Frank Perozo & Evelyna Rodriguez Reflect on the Making of 'Ladrones' [EXCLUSIVE]
On Oct. 9, Pantelion will release its latest film "Ladrones."
Directed by Joe Menendez, the film is a sequel to Menendez's earlier work "Ladron que roba Ladron." This film reunites the director with star Fernando Colunga and Miguel Varoni while bringing in a plethora of new talent. Eduardo Yanez is the big star joining the cast, but just as important is the influx of Dominican talent.
This film marks Pantelion's first collaboration with Dominican Republic for a major release. Producing the film is Dominican producer Alfonso Rodriguez. Among the major Dominican talent to jump onboard are Frank Perozo and Evelyna Rodriguez.
Perozo has 36 credits to his name according to IMDb. Among the films he has appeared in are "Sol y Luna," "On Painted Wings," "Despertar," "La Extrana," "Al Sur de la Inocencia" and "Who's the Boss?" among others.
Rodriguez has worked on "Quiero ser fiel," "La Extrana," "Los Super" and "Check Mate." Her work has ranged from being a model to hosting her own television program.
Both actors joined the project thanks to Rodriguez. By his own admission, Perozo had worked with the producer for close to 20 years and received a phone call from him regarding the project while taking a "mini-vacation" in the Dominican Republic.
While Perozo, who plays the villainous Rex in "Ladrones," was attracted to the size of the project, the fact that Pantelion would be producing it and that it would be showing around the U.S., the defining factor for joining the cast proved to be Menendez.
"He did a film a year before this one and I said to myself, 'I would love to work with that guy because I love the film," Perozo told Latin Post during an exclusive interview. "So I read the script, I loved it and I did my part."
Rodriguez's involvement in "Ladrones" also came from the same source -- Menendez. However her situation was different from Perozo as she had worked with the director on "Quiero Ser Fiel" a few years earlier.
"Producer Alfonso Rodriguez called me and told me that Joe [wanted] me to be Maribel," she told Latin Post.
Perozo's Rex and Rodriguez's Maribel are actually both fighters and are forced into rather intense physical confrontations. Rex starts the filming making an armed robbery and later on has to take on Fernando Colunga in a mano-a-mano brawl. Rex is supposed to be a blackbelt in some form of karate, thus requiring Perozo a great deal of physical training.
"I had no training in fight scenes, so I had to train for about a month," he revealed.
In Rodriguez's case, Maribel is a former thief who is initially revealed drilling a punching bag to deliver a warning sign to her husband. Later on in the film she showcases her fighting skills while taking down an entire team of security guards.
"I [spent] one month with my physical preparation with fighting, boxing, martial arts so that I could learn all the abilities that would work for the character," she stated about her preparation.
Working on "Ladrones" provided the two actors with invaluable experiences. Rodriguez noted that working with major Latin American actors such as Colunga and Yanez was unforgettable, but she noted that the film's greatest impact will reverberate with her country.
"It is an opportunity for us, for everybody," she enthused. "For the technicians. For the actors and actresses. For the producers who had the opportunity to move and create a film that everybody can [see].
"It is important for people to see that in the Dominican Republic, we can make a film with high quality."
Check out an exclusive clip below:
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