbez has with Ben Odell, a former executive at Pantelion, a company that has long experience with Latino audiences in the United States.

The company was named like this in a play on words that reveals "that we make all the decisions with our guts," confesses Derbez.

The union between Odell and the Mexican comedian was a natural step and focuses on the public in Mexico and the United States.

directed by Derbez, remains one of the biggest Spanish-language hits at the US box office, grossing more than $100 million.

In addition to the aforementioned tape, 3pas has filmed

and

.

The three tapes add revenues of 250 million dollars despite having cost only 35 million to produce.

“In Hollywood the money rules.

It doesn't matter if you're talented or not, the important thing is that you put money into the box office,” says Derbez proudly, who bases his success on a large base of Latinos who grew up watching him on television comedies produced by Televisa.

to the test

, which will not be exhibited in theaters.

This takes away opportunities for the veteran comedian to once again endorse his star quality in ticket sales.

"I trust that he breaks records on Hulu to attract Latinos," says the king of the Derbez factory.

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