Eugenio Derbez

There are two worlds here in the U.S., especially here in Los Angeles. All the Latinos have watched my shows for 30 years, but Americans haven't seen them. So I am living in this world where I am a huge star for part of the population and a nobody to the other part. ”

I have way more freedom in Los Angeles and in the U.S. But it's funny because when I have a meeting with producers or people from the industry, we go to a restaurant to meet someone, and nobody knows me. But all of the sudden, the entire kitchen comes out, and they start taking pictures with me, or at valet parking. ”

Executives in Hollywood are missing a lot because they don't want to watch other cultures. ”

Drama is more universal. We all cry about the same stuff. But comedy is very specific: It depends on where you were born, how old you are, your social-economic status. It's very complicated to make people laugh. ”

It's not easy to direct in another language, especially comedy. ”

I wanted to be a dramatic actor. I never realized I was funny until I was 20-something. ”

To try to crack into Hollywood, it's a dream come true. ”

When I started coming to the U.S., they were offering me only the typical stereotypical roles: the druggard, the criminal, the gang member, or in the best-case scenario, the gardener or the cook. I was fed up with all these roles that were always the same. And I promised I would try to change the image of Latinos in Hollywood. ”

In Mexico and Latin America, everything is big: Bigger emotions, bigger reactions. Here in the U.S., everything is more natural, more grounded and down to earth. ”

Instead of being with my family, I was spending a lot of time trying to start all over again, from zero, in another country. I couldn't take it anymore, so I went back to Mexico and said, 'I'm gonna do my own stuff.' So, I did my movie that I was trying to do for many, many years, called 'Instructions Not Included.' ”