In theatres soon!

Meet me in Miami

Written by: Jose Daniel Bort

The nice beaches of Southern California are replaced by the deep blue of Atlantic Ocean, seen in front of the film-cameras at the new movie ""Meet me in Miami"". Meanwhile the star wich played the main character as leading man in the title-role ""Chasing Papi"", dressed in white, with an indigo coloured hairband, throwing coins at the camera, then took a break. The crew just finished recording at the fourth floor of a colonial-style mansion. ""Cut!"" Excellent Eduardo, now you did it very moving!"", commented Eric Hannah the director. "" ""Production crew, please recollect the coins, and let's do it again... How much coins have been lost? Who can give us a coin? I will pay it all back to you!"" shouted the producer of the movie.. ""What I love about my character is the solidarity amidst friends, and in the end appreciate the fact that the embers of true love never get extinguished, and true love can conquer the world"" stated Eduardo, at the relaxation room. The scene with the coins; there where thrown up in the air towards his (movie) friend since childhood Luis Montero, played by Carlos Ponce. Just like Carlos, they didn't need to reply the press that specific moment, because they where receiving a massage on the set, given by a physical therapist, accompanying the two during the entire process of taping.

We were taping in New Zealand at the spring of this year, and now we are filling in the remaining details, to get it exactly the way we want it"" commented Carlos, who responded after the lunch break. He was immediately preparing to speak on behalf of his colleagues. He told to do so in their absence, with utmost sincerity and respect, as always the very polite nice personality Ponce is.

Meet me in Miami is telling a story of Luis Montero, a young man out of a wealthy family. He refused to take his responsibilities of life, until the day he will conquer the love of his childhood. He met his love of his life, a lady of New Zealand, 10 years before.

Eduardo (Eduardo played his character the same name!) is his most important friend, helping him finding the woman of his life. ""It's a comedy for the whole family, it's aimed at every age, ranging from the young to the elderly. The main theme of the movie is the fundamental principle Love and Friendship are truly invincible"" commented Verástegui. Now it was his turn to receive the massage.

The two actors enjoyed a friendship in real life too, and went on several continents due to the taping.

""Carlos and I have a lot in common, he's an outstanding colleague to work with"" commented Eduardo.

Eduardo Verástegui and Carlos Ponce

The both of them colleagues and friends

The two actors, both starring as leading men in the upcoming movie Meet Me in Miami

The both of them having their career heading in same direction

(An interview to remember)

Dawn Page

November 29th 2003

A huge photo-galleria of the upcoming movie can be found at the section TV & CINE

The taping was done at a paradise-like resort, the ultra-luxurious hotel of Dana Point at Orange County, to make the settings appaer to be located in Miami.

The story is about the protagonist character of Luis Montero, brought to life by the Cuban-Puertorican actor Carlos Ponce.

The character Luis Montero received a legacy from his wealthy family. But he risks loosing it all because he continues to pursue his impossible love, the beautiful Julia (played by Tara Leniston) His unconditional friend for life Eduardo, played by Eduardo Verástegui, is always ready to give very valuable and wise advices to Luis to help him on his quest to conquer his impossible love Julia.

""It's a romantic comedy which do not pretend more than just leaving a positive message, the message that love and friendship last forever. It's a comedy about family, traditions and values"" told the Mexican Eduardo while taking a short break from taping in order to do this interview.

Ponce and Verástegui crossed their paths of their mutual careers by coincidence. The first crossing occurred when Ponce had an appearance in the movie Chasing Papi, where he appeared in a dream-scene. Chasing Papi, which had Eduardo starring as leading man.

Due to the parallel roads their very successful careers are heading, a profound and deep friendship and mutual respect grew between Eduardo y Carlos..

""For me the most impressive about Eduardo is his great and very warm personality"" told Ponce about his colleague. ""I know Eduardo since I interviewed him on a TV show called '"Control"". Then he was part of the group Kairo, and it occurred some 10 to 12 years ago. But we maintained contact ever since.

We had several cases in Mexico of our ""career crossing"", all caused by a lot of coincidence, but in the three months we spend together in New Zealand to do the taping of ""Meet Me in Miami"" I was given the opportunity to get to know Eduardo better in person. I must say I admire him very much. He is a very hard working man, he went to the US without speaking a single word of english, and despite this, he was singled out at an audition, and yet he's working very successfully in Hollywood ever since.""

The most important part of the movie was taped in New Zealand in the spring of the year of this interview. Ponce continued that expectations are running high about this production, which starts to become well known under it first preliminairy production title ""My Gardener"".

" In the case of Eduardo and me,celebrities (in the hispanic world), we now face the situation that the people are asking out of curiosity why we lost 3 months, and fact is the movie is being mentioned much too early, well before the actual promotion process even started"

The title of the movie has been changed, according to a movie publicist now the new title is in perfect alignment with the script, describing the love between Julia and Luis, in the city of Miami.

In Miami the premiere is scheduled to take place somewhere in 2005 as soon as the post-production stages are completed.

Ponce hopes the Latin community will support this new production even more than they supported the previous one, Chasing Papi.

"If Chasing Papi would have been that global blockbuster box-office hit, then we would have had probably 10 Chasing Papi's every year. But fact is we are not going to the theatre saying ""Ok, just because this is a Latin movie we are going to support it no matter what"

Speaking about the movie script Ponce mentions Verástegui, who in the movie helps him in his quest to find the love of his life Julia. Since Eduardo is an expert on matters that involves love.

In real life Eduardo is not as fortunate in finding true love.

"Regrettably I am single", Eduardo told."I would love so much to find this lady of my dreams, to find her and fall most deeply in love. This very special lady, sensitive, happy, sincere, I would love to meet her, to marry her and to have a family."

However romantically unfortunate, the career of Verástegui in Hollywood is quite the opposite, it's very successful. Like Ponce, he too starred in the TV series Karen Sisco, broadcasted by the ABC network. More recently Eduardo starred in an episode of the cult-series Charmed, as mr Right. Being aired by the Warner Bros (WB) network. The next year he has a full agenda, lots of interesting projects, for example a romantic comedy to be taped in Spain, in Sevilla. He will possibly star as a sensitive bullfighter (torero) and might find Jennifer Love Hewitt as his partner on this movie.

Another project Eduardo is considering , is to produce a movie about the life of Mother Theresa of Calcutta, a movie in the english language. Recently he had a business meeting with screenwriters.

Eduardo went to the beatification of Mother Theresa at the Vatican in Rome. Here he did an in-depth research to get to know all the details of the life of Mother Theresa, and he purchased books, and documentaries.

It appears to me a wonderful script could be written about this magnificent and great person, a person who was this great, and so humble, so joyful and her heart brimming of so much love.

It would be a movie with a message of love, self-sacrifice to help the weak, the poor, the sick and the unfortunate. To all of us she is a beacon of light to follow"" Eduardo told.

Eduardo told that for now he's totally committed to movie-making, and embarking on a new creative aspect, that of becoming producer. He ditched his musical career at least for this moment.

The one who doesn't say goodbye to the music is Ponce, who recently relaesed a double-CD with the title ""la Historia"". It contains all his successes and music-videos.

Ponce who is reporter at the very popular TV show Entertainment Tonight, he too has a fully occupied work-schedule in Hollywood.

He is just about to start the taping of doing the voice over at the animation-movie Sian Ka'an. This too is a movie made by all Latin artists. Ponce's other credits include co-working with Salma Hayek, Plácido Domingo, Paul Rodríguez, Michelle Rodríguez y Cheech Marín at the movie which is directed by Raúl García, and is eyed to premiere now in the year 2005.

Ponce did voice-over too of the cartoon series ""Adventures of Maya & miguel"", aired by the PBS channel, so here too the voice of Ponce can be heard.

To the actress Tara Leniston, who stars together with Eduardo and Carlos in ""Meet Me In Miami"" it was a nice and big surprise to see how well she was treated by the two gorgeous young leading men, and so during the entire 3 months of taping.

""It's incredible, they were just absolutely wonderful, and they are both so very very talented and still so humble"" told the actress who can be seen on the action-movie ""The Medaillon"" with Jackie Chan.

""It's really unique you can be huge friends with your colleagues and have a lot of fun together""