Post by steph on Apr 10, 2010 12:53:15 GMT -5
Cheech pitches faith over odds to underdogs
You'll be seeing a lot of Cheech Marin at the movies over the next few
months. He plays a kindly Mexican priest in "The Perfect Game," a deadly
priest in Robert Rodriguez's "Machete" and himself in a new Cheech & Chong
concert film, "Hey Watch This."
"The Perfect Game," which opens locally next Friday, tells the rousing
true-life story of the poor kids from Monterrey, Mexico, whose baseball
team, the Monterrey Industrials, overcame enormous obstacles and odds to
win the 1957 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. Marin plays
Father Estaban, the baseball-loving priest who nurtures the boys' belief
in the power of faith. Directed by William Dear ("Angels in the
Outfield"), the movie stars Clifton Collins Jr. ("Capote," "Traffic") as
the team's demanding Mexican American coach, Cesar Faz.
Marin's many film and TV roles include Uncle Felix in Rodriguez's three
"Spy Kids" movies, his memorable performance as Kevin Costner's caddy in
"Tin Cup" and as Inspector Joe Dominguez in the San Francisco cop series
"Nash Bridges." He was relaxed and funny as he sat in a suite at the
Ritz-Carlton, dressed in green cords and a rainbow-striped short-sleeve
pullover, and talked about "The Perfect Game."
Q: How well did you know the story of the 1957 Monterrey Industrials?
A: I was in Little League when this happened. I was exactly the same age
as these kids. I was 11 years old, playing in Granada Hills (an area of
Los Angeles). So the story for me was huge. These kids looked like me, and
I looked like them - I was little and brown. They beat all these American
teams and won the world championship. It was huge. When the film came up,
I said, "Wow, I'll be anything in it."
Q: What did you think when you read the part of the priest?
A: I thought I could do this really well. I was raised Catholic. I was an
altar boy. Mexican priests are different than American priests. Father
Estaban is not like the priests in my parish. He's an authority figure,
but he's this kind of avuncular guy who has the kids' best interest at
heart. I often went with my parents and grandparents to visit family in
Mexico, and you'd meet these priests who were much more laid back. They
were a little more gentle and less judgmental. That's where I found the
key.
Q: Is this your first priest?
A: No, it's my third or fourth. I'm trying to remember the others. I play
a murdering priest in "Machete." You don't have to worry about giving it
away, everybody's seen the trailer. I also play a priest in a movie I've
written called "Angel of Oxnard." I want to move up the hierarchy and
someday play the pope.
Q: What was the pleasure of making this movie?
A: Portraying that piece of history. It was an example of how to overcome
huge odds. This was the first year they had Little League in Monterrey -
they had just opened it up to Mexico and the Caribbean - and these kids
won 13 straight games and went to the top. They were competing against
teams that had programs and cross-training. They had nothing. At first,
they didn't have balls, bats or gloves. And for Angel Macias to pitch a
perfect game defies any odds you could come up with.
Q: They faced a lot of racism, right?
A: Those kids didn't know racial discrimination until they came to the
U.S. They couldn't use the same bathrooms as white people. There's that
scene where a black kid couldn't eat with his white teammates. It all
happened. It's all true.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: As soon as I leave here, I'm flying to Ann Arbor (Mich.) for a show
with Tommy (Chong). I'm working on a script for a new Cheech & Chong
feature film. I'm also writing a book for HarperCollins, a series of
essays and short stories about the Latino experience called "Chimichanga
Chronicles."
Q: So you're juggling a few balls?
A: Always. A Chicano has to have three jobs.
The Perfect Game opens next Friday in Bay Area theaters.
E-mail Jesse Hamlin at datebookletters@sfchronicle.com. ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2010 SF Chronicle
You'll be seeing a lot of Cheech Marin at the movies over the next few
months. He plays a kindly Mexican priest in "The Perfect Game," a deadly
priest in Robert Rodriguez's "Machete" and himself in a new Cheech & Chong
concert film, "Hey Watch This."
"The Perfect Game," which opens locally next Friday, tells the rousing
true-life story of the poor kids from Monterrey, Mexico, whose baseball
team, the Monterrey Industrials, overcame enormous obstacles and odds to
win the 1957 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. Marin plays
Father Estaban, the baseball-loving priest who nurtures the boys' belief
in the power of faith. Directed by William Dear ("Angels in the
Outfield"), the movie stars Clifton Collins Jr. ("Capote," "Traffic") as
the team's demanding Mexican American coach, Cesar Faz.
Marin's many film and TV roles include Uncle Felix in Rodriguez's three
"Spy Kids" movies, his memorable performance as Kevin Costner's caddy in
"Tin Cup" and as Inspector Joe Dominguez in the San Francisco cop series
"Nash Bridges." He was relaxed and funny as he sat in a suite at the
Ritz-Carlton, dressed in green cords and a rainbow-striped short-sleeve
pullover, and talked about "The Perfect Game."
Q: How well did you know the story of the 1957 Monterrey Industrials?
A: I was in Little League when this happened. I was exactly the same age
as these kids. I was 11 years old, playing in Granada Hills (an area of
Los Angeles). So the story for me was huge. These kids looked like me, and
I looked like them - I was little and brown. They beat all these American
teams and won the world championship. It was huge. When the film came up,
I said, "Wow, I'll be anything in it."
Q: What did you think when you read the part of the priest?
A: I thought I could do this really well. I was raised Catholic. I was an
altar boy. Mexican priests are different than American priests. Father
Estaban is not like the priests in my parish. He's an authority figure,
but he's this kind of avuncular guy who has the kids' best interest at
heart. I often went with my parents and grandparents to visit family in
Mexico, and you'd meet these priests who were much more laid back. They
were a little more gentle and less judgmental. That's where I found the
key.
Q: Is this your first priest?
A: No, it's my third or fourth. I'm trying to remember the others. I play
a murdering priest in "Machete." You don't have to worry about giving it
away, everybody's seen the trailer. I also play a priest in a movie I've
written called "Angel of Oxnard." I want to move up the hierarchy and
someday play the pope.
Q: What was the pleasure of making this movie?
A: Portraying that piece of history. It was an example of how to overcome
huge odds. This was the first year they had Little League in Monterrey -
they had just opened it up to Mexico and the Caribbean - and these kids
won 13 straight games and went to the top. They were competing against
teams that had programs and cross-training. They had nothing. At first,
they didn't have balls, bats or gloves. And for Angel Macias to pitch a
perfect game defies any odds you could come up with.
Q: They faced a lot of racism, right?
A: Those kids didn't know racial discrimination until they came to the
U.S. They couldn't use the same bathrooms as white people. There's that
scene where a black kid couldn't eat with his white teammates. It all
happened. It's all true.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: As soon as I leave here, I'm flying to Ann Arbor (Mich.) for a show
with Tommy (Chong). I'm working on a script for a new Cheech & Chong
feature film. I'm also writing a book for HarperCollins, a series of
essays and short stories about the Latino experience called "Chimichanga
Chronicles."
Q: So you're juggling a few balls?
A: Always. A Chicano has to have three jobs.
The Perfect Game opens next Friday in Bay Area theaters.
E-mail Jesse Hamlin at datebookletters@sfchronicle.com. ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2010 SF Chronicle
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