A couple of weeks ago, I sat down with Spanish actor Oscar Jaenada who stars as Mario Moreno in Cantinflas and Mexican actress Ilse Salas.
The film is directed by Sebastián Del Amo and features a star-studded cast, such as Bárbara Mori, Ana Layevska, Adal Ramones, Gabriela de la Garza, Ximena Gónzalez-Rubio, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Joaquín Cosio and many more. It is the untold story of Mexico’s greatest and most beloved comedy film star of all time, from his humble origins on the small stage to the bright lights of Hollywood.
Cantinflas (Mario Moreno) was known as one of the greatest Mexican actors to ever live and was even recognized as the Charlie Chaplin of Mexico. The actor not only received a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but also won a Golden Globe.
This is the second time Jaenada fights for the role, since production fell thru the first time around. Watch as he tells me why it was important for him to play Mexico’s beloved comedian and how he feels about Mario Moreno being restricted as an artist because he couldn’t get out of the shadow of Cantinflas’ popularity.
In the film, Ilse Salas plays Mario Moreno’s wife and dyes her hair blonde for the role. Watch as she tells me how she felt about the color change and how she explains that there wasn’t much information about Mario Moreno’s wife in her research for the role.
CANTINFLAS hits movie theaters tomorrow, August 29th.
