The Mexican action-comedy Salvando Al Soldado Perez broke records in Mexico becoming one of the top earning movies of all time. Mexican actor Jaime Camil knew he was starring in a blockbuster when he first read the script.
SAVING PRIVATE PEREZ Advance Movie Screening
When Jaime was first approached with the script and sat down to read it, he saw the potential for a hit. He told the Saving Private Perez producer it would be a blockbuster.
"of course no one believed me when I would tell them."
The producer hoped the movie gods would hear his prediction, yet he didn't take Jaime seriously. The filmmakers were extremely nervous about the expensive production which is one of the most expensive films out of Mexico. The Saving Private Perez star estimated the film cost 80 thousand Mexican pesos ($6.4 mil) which he says is unheard of in Mexican cinema.
"For the film business in Mexico, it's preferable for a production not to exceed 20 or 25 million [pesos]. Since the film was costing 80 million plus, everyone was reacting 'Wow! How expensive? What's going to happen.' I was saying, 'look this film will be huge hit Take my word for it.' Everybody looked at me as if I were crazy."
Jaime says he always had faith in the Beto Gomez-helmed movie and hoped the film would be a success. He was "ecstatic to see his prediction come true. He credits the film's focus on the importance of family as the emotional connection with audiences, but the combination of the action and comedy also helped spread the good word-of-mouth.
The Mexican star hopes the word-of-mouth reaches the masses in the U.S. when Saving Private Perez opens in movie theaters September 2, 2011.
