Latest / The Lila Rose Show / E41: The Making of Sound of Freedom with Eduardo Verástegui

Transcript

E41: The Making of Sound of Freedom with Eduardo Verástegui · The Lila Rose Show

0:00
There's a lot of powerful people involved in this crime, A lot of
0:03
powerful people. I remember when Tim Butter told
0:05
me, Eduardo, before you commit to this, I need to be very
0:08
honest with you. We have a lot of friends, but we
0:10
have a lot of enemies. And we will share those enemies
0:13
with you. Are you OK with that?
0:15
And you know what? When God calls you to do
0:16
something, you can't say Now. Evil tramps, when good people
0:20
remain silenced, and if they remain silenced, they're not
0:23
good people anymore because they're part of the problem.
0:25
We have to do something. This movie is more than a movie.
0:27
It's a movement. Hey guys, welcome back to the
0:33
Lila Rose podcast. Today we're going to talk to
0:36
Eduardo Verastigi, the filmmaker behind Sound of Freedom, a new
0:40
movie that is killing it at the box office.
0:43
It is beating out Indiana Jones and it has already made $40
0:47
million at the box office. This is a film that only cost 14
0:50
and a half million dollars to make.
0:51
It was a labor of love over 8 years by.
0:53
A lot of people are going to get into that in this interview, but
0:56
it's about child sex trafficking.
0:58
It's exposing the core of the growing global industry of child
1:03
sex trafficking. A daughter of somebody that I
1:05
have known over the last decade, he has been an incredible force
1:09
for good. He has produced multiple movies
1:11
like Bella Little Boy, and now Sound of Freedom.
1:15
Before that, he was a popular telenovela actor in Mexico and
1:20
after having a big conversion, dedicated his life to serving
1:23
God. Sound of Freedom is his latest
1:25
project. We're going to get into it.
1:27
I encourage all of you to watch it.
1:29
I know it's really hard. It's hard to think about, and
1:33
it's certainly hard to watch a movie about something as heinous
1:37
as child sex trafficking. I want to encourage you that
1:40
Sound of Freedom was created in a very beautiful and very
1:43
tasteful way where it lets you understand the problem and
1:47
invites you into the compelling stories that we should know
1:49
about without being offensive or without exploiting further the
1:54
stories of these children through any kind of salacious
1:56
sexualization of the actors or how the film was done.
1:59
So I want to encourage you that I do think that this film is
2:01
suitable for teenagers and certainly for adults, and I
2:03
would encourage you to see it. So excited to welcome you
2:07
Eduardo to the podcast. Thank you so much.
2:11
It's the privilege to be filled with you.
2:12
And thank you for your support, thank you for your prayers.
2:16
And, you know, I'm just so happy to see the results of this movie
2:23
after eight years of working in this project and to see the
2:26
movement, how it's growing and growing and growing.
2:30
Wow. It feels, you know, I, I feel
2:33
sometimes that I'm dreaming and, and I don't want to wake up
2:35
because sometimes those dreams are so real.
2:37
And when you wake up, you want to go back to, to sleep, right?
2:40
But I feel like now this is a it's real and and it's
2:44
happening. And to see more than 3 million
2:48
people, almost 4 million people show up the first week when we
2:52
released this film July 4th. And I just can't believe it that
2:55
we beat beat Indiana Jones on July 4th.
2:59
It's just so many miracles are happening.
3:01
So happy. It's incredible.
3:03
So eight years in the making, this film tackles human
3:07
trafficking, this sex trafficking of children, an
3:10
incredibly tough topic. Eduardo, what got you?
3:13
How did you first find out about child sex trafficking?
3:15
What made you interested in making this film?
3:19
I met the team matter than his friends eight years ago in Los
3:22
Angeles, CA. And you know, when you meet a
3:26
real hero, in one hand you are very inspired.
3:30
But on the other hand, when they told me what what they do, these
3:35
groups of ex Navy Seals, ex FBI agents, ex CIA agents and they,
3:40
they travel around the world undercover rescuing children
3:42
that are kidnapped for sexual exploitation.
3:44
When they, when they explain to me in details what these
3:47
children are going through, I couldn't look the other way
3:51
around, you know, with my arms crossed and in silence.
3:59
There's something that was burning inside of me.
4:01
My heart, my, my soul was like burning.
4:03
What was literally, I was like, I was in shock.
4:05
I couldn't sleep for a few days. And I remember like yesterday,
4:08
when he looked at my face and he said, Tim Mallard, Eduardo was
4:12
very sad, what I'm telling you, but it's more sad now that you
4:14
know it, man. If you do nothing, what are you
4:16
going to do? And, and right there, you know,
4:19
friendship is like an elevator. Either your friends bring you up
4:22
or they bring you down. Tell me, tell me who you hang
4:24
out. I'll tell you who you are
4:25
hanging out with these heroes, it's impossible for you to look
4:29
the other way around. You want to, you want to imitate
4:31
them. You want, you want to become
4:32
like them. And, and, and that's what
4:34
happened. You know, I, I asked myself, OK,
4:38
what can I do? What can I do?
4:40
I and, and I remember I closed my eyes for a second and I said,
4:43
what if this is my son? What if this is my daughter?
4:47
What if my son is missing and kidnapped and I never see him
4:51
again? It was like it was, it was very
4:54
heavy. And, and then I said, you know
4:57
what? I don't want to wait for this
4:59
tragedy to come to me into my house for me to wake up.
5:04
I'm going to wake up now because there's a reason why you guys
5:07
are telling me this information. I'm going to wake up now.
5:10
I'm going to do something about it.
5:12
So this problem never happened again to any parents.
5:16
I can only imagine. I mean, right now as we're
5:18
speaking, there's 57 children disappear in Mexico every day,
5:22
every 20 minutes, one more and another one and another 121
5:28
thousand a year. These kids are being kidnapped,
5:34
raped 10 to 15 times a day for many years.
5:37
And after declines, you know, these perverts, they don't want
5:41
them anymore because they're not fresh anymore.
5:45
That's the vocabulary that they use.
5:47
These kids, they, they go to the second business in the black
5:50
market of organs traffic. They open them and sell their
5:52
organs. When you hear things like this,
5:57
it's impossible to be quiet. So I asked myself, what can I
6:02
do? I'm a filmmaker.
6:03
I have a weapon of mass instruction and inspiration.
6:06
A weapon of mass instruction and inspiration.
6:09
Movies. Movies can move people.
6:11
So let me ask you a few questions, Team Ballard.
6:15
How many kids you you have rescued?
6:17
And at that time he rescued, I don't know.
6:19
It was like 4000 children. I was like, I was like, wow.
6:22
So now don't say, wow, Eduardo, I'm not the solution.
6:25
What what do you mean you're not the solution?
6:27
I can be the solution for one child.
6:29
And of course if you save one child, you save the world,
6:31
right? Think that I'm the solution for
6:35
thousands of kids, but we're but we're talking about 1,000,000
6:39
millions. This is beyond this is too big.
6:42
I'm not the solution. And then I said, OK, well, so
6:45
this is only in America. No, no, this is this is a global
6:48
problem. I mean, I heard about about
6:50
human trafficking, but very like, you know, like maybe kids
6:53
working in India, I didn't know details about child trafficking
6:57
for sexual exploitation. So when they gave me the details
7:01
and then he started explaining to me this is a global problem,
7:03
especially US and Mexico. US is the number one consumer of
7:06
child sex in the world, number one consumer of child
7:09
pornography, number one consumer of drugs.
7:12
Mexico is the number one provider of those three.
7:17
OK, so if you live in the most powerful country in the world,
7:23
you have the technology, you have the money, you have the
7:26
intelligence, you have the army, you have the police, how come we
7:29
don't finish this problem? And he said to me, because it's
7:32
not a priority. It's not a priority.
7:34
How can we turn this into priority?
7:36
Then we need a movement. And that's when I realized
7:40
movies can move people. Movies, they have the potential
7:44
to start a movement and that's when I decided I'm going to put
7:47
pause in everything that I'm doing so I can dedicate 100%
7:51
everything, my life, everything to this movie and to this
7:54
movement. I made a promise to God that I
7:56
will never stop until we end child trafficking.
7:58
I want to join this army of love join this army of of brave
8:03
hearts. We're not afraid to say enough
8:06
is enough. God's children are not for sale.
8:09
And that's when I I have been dedicated my life for the last
8:12
eight years in this, in this beautiful, powerful movie called
8:17
Sound of Freedom, directed by Alejandro Monteverde, my
8:20
business partner. And I'm just this is the most
8:22
important movie of my life. Our sponsor for today is 7 Weeks
8:26
Coffee. This is our first sponsor for
8:28
the podcast. They are a pro-life coffee
8:30
company. Their mission is amazing.
8:32
They support the pro-life movement by giving 10% of their
8:34
profits to pregnancy resource centers.
8:36
They've already given over $150,000 to pregnancy resource
8:41
centers. These are gourmet coffee beans
8:43
that are mold free, pesticide free.
8:45
It's also ethically sourced, meaning that it has pro-life
8:48
values, not just in the pro-life organizations it's supporting
8:51
and the pro-life costs it's supporting, but in how the
8:54
company treats its workers. Why keep supporting Starbucks or
8:57
Peet's or whatever coffee bread you're drinking?
9:00
Why not support Seven Weeks coffee?
9:02
Amazing world class coffee, but that supports a good cause, a
9:06
company that you can get behind. So go check out Seven weeks
9:09
coffee.com. That's SEVEN weeks coffee.com.
9:13
You can put in your first order to join the movement for coffee
9:17
that's pro-life. You can use the code Lila to get
9:20
10% off Lala to get 10% off your order.
9:23
Check it out. Join me in drinking Seven Weeks
9:25
coffee. Well, it's an incredible film
9:27
and along with millions of people who are watching it and
9:30
thinking it's incredible and it's inspiring them and
9:33
convicting them to want to do something to fight child
9:35
trafficking. You have your critics too.
9:37
So there's a whole onslaught of media or organizations who are
9:43
critical. I mean, The Guardian, Rolling
9:45
Stone, Vice, these are corporations that media
9:49
corporations that are typically I found to be very biased.
9:52
But they are claiming that, you know, saying that child sex
9:55
trafficking is such a terrible problem.
9:57
And the way that the movie represents the problem is
10:00
adjacent to the Q Anon conspiracy theory.
10:04
I'm sure you have thoughts on this.
10:06
You know, this attack that is coming from some in media.
10:08
What? What is your?
10:09
What is your response to that? Well, you know I am.
10:12
First of all, I'm so grateful to God for this opportunity of
10:19
working in a project bigger than myself.
10:24
So grateful to be part of this Son of Freedom movement now.
10:28
So grateful for the almost 4 million people that show up in
10:32
theaters this week. That is amazing.
10:34
That is amazing. And I'm so grateful that these
10:37
people like CNN and all those guys that you just mentioned,
10:41
you know, at least they're showing to the people their true
10:45
colors, who they really are. Because if you're not going to
10:49
be working together to save children, but you want to
10:52
actually block the movie, they're telling you who they
10:55
are. Either they're in fear or
10:57
they're part of the problem, you know, or they're maybe involved
11:00
in the crime. I always use this analogy.
11:03
Imagine this little house full of children and the house is on
11:06
fire, right? And then you have you have this
11:09
fire truck coming from this direction, this other fire truck
11:12
coming from this other direction, another fire truck
11:15
coming from this other direction.
11:16
And another one right when they got there right in front of the
11:19
house, when the children are are there inside of the house and
11:22
the house is on fire, this guy tells the other driver, Hey,
11:25
this is my territory. No, no, no, this is my
11:28
territory. The other one.
11:30
No, no, this is my zip code. They, they changed the zip code.
11:32
No, no, you want the Commission? No, you want the Commission.
11:34
No, you're a thief. No, you're a thief.
11:35
And they're starting like arguing, arguing, arguing.
11:38
And then what happened when they finished, the kids are dead.
11:42
They're burned to death. What they should have done is
11:45
when they get there, they put outside the water, host, bring
11:52
the fire down and save the gates, all of them at the same
11:55
time, right? Then after they Save the
11:57
Children, they continue with the arguments, they continue with
12:00
the debate. It's OK.
12:01
They did the right thing. They Save the Children.
12:03
Well, there's millions of children on fire right now.
12:06
Millions of children on fire right now as we speak, everyone.
12:11
It doesn't matter if you're left, right, up, down, center.
12:16
You believe in God, you don't believe in God.
12:17
It doesn't matter. This is beyond politics.
12:20
This is beyond everything. This is about children.
12:22
This. What if this is your song?
12:23
What if this my son? No one has exclusivity to like,
12:26
OK? Only these people can protect
12:28
children. Everyone adults.
12:30
We're responsible for the children.
12:32
Everyone is. They're the future of the world.
12:34
They're the future of this world.
12:36
What kind of decisions they're going to be making in the future
12:39
if today they're being hurt? No, so for someone not to put
12:44
the water hose and bring the fire down to Save the Children,
12:50
it's because you are part of the problem.
12:52
It's because you are involved in this crime.
12:53
And I'm so thankful that at least it's evidence people can
12:57
know who they are. You know, they, they, you know,
13:00
before they used to be very settled and we don't know who is
13:02
who. But now at least these guys are
13:04
showing their faces. They're showing who they really
13:06
are. And I, and I'm, you know, and
13:08
I'm very grateful too, because they're helping us with their
13:10
free marketing. So thank you for trying to
13:12
destroy our little movie because of you guys.
13:16
The movie was #1 I mean, because of you, people are waking up
13:20
exactly because of people like them.
13:22
People are tired. People are saying enough is
13:24
enough. Not in our watch.
13:28
Gottschiller are not for sale. And you know what people are
13:31
doing when they watch the movie, most of them, they, they take
13:34
their cameras in the selfie, like, you know, style.
13:36
And they videotape themselves and they give us a review.
13:40
And those are the best reviews. I don't care about a guy who's
13:44
working in a magazine who maybe he's a pedophile and he's just
13:48
see this movie and he's like felt threatened and and he's
13:52
going to try to destroy the film because maybe he had a he
13:55
received a phone call from maybe a top guy.
13:57
Because there's a lot of powerful people involved in this
14:00
crime. A lot of powerful people.
14:01
I remember when Tim Butter told me, Eduardo, before you commit
14:04
to this, I need to be very honest with you.
14:07
We have a lot of friends, but we have a lot of enemies and we
14:12
will share those enemies with you.
14:15
Are you OK with that? And you know what?
14:18
When God, when God calls you to do something you can't say now
14:22
and say I'm OK with it, you know what, we're going to die one day
14:25
anyway. My prayer to God every day is
14:28
like when you knock at my door. My only desire is please, I want
14:34
you to find me working for you. And I'm working for God right
14:38
now. This is a calling from God.
14:41
I've been praying every day. I have my most important weapon
14:44
here, which is my grocery. And every day I go to Mass and I
14:50
put the grocery for this project for these children.
14:53
So I believe that this movement, not CNN, not these guys, are
14:58
going to stop it. It's too late.
14:59
It's too late. You know, they can take me now.
15:02
Millions of people, Impossible. It's too late.
15:05
The movement started and it's growing and growing and growing
15:08
and the movie just started. We haven't even started fighting
15:10
yet. This is just the first week.
15:12
So I want to encourage the people to go and see the movie.
15:15
Buy tickets in angel.com/freedom.
15:18
Buy tickets for you, for your family, or through the Pay It
15:21
Forward program, you can buy tickets for other families that
15:24
cannot afford to go, you know, to bring the family to see a
15:26
movie and because of your generosity, they can see it for
15:29
free. After that, the movie's coming
15:31
out in Mexico, in Agos, Latin America, Europe, worldwide, and
15:36
after we released the film everywhere, Elon Musk offer us
15:39
to show the movie for free and Twitter to the whole world.
15:42
Can you imagine that hundreds of millions of people will see this
15:45
film? I mean, millions of people will.
15:49
After seeing the film, they will wake up and Can you imagine that
15:53
army of love, I mean fighting for the children of the world?
15:56
We would end this. We will end this with the help
15:59
of God. And these are these critics that
16:02
you have, like you say, you know, there's maybe different
16:04
reasons for them being critics, but the reality is that given
16:08
according to the Department of Labor and other sources, child
16:11
sex trafficking is a real and growing global problem.
16:15
What are some of the statistics that people should know about
16:18
child trafficking happening globally?
16:21
Well, you know, first of all, there's more slavery today than
16:23
when slavery was legal. We're talking about more than 40
16:26
million people are living in slavery, and many of them are
16:32
children. Many of them are children for
16:35
sexual exploitation, organs, traffic and other things.
16:40
Every 30 seconds in the world, one child disappear.
16:43
Every 30 seconds. It's happening everywhere, next
16:48
door, behind your house, in every sector, in every sector,
16:53
political sector, religious sector, you know, everywhere in
17:01
the family, Violencia, sexual domestica, domestic sexual
17:08
violence. Sometimes the older, the other
17:10
brother, the grandpa, the father is where actually that's where
17:13
that's what happens even more. This thing is growing and
17:16
growing and growing because of many reasons, drugs, lack of
17:20
values, putting that outside of your house, you know, removing
17:23
that out of your heart, removing that out of your, you know, your
17:26
family. Pornography, child pornography.
17:36
People get hooked. They become addicted to it.
17:39
And then there are the future clients.
17:41
Somebody told me the other day, oh, thank God, my children are
17:43
not the target anymore. How old are your children?
17:47
And they told me, well, 20/23/28, they're the target.
17:51
What do you mean they're not children anymore?
17:53
They're the target because if they have an iPhone or
17:56
smartphone, if they're not, you know, vigilant of what they are
18:01
seeing, sometimes maybe someone sends a link, they open it by
18:06
accident. Maybe they saw some images.
18:09
They said, oh, what is this? And then they start seeing more
18:11
and more and more. They get hooked, they get
18:13
addicted. They're the they're the future
18:15
clients. Everyone is a target, you and I,
18:18
everyone we need to really be visioning.
18:22
We need to listen to those who have their heart pure because
18:26
they will, they shall see God, right.
18:28
So it's fair. We this is very important.
18:32
You know, social media is super dangerous because we're just
18:35
watching images and by accident, something may have come to you
18:38
and, and, and, and it's very dangerous.
18:44
This world is growing. This world is growing.
18:46
This one is growing. Parents, they need to make sure
18:48
that what their kids are watching in, in those mother
18:50
phones, you know, there's apps right there where you can put
18:52
the app and, and, and then you can watch what they're watching
18:55
so you can be vigilant. We need parents to be more
18:58
present with their kids to protect them.
19:00
You know, this message, this movie, every parent should see
19:03
this movie. You know, I know that a lot of
19:04
people, Oh, I'm very sensitive with these that are, watch it.
19:08
I, I don't want to be scared. You should be scared.
19:10
I I rather you be scared than than to than being completely
19:15
like, you know, I don't know what's going on and then your
19:16
kid is, is the next one. You know, evil tramps when good
19:23
people remain silenced and if they remain silent, they're not
19:26
good people anymore because they're part of the problem.
19:28
We have to do something. This is an opportunity.
19:30
This movie is more than a movie. It's a movement and, and, and,
19:34
and, and the movie is very well done by Alejandro Monte Verde.
19:37
You don't have to cover your eyes in any because we have
19:39
actors who work 5 year old kids who are on set.
19:42
They never knew what the film is about.
19:44
We told them a different stories.
19:45
Their parents were there and that we just wanted the emotion
19:49
and the tears, you know, for the story.
19:50
But you know, the whole environment over there was just
19:53
a family environment. The ambient was just, you know,
19:57
would have mass everyday. The parents were there.
19:59
The the older sisters, the other brothers of the kids were on set
20:02
and they they thought they were making a movie about, you know,
20:06
about children because we told them different stories and that
20:10
just to protect their innocence and their purity to every child.
20:13
Because you don't want to bring that problem to the minds of a
20:16
kid that is 6 years old. And you're going to tell him,
20:17
OK, when this scene, this is what happened to you.
20:19
No way how you? I mean if you're a 5 year old
20:21
girl. Your daughter comes to you and
20:23
say mom, what is the F word? It's easy to explain to her,
20:26
don't say it, it's a bad word for you and talk like this
20:28
because of this reason blah blah blah blah.
20:31
But imagine if she comes to you mom, what is child pornography?
20:34
How can you explain? How can you put those thoughts
20:37
and memories you know and scenes and you can't.
20:39
So for that reason, it was very important and on set, the number
20:43
one rule, we need to protect the innocence and the purity because
20:46
that's exactly what these kids are being stolen.
20:49
They, they, they, they steal their innocence and the purity
20:51
and they mark them forever. They change their eyes forever.
20:54
And this can happen anywhere. Your kid doesn't have to be
20:57
kidnapped like in the movie or like in many other places.
21:01
You can be kidnapped in your own house with a, you know, with an
21:04
iPhone, you know, you're you're in the kitchen, you're cooking,
21:08
your kid is in the room, everything is perfect.
21:10
If he is with an iPad talking to a stranger, next thing you know
21:12
that a stranger, which is another kid who maybe is
21:14
kidnapped and they use them to, you know, to connect with your
21:17
child. And next thing you know, they're
21:20
friends. And next thing you know, they're
21:21
exchanging pictures and and then other type of pictures and then
21:26
they're hook and then they threaten these kids what will
21:29
kill your mother. So we need to be vigilant
21:33
parents. I know that this is a very
21:36
uncomfortable topic, but you know what?
21:38
I want to make you uncomfortable so you can wake up and you can
21:41
protect your children. My sister, I remember the first
21:44
time I told her about this project.
21:45
I don't want to know. I don't want to know you.
21:47
Hold on a second. If it's if someone should know
21:50
about this is you because you have kids and they're the
21:52
target. What, what now?
21:54
She's an ambassador of freedom. She's like a volunteer.
21:56
She's working hard and and I want to wake up parents so they
22:00
can protect their children better.
22:03
Eduardo, what was the hardest part about making the film?
22:06
You said it took eight years. You had roadblocks.
22:09
You distribution partner was a major distribution studio and
22:12
then they cut distribution on you and you had to find a new
22:16
distributor. Tell us what went into what kind
22:19
of blood, sweat and tears went into this.
22:22
Obstacles from day one, when I met team batter, of course the
22:28
first, the first obstacle was coming.
22:30
It was like it was fear when he told me what I told you before.
22:38
I have a lot of friends. We have a lot of enemies.
22:40
We have a lot of enemies. We're going to share them with
22:42
you. Are you sure?
22:43
So of course the human nature shows up and there's a little
22:46
fear there. So right there was like the
22:48
first obstacle. Oh, my gosh, should I?
22:51
What should I do? What should I do?
22:52
Because then temptations come, right?
22:54
I mean, the voices are talking to you.
22:55
Well, maybe I write a check and just give it to them, and then I
22:57
do my part. No, that's too coward.
23:00
I mean, that's OK, but not for me.
23:02
No, no, no, no. I have to do something.
23:04
So then I thank God he gave me the strength to say yes.
23:08
Right. Then I started telling my
23:10
friends and some investors, you know, this is my new project.
23:12
What he think Alejandro's going to be writing a masterpiece?
23:16
Alejandro, you know, he put his pain in his body.
23:19
You know, his father and his brother was.
23:22
They were kidnapped and killed my brother.
23:34
My brother Alejandro wrote the script with blood and pain, a
23:46
lot of pain so and many of those friends now don't do this a lot.
23:57
This is too dangerous and again and again too dangerous.
24:00
This fears coming like no is yes, yes, it's dangerous.
24:03
But you know what, it's more dangerous not to do it in the
24:05
long term. You know, we, we need to fight
24:08
now, not tomorrow now because these kids are suffering now as
24:13
we speak. So again, another obstacle.
24:15
So God gave me this strength to like, I'm going to do it.
24:18
I don't care how dangerous it is right then raising the funds was
24:22
really difficult because a lot of people who, who they wanted
24:25
to help, but they know I don't want my name to be there.
24:28
You know what? No, I changed my mind.
24:29
I, I spoke to my wife or I spoke to my business partner and they
24:32
don't want me to be involved in this.
24:34
So come on, guys, what's going on?
24:36
You, you all have children and grandchildren.
24:39
What, why are you chickened out? There's ways of doing it if you
24:42
don't want to put your name there.
24:44
But no, no, no, no, no. So they were like just was very
24:47
difficult to raise the funds for this.
24:50
Finally after you know, we'll finish the script.
24:55
Other obstacle, for example, the actors we saw more than 20
24:58
actors. They passed, they passed, they
25:01
passed they passed. They have my wish list and wow,
25:03
everybody passed until I tell I told him mother, I don't know
25:07
what's going on, brother, but nobody wants to do this only
25:10
Hollywood. Do you want to tell me who is
25:13
your like dream? Who do you want to play you?
25:17
Who's your dream that you're? What's the actor that the dream
25:21
to play you? And he said Jinka Beasel.
25:24
You said Jinka Beasel. I never thought about him
25:25
because he's older than you. He doesn't look like you and
25:28
he's taller than you. It doesn't matter.
25:30
He's not an amazed. He's not just an amazing actor,
25:34
but he has the heart that I'm looking for.
25:35
Eduardo, I need ambassadors just like you are spending all the
25:38
all these years of your life. I need another actor like you
25:43
that will dedicate his entire life to a child trafficking.
25:45
I don't want, I don't want that. You know that you just paid
25:47
another actor and come and do the movie goes to the premiere
25:50
and he disappear. I want an I want an ambassador
25:53
and that guy will be an amazing ambassador.
25:55
Do you know him? Yes, I'm going to text him right
25:57
now. So I sent him a text message.
25:59
I was with Alejandro Monteverde and he responded right away.
26:03
Hey, let's meet for a coffee in a couple hours.
26:05
I went to Calabasas. I met with him.
26:08
Alejandro pitched his story to him.
26:09
He started crying because if this is too personal to me, I
26:14
mean, I was praying for a person like this.
26:16
Send me the script now. So we, we sent him the script.
26:20
He read it that night. He calls me the next day and he
26:23
said, well, have a good news and a bad news.
26:26
Good news. I mean, I'm your guy.
26:28
Bad news. My, my, my, my wife.
26:32
She doesn't want me to wear Colombia because she thinks it's
26:34
too dangerous. I think she just saw Narcos
26:37
Colombia on Netflix move. OK, well, that's a big
26:41
challenge. Let me call Tim Ballard and Tim
26:44
Ballard answered the phone. I say have a good news brother,
26:46
and I have a bad news. The good news is like Jin
26:48
Kavisa, the scene he's going to play you in the movie.
26:54
Bad news is I think she saw Narcos colonial Netflix.
26:56
She's not feeling very good for him to go there.
27:00
Now you have to understand Tim Ballard he worked in the CIA so
27:04
he's a very smart guy and he said well ask him if ask her and
27:08
him if ex Navy Seals will be enough to protect him.
27:13
So I passed the message solve green light.
27:16
We're in Columbia filming. But after the 2nd or the 3rd
27:22
day, half of those guys were not on set and I'm like what's going
27:26
on? What are these guys?
27:27
I'm the producer of the movie so I know who's on set. 200 people
27:30
extras and all the post, but I mean all the people from the
27:33
production and, and I didn't want to tell anything Jim
27:36
because I don't want to skirt Jim, right.
27:37
He was very focused on his acting and everything.
27:39
And for almost a month and a half these guys were not there.
27:44
And I, I pretend like I didn't know.
27:45
I pretend like I didn't know what was going on until I am
27:48
reading a local newspaper. Friend of mine from Columbia
27:51
said me this article that says that the Columbia government the
27:55
with the help of the federal police arrested some traffickers
27:58
and rescued 200 children who were kidnapped for sex
28:02
transportation in in Cartagena, Colombia for the tourism were
28:07
looking for, you know, having sex with kids and more details
28:10
from like Tim Luke like this is like in the movie brother.
28:14
And he smiled and he said that was us.
28:16
What? Yes, half of the guys who were
28:19
not on set. We did an undercover operation.
28:23
These guys were walking in the streets of Cartagena and few
28:26
guys came to talk to them. Hey, Americanos, gringos to get
28:30
a senoritas. You want senoritas?
28:32
You want senoritas? They, they thought they were
28:34
tourists looking for, for, for, you know, for kids.
28:38
And these guys who they're experts in rescuing children.
28:40
They play the game. And oh, yeah, how you have, how
28:43
many you have? How, how old are they?
28:45
Well, how you, you want them? So next thing you know, well,
28:48
let's meet tomorrow because there's more American guys
28:50
coming here for action. So they play the entire game.
28:53
They ask help for the help from the federal police in Colombia.
28:57
Then they gave all the credit to the Columbia government because
29:00
they needed to stay in the mood for longer and it was so
29:04
dangerous for them to take the credit because it would put us
29:07
in danger. So Can you imagine, I mean,
29:10
incredible to God that Jin Kaviso's wife say no.
29:13
So because of that, no, that bad news that I thought was bad news
29:17
turned out to be an amazing news because of her.
29:19
No, Tim Ballard thought about the 30EX Navy Seals and because
29:23
of those 30EX Navy Seals have them rest with 200 children
29:26
before the film was even finished.
29:28
That is amazing. That is amazing.
29:30
It's absolutely incredible. So Eduardo, you are, you've done
29:34
so many films. I mean, little boy Bella, before
29:37
that you had a whole other career in Mexico and you've done
29:40
you've done so much, but you're just beginning in some ways.
29:43
I know that besides being an entrepreneur and a filmmaker and
29:46
a humanitarian, you have your eyes on political service.
29:50
What are what can you share with people about that?
29:53
There's rumors that you may be running for the President of
29:56
Mexico. Well, I think, I mean, you don't
30:05
have to be a politician to serve.
30:07
I think we are all called to serve.
30:09
You know more than Teresa said we are.
30:11
You know, if you if you were not living our lives to serve
30:14
others, then our lives means nothing, right?
30:19
So we'll call to serve. And I found my vocation 20 years
30:23
ago when I made a promise together.
30:24
I would never use my talents to do anything that would offend my
30:27
faith, my family, or my Latino culture.
30:29
After I made that promise, I end up not working for four years
30:33
because every offer that I got was exactly when the things that
30:35
I promised I would never do. So I was led to open a
30:38
production company so I can have the power to control the
30:40
message. The first fruit of that mission
30:43
Bella the little boy and now sound to freedom and and but
30:47
always trying to work with politics, art, the combination
30:52
of politics, art, ethics, values to serve the nations, but always
30:57
from the feel of the you know of film making right.
31:00
That was like what I've been doing since the last 20 years,
31:06
my experience with with Son of Freedom, as I was mentioned to
31:10
you, all these obstacles. And then when the film was
31:12
finished and then all the, you know, Fox used to own the film
31:16
and then Disney bought Fox and now Disney owned the film.
31:19
And I started negotiating with them.
31:20
They didn't want the film. So I put the movie back from
31:23
them. And then I start knocking doors
31:26
Netflix and Amazon everybody passed finally after three years
31:30
of like what am I going to do? I was praying for an Angel to
31:33
come to rescue this movie. An Angel studios came rescue the
31:35
movie and because of them this movie is being seen by media.
31:39
So after all these success, of course, and, and traveling all
31:43
over Mexico with this film, asking every governor of each
31:47
state to host a screening and to invite all the leaders of the
31:50
state so we can sign an agreement with the commitment
31:53
Rachel trafficking. After all these tours and and
31:56
the same tour that I did with on plan when I what the rights for
31:59
our own plan. Are you telling 2 premiers in
32:01
Mexico again, inviting all the legislators and all the
32:04
different leaders of every sector.
32:05
People start asking me, Eduardo, why don't you give that step
32:09
forward? Why don't you we need an
32:11
outsider. Why don't you you know, we want
32:13
to create this independent movement for you so you can run
32:18
for president of Mexico as the outsider because we are tired of
32:21
politicians. We are tired of tired of
32:23
political parties telling us the same saying over and over and
32:28
over makes it was a very rich country where a lot of poor
32:30
people are living. There's more poverty, there's
32:33
more insecurity. There's more of the bad of the
32:35
bad and people are tired and we're looking for a different
32:38
option. So I've been thinking about it.
32:43
I've been praying about it. At the end of the day, it has to
32:46
be God's real. It's not what I want to do.
32:48
Every project I go, I fast and I pray and I ask God, you know, in
32:52
this process of discernment, this is from you open the doors.
32:56
If it's not from you, close the doors.
32:58
And this project is, it will be the biggest project of my life,
33:01
of course. So I'm praying, I'm asking
33:03
people to pray for me. Actually, just I started just a
33:07
couple weeks ago, couple weeks ago, I started this period of a
33:12
very profound deep prayer and fasting because I have to answer
33:18
very soon. I'm going to make this decision
33:20
very soon. You'll be the first ones to
33:22
know, but I'm praying for God's. We will be done and, and you
33:27
will know what the answer will be very soon.
33:30
And, and, and please pray for me.
33:32
I invite everyone that has seen this interview, please pray for
33:36
Mexico, pray for the children of Mexico, for the families of
33:40
Mexico, for the children's of the world, and for this decision
33:43
that I have to make very soon that I will obey whatever God
33:48
wants me to do. Eduardo, thank you so much.
33:51
I encourage everyone to go see Sound of Freedom and we will be
33:54
praying as you discern for that move.
33:56
I think you'd be a fantastic president of Mexico.
33:59
You have my endorsement, but we're excited to to follow your
34:03
work in the future. And I know God is doing
34:05
incredible things through your life.
34:06
So thank you for your service and your yes.
34:08
No, thank you. Thank you for for your yes and
34:11
for your service and I admire you a lot.
34:13
I respect you a lot. You're an amazing warrior.
34:15
You're amazing role model for men and women and, and you know,
34:22
I think this is this is the time where we need to come together.
34:26
Mexico and United States. We're not just neighbors, we're
34:29
brothers and sisters and and I believe that we can make Mexico
34:37
and America free again and great together.
34:40
So God bless you for everything you're doing.
34:44
Thank you, Eduardo.