Mexican actor-director Eugenio Derbez took Hollywood by surprise last year with his hit comedy Instructions Not Included, which grossed over $44 million at the box office, making it the number one Spanish-speaking movie in the U.S. In celebration of its DVD release this week, we talked with Derbez about his newfound road to fame, creating SNL Mexico, working with Guillermo del Toro and how he feels about being compared to Tyler Perry.
Here are a few highlights:
On how Instructions Not Included changed his life: It changed my career. It changed my life. I was really surprised with the success of this film. I never expected it at all. We already broke a lot of records, we became the number one Spanish-speaking film in the U.S. and it's opening a lot of doors for me. I was supposed to be on vacation right now but it's impossible at this point. I'll have to reschedule my vacation for next year, maybe. I have to take advantage of all the work that's coming my way. I'm just focusing on reading scripts, reviewing offers and trying to make the best decision for my next movie.
On what fans can find on the DVD: You can find a lot of great extras: behind-the-scenes footage, the making of, cast interviews on how we executed the film and dealt with challenges and new stuff that people will really enjoy. There's a lot of funny anecdotes, but for some reason we didn’t have that many bloopers.
On his relationship with Guillermo del Toro: He invited me to be a part of his next project The Book of Life but we haven’t been able to have a deep conversation. I would like to share with him some thoughts and experiences. I heard from a mutual friend that he was really happy with [my film]. I don’t know if I should believe him. But he said that he was happy that Instructions beat out Pan's Labyrinth. I know Guillermo is a good human being so I think he's honestly happy and proud.
On the recent comparisons to Tyler Perry: Well, a lot of people have told me, "You could be the next Tyler Perry" but I don’t think so. I'll tell you why. I started doing my films for Latinos but I don’t work for Latinos. I work for everyone. The difference with Tyler Perry is that he just works for his audience and I don’t want that. I want to do films that can relate to any ethnicity. I want to tell universal stories and not just Latino stories.
On the challenges of creating SNL Mexico: It's been a long time in the making, mostly because of my work schedule. We shot the pilot at the end of November. I'm a bit nervous and excited at the same, but that's part of showbiz. I love it. I would love for SNL Mexico to have the same format as the American SNL. I want it to be edgy and risky but I think it's going to be an issue in Mexico. In Mexico we're not used to playing with our president or our flag or our religion. It's going to be an issue that I'll have to face. I hope that I don’t get into trouble but I'll fight until the end. If the government or the church doesn’t agree with how we play with certain topics, we're not going to do SNL Mexico. It's just not worth it. If they don’t let us do it the right way then we are not going to do it.
On what he hopes for 2014: I have a wish. I have been wishing for this for a long time. I would really like to have more time. Time is the most precious treasure. I need time. I need it to spend time with my family and friends. I'm always rushing from here to there and I hope this year I can keep my goal of finding some time for me and my family. I know it's hard because I never expected all the success that came with this film and its making things more complicated than I thought.
A shout out to fans: I just want to say thank you to my fans. They were the ones who broke records, and who filled the theater seats. I just created a film with a lot of love. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Related: How Funnyman Eugenio Derbez Twitter-casted 'Instructions Not Included'
