Jaime Camil was looking for a star vehicle that would allow him to indulge his affinity for physical comedy.
Yet when the script that became the bilingual comedy My Boyfriend’s Meds provided that opportunity, Camil was busy with his supporting role in the television drama “Jane the Virgin.”
“Finally, I opened up my schedule because I had to do it,” Camil said during a recent stop in Dallas. “I love physical comedy. It comes very naturally to me. I was always an athlete when I was younger.”
The film finds Camil playing the owner of a mattress store who fall for a marketing executive (Sandra Echeverria) for a tequila company. When she invites him to join her at a tropical work retreat, he forgets to bring his extensive array of medications, unleashing a variety of psychological symptoms she knew nothing about. Both her career and their relationship are threatened in the process.
Camil also makes his feature debut as an executive producer on the project, which was first written several years ago by Gary Marks and Randi Mayem Singer (Mrs. Doubtfire). Camil and producer Ben Silverman (“The Office”) hired Argentinian filmmaker Diego Kaplan (Desire), who translated about two-thirds of the dialogue into Spanish.
While he adeptly handled many of the pratfalls and other physical aspects of the role, not everything went smoothly for Camil on set at the Punta Mita resort near Puerto Vallarta.
During a dinner scene, he felt a pinch in his back while lifting Echeverria multiple times. Then he had to shoot an intense karaoke sequence, eventually causing his back to lock up.
“The next day, I couldn’t get up from my bed,” said Camil, who received treatment and returned to work within 24 hours. “It was that bad.”
Camil and Echeverria (Savages) each have established followings in Mexico, but they think My Boyfriend’s Meds could follow in the footsteps of successful crossover projects from Mexican stars like Eugenio Derbez (Overboard) and Omar Chaparro (Compadres).
“There’s a huge Hispanic audience waiting to have more projects like this,” Echeverria said. “This is for Mexico and for the United States. It works for everybody as a very universal comedy.”
