Eugenio Derbez Believes in Job Proposals, Not Job Applications

In the Apple TV+ series “Acapulco,” the middle-aged Maximo tells his nephew the story of his rise from poverty in Mexico to riches in Malibu, thanks to the job he took in his early 20s at a prestigious resort in Acapulco. The Maximo of the 1980s is played by Enrique Arrizon, while the Maximo with the mansion and the jet is played by Eugenio Derbez, long a major screen star in Mexico.

Unlike Maximo, Derbez says the pivotal moment in his career came not in his 20s, but in his 50s. He’d spent almost a decade trying to break into the U.S. film and TV market and had some success, landing roles in the Adam Sandler movie “Jack and Jill” and Rob Schneider’s short-lived CBS series “Rob.” But it didn’t create the momentum he’d hoped for, so he decided to return to Mexico to finally finish the script he’d been tinkering with: “Instructions Not Included,” about a man whose onetime lover hands him a daughter she claims is his.

Derbez was the co-writer, director and star of the Spanish-language film, and when it became an enormous hit, it “changed my life in every way.” The doors to Hollywood opened, he changed his mind about having a child with his wife (he already had three grown kids) and he moved to the United States. In the years since, he has made inroads with U.S. audiences, thanks to starring roles in films like “How to Be a Latin Lover,” a supporting role in the Academy Award-winning “CODA,” as well as the Spanish/English-language comedy “Acapulco.”

“I took a leap of faith, and nine years later here I am in the true prime of my career, working in another country, in another office, in another language, with a new home and a new production company,” he said in a recent video interview. “I’m happy to have taken a second chance in my life, even though I was 52.”

In the second season of “Acapulco,” which premieres on Oct. 21, the elder Maximo brings his nephew to the city where his story started. Here, Derbez revisits the Acapulco of his own youth, the movie that moved him into the business and breaks down the difference between Mexican and Marvel films. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

1. Acapulco, Mexico I spent my childhood summers in Acapulco and some of my best memories as a kid are from my time there. It’s where I learned to do things like the belly roll — where you move your stomach in and out in a wormlike motion. When I was 15, I had my very first trip with my girlfriend — parents included, by the way — to Acapulco. I have always had a strong connection to the beautiful, amazing city.

2. 1957 Cadillac My dad was a great car lover. The very first car in the family was a red, convertible 1957 Cadillac. It’s the car my dad drove my mom in on their first date. It’s the first car I ever drove, at 8 years old — I couldn’t even reach the pedals, so I sat on my dad’s lap. I talked my dad out of selling it because I wanted to drive it when I got older. I still have the car today.

3. “The Last Snows of Spring” My mom and I used to go to the movie theater every weekend. We would always watch at least two films — sometimes three or four. One day in 1973, she took me to see an Italian film called “The Last Snows of Spring.” You can’t imagine how much I cried. The emotions I felt were so intense. That day I told my mom: This is what I want to do.

4. Dogs When I was 10, my sister asked me if I wanted to have a puppy, and I was like, Eh, yeah, maybe, whatever. She asked me to cry with her so that our parents would buy us a puppy. My parents got us a boxer that awoke my love for animals. By the age of 15, I was rescuing dogs from the freeway in Mexico. To this day, I’m an animal activist. I can’t stand any kind of animal cruelty.

5. Job Proposals, Not Job Applications When people ask me for advice, I always tell them not to ask for a job, but bring a job proposal. For many years, I thought the right thing to do was to ask for a job. After so many rejections and my career going nowhere, one day I decided to change my approach. I met a writer who was very smart and we wrote a script for a show and we brought it to a network. For the first time, instead of asking for a job, I brought a proposal. After years of feeling ignored, they treated me differently — with respect. And that’s how I got my first opportunity to star on TV, with the show “Al Derecho y al Derbez.”

6. Fatherhood, Round 2 I became a dad when I was 23, and one kid quickly turned into three. I was just a kid myself, raising three kids while struggling to make a living and have a career, so the amount of time I spent with them was very limited. In my 50s, 22 years after I had my last child, my wife and I decided to have a child. When my daughter was born, I realized it was the universe giving me another chance to make things right and fix all the mistakes I made when I was younger. I have enjoyed every diaper, every sleepless night and every vomit.

7. Prince In 2006, I was in L.A. developing a project with Salma Hayek. After working all day long at her house, she said, “Prince just called and invited me to dinner — do you want to come?” I didn’t know much about Prince. During dinner at his mansion, he only said a few words, but he went through multiple outfit changes. After dinner, we went to a party. Later, back at his house, he played a private concert for the three of us. I started learning more about him after that night and became a huge fan. He was a genius.

8. Fisher’s There’s an amazing restaurant in Mexico City, and a few other locations, called Fisher’s. It’s not Mexican food. It’s seafood done in a very unique way. The craziest dishes. They’re so delicious, and you wouldn’t try them anywhere else. I love that.

9. Mexican Cinema The difference between cinema in the U.S. and Mexico is money. In the U.S., you can be entertained by Marvel movies, because even when the story and the plot are not strong, the special effects and everything else are amazing. In Mexico, we don’t have the budget for that. So, you have to be really creative. You have to be a really good writer and have original stories. That’s why filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro González Iñárritu and Alfonso Cuarón are so creative. They come from Mexico, a country where there’s no money and we have to make movies with nothing.

10. Michel Franco There’s an interesting Mexican director named Michel Franco who has a very raw approach. His movies I would compare to “Parasite,” but in Spanish. Start with “Después de Lucía” (“After Lucia”), and watch it until the end. Until the very last minute. Powerful.