By I’m a huge fan of John Leguizamo’s comedy. Unfortunately, not everyone seems to think the same way. He’s always typecast as the “zany Mexican guy who makes faces” and has to keep the same accent in each film. Thankfully, he’s finally getting the chance to branch out past the supporting role in Fugly, a new autobiography/comedy based on his stand up Broadway show, Ghetto Klown.
The film follows a version of Leguizamo named Jesse Sanchez, a Latino comic who has a near-death experience. Leguizamo even had a few words to say about the film:
This is my first foray into screenwriting and in trying to up-end a format by making an ‘anti~romantic comedy.’ We went very sexual, very aggressive, and exposed some of my life through the character of Jesse. ‘Fugly’ was a term we used and invented in New York when i was a kid for anything truly abhorrent. It was used on me many a time in my hood. This time I’m appropriating it. This is my revenge through art!
Even if Leguizamo has “wacky guy” potential with “films” like The Pest, he’s always shown he has quite the knack for the dramatic. And I’m pretty much a sucker for Latino-led films. There’s no release date yet, but we’ll keep an eye on this when more news becomes available in the next few months.
[via First Showing]