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Jorge Cervera is the Cal Ripken of Latino actors. Since coming to the United States from Mexico more than 30 years ago, he's had thousands of roles in hundreds of movies. In that time, the ebb and flow of public taste has changed the kind of movies we see on the silver screen. Jorge Cervera believes, however, that Latinos still have not made enough inroads into the entertainment industry. To change that, Julio y Su Angel is Cervera's attempt to create more opportunities for Latino actors, and to put onto film the vibrancy of the Mexican culture.
Adolfo Guzman Lopez: How did the idea for Julio y Su Angel come about?
Jorge Cervera: It came from a story and screenplay my wife wrote. After working as an actor for close to 30 years, I complained that Hollywood always sees us as stereotypes. Very seldom do they give us human characteristics. They always portray us as bandits, drug dealers, prostitutes and maids. It's never a human being with normal feelings. After working so long in the movies, my wife and I decided to make a movie that was family oriented, and that people could take their grandchildren and grandparents to. A movie with a message and with our traditions. That is so important to preserve for our children.
Adolfo Guzman Lopez: Julio y Su Angel deals with gritty topics such as child abuse. Why did you decide to deal with these topics in a less harsh manner?
Jorge Cervera: We didn't want to make a documentary of what's happening in society and in Mexico. Instead we wanted to make a film that would entertain and at the same time touch on those problems and tell mainly the children, that death is important. It shouldn't be trivialized like in American action films. But this isn't just a film for children; it entertains everyone.
Adolfo Guzman Lopez: Why did you make the transition from actor to director?
Jorge Cervera: Mainly because there were no movies in Mexico or in Hollywood that would deal with Latinos as human beings. It was also important to have the Latino voice behind the camera as well as in front of the camera. We always talk about giving our children role models, but we seldom do it. When I go out and talk to community groups and schools, everyone gets excited that I'm Mexican and that this is my first movie. I try to communicate to them that if I can do it, they can do it.
Adolfo Guzman Lopez: What has changed from the time you came to the U.S. to be an actor to now?
Jorge Cervera: Very little. The opportunities are small and far between and the stereotypes are the same. I turn jobs down all the time because I made my mind up many years ago that if I play a stereotypical character, there has to be a payoff. For example, if I play a drug dealer, I don't want to glorify it. I would only play that kind of character if he was punished. Movies influence people, in spite of what Hollywood says that it's only entertainment, that movies don't influence people. Movies do teach people. When I was young they taught me how to smoke, because all the big movie stars were doing it. Now it's gone farther. Even kids in high school walk around with guns because they've seen them on television and in the movies so often, that they feel it's O.K. Hollywood has to take responsibility for this. I ultimately felt a sense of responsibility towards my children and grandchildren, a sense that I should do something to change the situation.
Adolfo Guzman Lopez: What do you tell this new crop of Latino actors coming to Hollywood?
Jorge Cervera: I tell them that they have to make acting a life-long pursuit. You can't say that you're going to be an actor for five or six years and then retire. I feel acting is a lifetime commitment and you have to be prepared. Unfortunately it's a catch-22, because you can't get work without experience, but you can't get experience without work. The opportunities are nil. For example, in a year like 1997 I checked with my agent and let me tell you, it's less than .001 percent of all the jobs that are out there in the entertainment industry. Every time there's a prominent role with some value, they cast an American or an Englishman. They did this with the upcoming film, Mark of Zorro, I think the only Latino was Antonio Banderas, and he's Spanish. Also, they used some bit actors because they were filming in Mexico and this made it easier for them. In a way, I think it's our fault. Imagine if they did a film like The Perez Family where they didn't cast a single Latino in the film, and Latinos didn't go. The movie would bomb. But Latinos don't do it. We don't have that unity, that consciousness.
Adolfo Guzman Lopez: Mexico had a small renaissance of art films in the early '90s, such as Cabeza de Vaca and La Mujer de Benjamin. Where does that stand now?
Jorge Cervera: Now with the economic problems, production is at a stand still. More importantly though, there has to be some sort of unity, both in Mexico and the U.S. of people who want to see their culture and their people in films. A long time ago there was an organization; it still exists but it's not the same, called NOSOTROS. Ricardo Montalban started it. It was made up of all the Hispanics in Hollywood trying to get ahead, trying to improve opportunities. It disintegrated because people blamed each other for promoting themselves, and not the cause. To understand this, we have to go back to the conquest and see how four hundred Spaniards conquered millions of natives, divide and conquer. We are divided. It's horrible because if we don't unite, who's going to help us? I had a dream and I made it happen. Now it's up to audiences to help get more films like this made.
This interview was originally published in the 1998 festival program of the San Diego Latino Film Festival.
For more information regarding these articles and/or to submit an article yourself,
please contact Ethan van Thillo at sdlff@sdlatinofilm.com
San Diego Latino Film Festival,
c/o Media Arts Center San Diego,
2039 29th Street,
San Diego, CA 92104
TEL: 619.230.1938, FAX: 619.234.9722,
sdlff@sdlatinofilm.com, www.sdlatinofilm.com
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