NBC's Today Interviews Mexican Actor Who Stars in Religious-Liberty Film 'For Greater Glory'
NBC's Today on Monday featured an interview in its fourth hour with Mexican actor Eduardo Verastegui, a star in the film "For Greater Glory" which chronicles Mexico's persecution of Catholics in the 1920s. Brent Bozell has urged people to see it when it debuts this weekend.
Verastegui, who also starred in the pro-life film "Bella," explained “This film is an action epic film about the men and women who were not afraid to defend something bigger than themselves, something, you know, their faith.” Kathie Lee Gifford called the film “very moving.” (Video and transcript below)
Verastegui plays Anacleto Gonzales Flores, a lawyer who was executed in 1927 by the anti-Catholic government.
KATHIE LEE GIFFORD: Singer, model, actor and all-around sweetheart, Eduardo Verastegui is no stranger to visiting us here at Studio 1A.
HODA KOTB: He is starring alongside Eva Longoria and Andy Garcia in the new movie called "For Greater Glory" based on a true story about the war in Mexico. Let's take a look.
(Clip from "For Greater Glory")
GIFFORD: And he's here with us today. So good to see you, honey.
KOTB: Nice to see you.
EDUARDO VERASTEGUI: Nice to see you.
GIFFORD: This movie is very moving. I was not aware of this. It was basically--in 1926, a war I didn't even know about. Tell us about it, Eduardo.
VERASTEGUI: Well, I didn't know either. Just...
KOTB: Yeah.
GIFFORD: And you're Mexican.
VERASTEGUI: A few years ago somebody asked me in Los Angeles, `So why don't you do a movie about the Cristero War?' `What are you talking about?'
KOTB: `What is that?'
GIFFORD: Yeah.
KOTB: Right.
VERASTEGUI: `The Cristero War, you know? I mean, you're from Mexico.' And I--it was embarrassing for me...
KOTB: Yeah.
GIFFORD: Yeah.
VERASTEGUI: ...because then I find out eventually that many of my friends didn't know either because the government took that information out of--out of public schools.
KOTB: Ah.
VERASTEGUI: And I went to public school, so...
GIFFORD: And out of history books.
VERASTEGUI: Yes. So therefore, nobody knows. So this is the untold story now told on the big screen for the first time.
KOTB: Great cast, too, by the way, huh?
VERASTEGUI: Yes.
GIFFORD: And it was a crackdown on religious freedoms.
KOTB: Yeah.
GIFFORD: And they basically took the Catholic Church away from the Catholic people.
VERASTEGUI: Yeah.
GIFFORD: ...and said, “You can't--you can't be Catholic anymore,” basically.
VERASTEGUI: Well, this film is a--is an action epic film about the men and women who were not afraid to defend something bigger than themselves, something, you know, their faith. And when Plutarco Elias Calles, who was the president of Mexico at that time, he started this religious persecution against the Catholic Church...
KOTB: Uh-huh.
VERASTEGUI: ...where 90,000 people--90,000 people die in this horrible war.
GIFFORD: And nuns and priests were slaughtered and...
Mr. VERASTEGUI: Yeah, they were.
KOTB: It's an interesting...
VERASTEGUI: If you were Catholic, they were--they--you know...
GIFFORD: Yeah.
VERASTEGUI: ...they were--it was--it was bad. They were killing you--they would kill you.
KOTB: A really--it's a really, really fascinating subject....
GIFFORD: This is a very moving film and it's very, very personal to Eduardo, too...
VERASTEGUI: Yeah.
GIFFORD: ...because he makes a huge stand for his own faith...
VERASTEGUI: And what a perfect day today, Memorial Day, you know --
GIFFORD: And Memorial Day.
VERASTEGUI: -- to honor American heroes. Well, this is about the Mexican heroes who gave their very life...
KOTB: Sure.
GIFFORD: Gave their life as well.
VERASTEGUI: ...for religious freedom.
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Comments
Surprised, impressed
Submitted by Unsane on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 11:37pm.
The Cristero War is a chapter of Mexican history not even many Mexicans know about. I don't know if I'll see this movie yet but I'm impressed with the fact that somebody out there decided that there was a story to be told about this aspect of 1920s Mexico.
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
I wonder...
Submitted by LinTaylor on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 11:56pm.
Will the liberal media throw a hissy fit over this actor who is pro-life and pro-religious freedom? Will the fact that he's Mexican make them draw back because of political correctness? Or will they declare that he's a "white Mexican" and therefore fair game for ridicule?
Hmm
Submitted by stratman on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 12:23am.
Hoda Kotb looked a little "uncomfortable". (Hat tip Chris Hayes)
Perfect Timing
Submitted by Netstatter on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 7:13am.
This is perfect timing for this film, what with the assault on religious liberty currently being carried out by the Obama Administration with its mandate for religious groups to fund contraceptives.
I hope that many Liberals will get the message here.
Liberal hysteria
Submitted by Pilgrim1949 on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 10:07am.
No wonder at all at the hyperventilating Liberal histrionics against a movie that chronicles and celebrates men and women (and youth!) of principle who take a bold stand for their faith, refusing to compromise and recant for the sake of comfort, even to save their own lives.
It runs totally contrary to the typical, utilitarian worldview of the average contemporary Liberal who would offer a slightly altered version of Nathan Hale's famous last words if similarly put on-the-spot:
I regret that I only have but one country to give for my life!
....'bout sums it up...
"Ye canne change the laws of physics....." but some politicians believe that with the right legislation you can pretend they don't really apply to your own pet projects...
La Cristiada or the Cristero Uprising (Christian uprising)
Submitted by lrgon on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 11:38am.
was a prelude to the so-called Spanish "civil war" where the forces of communism were replayed and intensified against the Catholic Church in Spain.
In Mexico, "Blowback" by the Mexican people against the polices of the tyrant President of Mexico, Plutarco Elias Calles, was written by Michael Kenny in a 1935 book titled Mexico - No God Next Door.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/No-God-next-door-responsibility/dp/B00085YWGK/re...
Irgon strikes again
Submitted by Unsane on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 9:53pm.
Sorry, my hate-filled, angry Conspiro. You seem to be out to prove how much you suck at history.
Worse, you are PROUD of how much you suck at history.
Why NB continues to tolerate your hate and your spamming is beyond me.
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)