Eugenio Derbez Talks ‘Radical’ and Latin Representation in Hollywood Ahead of Receiving Variety’s Legends and Groundbreakers Award
variety.comClayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Mexican actor/director/writer/ producer Eugenio Derbez “can do anything.” That’s what Ben Odell, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Derbez’s production company, 3Pas, believes. “The roles he’s been offered to date are the comedy relief guy,” Odell tells Variety. “The best of Hollywood is the big spectacle movies.
Anyone who comes here wants to play in that big sandbox. Let’s see [Derbez] as the ‘bad guy’ in a Marvel movie. It’ll be fun, but he’ll bring that humanity and be scary as shit.” First, audiences will get to see Derbez — who celebrates the 10th anniversary of groundbreaking comedy “Instructions Not Included” this year — tackle drama in “Radical,” which debuted at Sundance and won the Audience Award. “Radical” follows the true story of Mexican schoolteacher Sergio Juárez Correa, who uses immersive teaching techniques in a border town with failing test scores to inspire his students. “Radical,” written and directed by Chris Zalla, and produced by Derbez and Odell, will be released Nov.
3 in the U.S. via Paul Presburger and Edward Allen’s Miercoles Entertainment. It is a Participant, Pantelion Films and 3Pas Studios production.
The film has also sold to the U.K., Germany, New Zealand and Australia. Derbez has been bringing stories to English and Spanish-speaking audiences for decades.
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