Pablo Cruz Guerrero didn't grow up with 'El Chavo,' but Chespirito became his purpose

Unlike generations of Mexican children earlier and aft him, histrion Pablo Cruz Guerrero didn’t turn up watching the hugely fashionable sitcoms created by Roberto Gómez Bolaños, the precocious writer, shaper and performer amended known arsenic “Chespirito” oregon “Little Shakespeare.”

It’s a wonder, considering that astatine peak, Gómez Bolaños’ family-friendly programs were watched by implicit 300 cardinal radical worldwide, and they stay popular civilization pillars crossed Latin America — adjacent successful Portuguese-speaking Brazil — 50 years aft they archetypal aired.

The programs’ power besides extends to the U.S. among diasporic communities, enduring done reruns that periodically present his characters to caller viewers. The catchphrases Gómez Bolaños penned person besides go ingrained successful the vernacular of galore countries.

His astir fashionable creation, “El Chavo del Ocho,” centers connected an orphan lad (which helium played) surviving successful a courtyard flat analyzable filled with peculiar neighbors. Then there’s “El Chapulín Colorado,” a satirical instrumentality connected tights-wearing superheroes, wherever Gómez Bolaños plays an inept though goodhearted paladin (chapulín means grasshopper successful Mexico).

That Cruz Guerrero, 41, wasn’t acquainted with these landmark shows oregon characters is each the much shocking due to the fact that he’s present embodied Gómez Bolaños successful the caller bioseries “Chespirito: Not Really connected Purpose” (“Chespirito: Sin querer queriendo”), streaming connected Max starting Thursday with caller episodes weekly.

Pablo Cruz Guerrero stars arsenic Mexican comedic writer, shaper and performer Roberto Gómez Bolaños successful Max’s “Chespirito: Not Really connected Purpose.”

(Max)

The actor’s deficiency of nostalgic attachment for the beingness of carnal comedy, wordplay and societal commentary that Chespirito created gave him a limb up erstwhile auditioning, helium believes.

“I privation to person myself that this was the 1 happening that allowed maine to summation objectivity astir the story,” helium says successful Spanish during a caller video telephone from Mexico City. “Had I been a fan, I would person been ridden with nerves erstwhile approaching the character.”

It was casting manager Isabel Cortázar who archetypal saw Cruz Guerrero’s potential, and successful mid-2023, asked him to audition for the part. “Before receiving her call, I would person ne'er seen myself arsenic Chespirito,” helium says. “No 1 had ever told maine earlier that I looked similar him.”

Cruz Guerrero has been consistently acting for implicit 20 years successful films (“El Estudiante,” “From Prada to Nada”) and TV. More recently, helium played a memorable antagonist successful the 2nd and 3rd seasons of Netflix’s “Luis Miguel: The Series,” different bioseries astir the famed Mexican vocalist played by Diego Boneta.

As to wherefore helium didn’t ticker Chespirito’s enactment during his childhood, Cruz Guerrero hypothesizes that due to the fact that his parents lived successful Los Angeles for 3 years earlier helium and his siblings were born, they were much funny successful civilization produced extracurricular of Mexico. Instead, they took them to the cinema, to outdoor concerts and depository exhibits.

Ironically, Cruz Guerrero has appeared connected respective Televisa productions implicit the years, the aforesaid storied web that produced Chespirito’s work.

“In mediate school, I had a societal and comedic disadvantage due to the fact that galore of my friends knew each of Chespirito’s jokes and imitated the characters’ voices, and I couldn’t travel along,” Cruz Guerrero says.

When offered a accidental to vie for the role, helium consumed arsenic overmuch Chespirito contented arsenic helium could find online, whether it was of Gómez Bolaños playing his characters oregon interviews helium gave.

“In mediate school, I had a societal and comedic disadvantage due to the fact that galore of my friends knew each of Chespirito’s jokes and imitated the characters’ voices, and I couldn’t travel along,” Pablo Cruz Guerrero says.

(Carlos Alvarez-Montero / For The Times)

The arduous audition process required Cruz Guerrero to look each Tuesday for astir 7 weeks for a assortment of tests. Beyond doing scenes from the episodes of “Chespirito,” each gathering would adhd much elements that got him person to Gómez Bolaños: He tried connected the costumes, interacted with the actors who would play his children, helium shaved his beard and tried connected the prosthetic nose, interaction lenses and receding hairline required for the role.

And adjacent then, arsenic the weeks dragged on, Cruz Guerrero wasn’t definite he’d beryllium picked, particularly aft sharing with the household of Gómez Bolaños, who are progressive successful the production, his neophyte presumption connected everything Chespirito.

“I could work connected their faces they were thinking, ‘Are we making the close determination with idiosyncratic who doesn’t genuinely emotion our father’s bequest already?’” the histrion recalls.

Ultimately, Cruz Guerrero won them implicit due to the fact that helium was capable to intimately replicate the mannerisms and dependable of the existent Chespirito. Gómez Bolaños’ physicality called to caput soundless movie epoch icons specified arsenic Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.

“I felt similar if I tried to play astir with my feet and knees erstwhile I walked, not lone did I suffer a small spot of tallness to get person to Roberto’s height, but it besides enactment maine successful a presumption to consciousness a small much playful with my body,” says Cruz Guerrero portion wiggling his arms.

Roberto Gómez Fernandez, Chespirito’s son, admits helium initially had doubts astir Cruz Guerrero. The amusement had been successful the works for astir 4 years astatine that point, 2 of which had been spent searching for the close actors to recreate Gómez Bolaños’ world.

Slowly, arsenic Cruz Guerrero refined his show and the constitution got him person to Chespirito’s image, Gómez Fernandez became convinced they had recovered their man.

“I saw my begetter successful him,” says Gómez Fernandez connected a caller Zoom chat, “during analyzable situations successful a country and successful a small wink oregon a glimpse that Pablo did.”

The family’s support fueled him. “They would accidental to me, ‘I conscionable heard my dada done you. I conscionable had a speech with my dad. I conscionable shook his manus and gave him a hug,’” says Cruz Guerrero, who recalls being profoundly moved. “That empowered maine to consciousness much successful his tegument and not consciousness self-doubt due to the fact that of my erstwhile distance.”

Once helium officially landed the role, Cruz Guerrero immersed himself successful Gómez Bolaños’ idiosyncratic and nonrecreational beingness via his autobiography, “Sin querer queriendo,” which lends the bid its title. It functioned arsenic a nexus betwixt the histrion and the creator, who died successful 2014.

“I was trying to found a metaphysical dialog done the words helium had written and edited himself successful the book,” Cruz Guerrero says. “I asked him questions, and I consciousness similar we had precise beauteous conversations acknowledgment to the book.”

Many of the pointed questions that Cruz Guerrero sought answers to successful the substance revolved astir fatherhood, namely the elusive conception of work-life balance.

“In our careers, determination are moments of beauteous enlightenment wherever you’re creating and having a large time,” helium says. “However, you’re besides alert that you’re fulfilling a contract, and chasing fiscal compensation. This means that you’re investing clip and vigor and you often prioritize the nonrecreational alternatively of being astatine location and you miss your family.”

That conflict became alternatively idiosyncratic for the histrion during this process.

“I recovered retired I was going to beryllium a begetter for the archetypal clip the aforesaid week I recovered retired I was going to play Roberto,” recalls Cruz Guerrero. “I wanted to sorb cognition from him astir his acquisition arsenic a begetter and the experiences I was astir to embark connected playing him.”

While the bid features moments wherever Cruz Guerrero dons the emblematic attire of Chavo del Ocho and Chapulín Colorado, the absorption is connected the existent antheral down them.

Andrea Noli, left, Miguel Islas, Paola Montes de Oca and Pablo Cruz Guerrero successful a country from “Chespirito.” The bid is little astir the characters Roberto Gómez Bolaños was celebrated for and much astir the existent antheral down them.

(Max)

The publication besides served arsenic the instauration for Gómez Fernandez and his sister Paulina to constitute the episodes’ screenplays. The 2 are besides producers and were progressive successful each determination astir the project.

For Roberto Gómez Fernandez, the situation was for the bid not to go a solemn, saintly tribute to the larger-than-life fig their begetter was.

“I had to retrieve that I wasn’t reasoning astir my dad, but astir the quality of Roberto Gómez Bolaños,” helium says. “They weren’t real-life radical due to the fact that you person to alteration them into characters, and sometimes you person to propulsion immoderate strings to marque the melodramatic dynamics much effective.”

And yet, contempt having fictionalized aspects, Gómez Fernandez believes that the bid offers truthfulness astir his father’s essence arsenic a person.

“I deliberation we achieved it, but on the way, we had to undress the character’s successes and failures, galore of which had consequences successful his life,” Gómez Fernandez says. “Some things turned retired alright for him, but others went wrong, and helium besides wounded people.”

It’s not mislaid connected Cruz Guerrero that idiosyncratic similar him, who didn’t antecedently revere Chespirito’s genius, coiled up taking connected the task of bringing his communicative to the screen.

“In moments of fear, insecurity and doubt, I would inquire myself, ‘Oh, man, however did I extremity up here?’ And past it was each resolved with laughter due to the fact that successful beforehand of maine I would work the rubric of the show, ‘Not Really connected Purpose,’” helium says with a knowing smile.

After much than 2 decades mostly appearing successful supporting roles, Cruz Guerrero is basking successful what’s undoubtedly the astir important recognition of his vocation truthful far.

“I’m particularly grateful to the family, who chose maine to play this beloved character, who is evidently portion of their idiosyncratic story,” Cruz Guerrero says. “I unrecorded this infinitesimal with large gratitude, truthful convey you to Roberto Gómez Bolaños.”