Eugenio Derbez is a Latin lover and is bringing the stereotype to life in his new film with Salma Hayek called, How to Be a Latin Lover. The film is about an older playboy that is dumped by his wealthy wife and has to go out in the real world and get a job.
He sat down with Remezcla to talk about the Latin lover stereotype. “I was really curious about this cliché that everyone has in the US. Every time I wore a suit or a tuxedo, every single Anglo was like, ‘Oh, you look like a Latin lover!’ I thought it was funny and that we should do something with that,” he says. “I think the best way to break down a stereotype is to poke fun at it. I decided to make this movie to break down the stereotype of the Latin lover by making fun of the character. I think it’s very original.”
He’s been doing comedy for decades, so he knows a thing or two about using comedy to break down stereotypes. “I use comedy for everything. For me, comedy is like therapy. Every time I want to heal something or criticize something or get rid of an idea, I use comedy. In this case, it was no exception. I thought it was the best way to tell people that this is just a stereotype. Latinos are not afraid of laughing, shouting, yelling, dancing, touching, and hugging. We all kiss each other. I notice that when I’m here in the US and I meet someone and I go to kiss their cheek or get a hug, I can tell when people feel uncomfortable. They get stiff and it’s funny. But I like the way we are.”
Derbez says that Mexicans can take a joke and they don’t get offended easily. “It’s different because [Mexicans] are not that sensitive. I think in the US, at least before Mr. Trump, it was too much. I remember about two years ago, I went to a restaurant with some friends. All of us were Mexicans. We asked for some hot sauce. The waitress said, ‘It is kind of spicy.’ And we said, ‘Ah, it doesn’t matter! We’re Mexicans!’ And she was shocked. She was like, ‘You’re not offended by that word?!’ We were like, ‘What?! We’re Mexicans! That’s what we are!’ In Mexico, we don’t care. We don’t care about being politically correct. We’re more open. In the US, everyone is so conscious about not offending anyone.”