del Toro Starring as Drug Lord Pablo Escobar in “Paradise Lost”

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Don’t blame Benicio del Toro if he gets a little lost in his new role…

The 45-year-old Puerto Rican will be starring as notoriousdrug lord Pablo Escobar in Paradise Lost. And it looks like The Hunter Games’ Josh Hutcherson could be del Toro’s co-star. He’s currently in negotiations to join the cast.

Directed/written by Life of Pi scribe Andrea di Stefano, the film isn’t exactly an Escobar biopic, but is instead being compared to The Last King of Scotland.

Hutcherson would actually be the principal character in the fact-based tale. He’d portray Nick, a young Irish surfer who visits his brother in Colombia. There he meets the love of his life — until he meets her uncle Pablo.

The film will begin production in Panama in March.

del Toro most recently starred opposite Salma Hayek and Blake Lively in Oliver Stone‘s Savages, where he played the henchman to Hayek’s drug-dealing character.

Hayek Honored with Germany’s Prestigious Bambi Award

Posted on November 24, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Salma Hayek is getting the Bambi treatment for her contributions in the entertainment industry…

The 46-year-old Mexican actress claimed one of Germany’s prestigious Bambi Awards this year, which honor local and international celebrities for their respective contributions in the media industry.

Hayek earned the jury’s nod in the international film star category for being one of the first Latina actresses to break into Hollywood’s A-list.

Hayek is best known for her role in Frida, which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. She most recently appeared in Oliver Stone’s Savages and the comedy Here Comes the Boom.

Other recipients of the prestigious Bambi award include Celine Dion, boyband One Direction and Austrian stuntman Felix Baumgartner.

Bichir to Star in FX’s Drama Pilot “The Bridge”

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Demián Bichir could be returning to American television in the near future…

The 49-year-old Mexican actor, who had a recurring role on Showtime’s Weeds, will star as the male lead opposite Diane Kruger in FX’s drama pilot The Bridge, which is being helmed by noted Mexican director Gerardo Naranjo.

The project, an adaptation of the Scandinavian series Bron, centers on two detectives from the United States and Mexico – El Paso Police Homicide Detective Sonya North (Kruger) and Marco Ruiz (Bichir) — who must work together to hunt down a serial killer operating on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Bichir’s character is described as a family man and one of the last good men in a corrupt and apathetic police force that is outgunned by the powerful drug cartels.

It’s the latest project for Bichir, who was nominated for an Oscar this year for his lead role in A Better Life.

He most recently signed on to appear in Dom Hemingway with Jude Law, as well as The Heat with Sandra Bullock.

He most recently appeared in Oliver Stone’s Savages opposite Benicio del Toro and Salma Hayek, and will next appear in Robert Rodriguez’s Machete Kills.

The Bridge is set to begin production this fall in El Paso and Los Angeles.

Bichir Feeling “The Heat” with Sandra Bullock

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Demián Bichir’s star continues to rise in Hollywood…

The 48-year-old Mexican actor, who earned his first Oscar nomination this year for his role in A Better Life, has signed on to star opposite Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy in The Heat.

In his first English-language comedy, Bichir will play an FBI agent.

Bichir, who was last seen starring opposite Benicio del Toro and Salma Hayek in Oliver Stone’s Savages earlier this summer, recently wrapped up work on Robert Rodriguez’s Machete Kills with Danny Trejo, Jessica Alba and Sofia Vergara.

del Toro to Star in “Jimmy Picard”

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Benicio Del Toro is about to have an Indian summer…

The 45-year-old Puerto Rican actor has been cast in Jimmy Picard, a drama being adapted from Reality and Dream: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian by acclaimed ethnologist and psychologist Georges Devereux.

It’s the true story of the friendship between a Native American and a French psychoanalyst.

The Oscar-winning actor will play the title character, a Plains Indian member of the Blackfeet nation who returns from the World War II battlefield and experiences various medical symptoms, none of which can be explained physically. He travels to the famed Winter Hospital in Topeka, Kansas, where he encounters Georges Devereux, a French ethno-psychiatrist considered to have a strong understanding of the modern Native American. Through their sessions, the two men, foreign to themselves and to their country, become friends.

Shooting on the film, which will also star Mathieu Amalric and Gina McKee, is set to begin on June 18 in Michigan.

Meanwhile, del Toro will next appear in the Oliver Stone’s Savages with Salma Hayek and Blake Lively.

Bichir Firming Up Post-Oscars Projects

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

He’s one of Mexico’s beloved actors… And, now it appears Demián Bichir is on the verge of superstardom in Hollywood…

The 48-year-old Mexican actor—who received an Academy Award nomination for his critically acclaimed performance in A Better Life—is lining up his next two English-language projects.

Bichir is currently in talks to join the cast of Machete Kills, the follow-up to Robert Rodriguez‘s cult classic Machete. Co-starring Jessica Alba and Mel Gibson, the sequel will find Danny Trejo’s iconic character Machete battle his way through Mexico in order to take down an arms dealer looking to launch a weapon into space.

In addition, Bichir will star in William Friedkin‘s thriller Trapped, where he’ll reportedly play an Israeli agent.

Bichir—who got his start in Mexican telenovelas before crossing over into English-language projects, including an acclaimed recurring role on Showtime’s Weeds, can next be seen in Oliver Stone’s upcoming dramatic thriller Savages, co-starring Salma Hayek and Benicio del Toro

Trailer for Hayek & del Toro’s “Savages” Released

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

If you’ll be heading to el cine this weekend, you may spot Salma Hayek and Benecio del Toro…

The first trailer for Oliver Stone’s film Savages, starring the 45-year-old Mexican actress and 45-year-old Puerto Rican actor, will play before American Reunion.

The film, an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Don Winslow, centers on two pot growers from Laguna who are muscled by a Mexican drug cartel.

When the cartel kidnaps the woman they share, the growers come up with a novel but dangerous way to pay the ransom.

In addition to Hayek and del Toro, the film stars recent-Oscar nominee Demian Bichir, Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Johnson, John Travolta and Emile Hirsch.

Savages is set to open in theaters on July 6.

First Look: del Toro Playing a Savage in Oliver Stone’s Latest Film…

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

He won an Academy Award for playing a Tijuana police officer who helps catch drug dealers in Traffic… And, now Benicio del Toro is preparing to switch sides in Oliver Stone’s latest feature.

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican/Spanish actor appears as a menacing Mafioso in the all-star crime drama Savages.

In one of the film’s recently released stills, del Toro is shown blowing what appears to be marijuana smoke into Blake Lively after taking her hostage.

Savages centers on two friends—played by Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch—who happen to share the same girlfriend (Lively) and work together to sell high-quality pot.

When the drug-dealing duo resist being muscled by del Toro’s character, the Mafioso has Lively’s character kidnapped. The ransom? Every cent the two made for the last five years. The two friends finally agree to pay but come up with an alternate plan to rescue their girlfriend, get revenge, and then get the heck out of dodge.

Directed by Stone, the movie will include performances by Uma Thurman, John Travolta, Salma Hayek and Demián Bichir, who recently landed his first Oscar nomination.

Savages is scheduled for release on September 28.

Echeverria Named Neutrogena’s New Spokesperson

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Sandra Echeverria is putting her best face forward in her quest to become a household name in the United States.

The 27-year-old Mexican actress/singer has signed on as Neutrogena’s newest brand ambassador.

“It’s an honor to represent a brand like Neutrogena with such a long-standing history of instilling health, confidence and beauty in young women – and that is something I strongly support,” said Echeverria. “I’ve been a huge fan of Neutrogena since I was a teenager. Since I’m always on the go – either on set or on the stage – it always helps keep my skin clean and fresh looking.”

Echeverria, a telenovela superstar who recently starred in Univision’s record-breaking La Fuerza del Destino, will begin appearing in Neutrogena’s advertisements and commercials in the near future as she helps “bring to life [the company’s] 2012 multicultural initiatives,” according to the skin and cosmetics company.

One of today’s leading Latina starlets, she joins Miranda Cosgrove, Jennifer Garner, Vanessa Hudgens and Gabrielle Union as the Neutrogena’s latest brand ambassador.

Echeverria can next be seen in Will Ferrell‘s new film Casa de mi Padre. And, she recently completed shooting Savages, an Oliver Stone film starring John Travolta, Blake Lively and Benicio Del Toro—in which she plays Salma Hayek‘s daughter.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Savages