(Photos courtesy of Metanoia Films)   Learn about Verástegui's Guadalupe Foundation In December 2005, Eduardo Verástegui founded La Fundación Manto de Guadalupe (The Guadalupe Foundation), which builds houses for the poor in Mexico, provides abortion alternatives for young, pregnant Latino women, and aims to elevate the dignity of Latinos in the United States. For information, visit eduardoverastegui.com.ar. “Why I’m Catholic” “[My faith has] helped me in everything — how to be a better person, how to be a better brother, how to be a better friend, a better business partner. It’s helped me sacrifice more for others. My spiritual life helped me to die to myself. And I know I can’t stop doing it for one day, because it’s like, if you stop eating, you get weak, and if you stop breathing, you die. Every little thing that we do, if it is good, it’s the fruit of the Eucharist. Receiving Him — there’s nothing better on Earth than that. It’s the center of my life, it’s the center of my faith, it’s everything. So I just allow Him to come into my life and to guide me.”

CD: You left a successful career in Hollywood in 2002. Why did you feel you needed to make a change?

VERÁSTEGUI: The reasons why I wanted to be in this career when I was 18 were very superficial — the fame, the money, the success — so I was in a way poisoning society by the projects I was involved with, because I was using my talents in a very selfish way.

My English teacher — I’ve only been speaking English for a few years — she’s the one who literally changed my life, because she started questioning everything, like, “Why are you doing what you’re doing? How are you using your talents? If you really love [God], why are you breaking the Commandments?” In the beginning I was too proud to let her in, but she persisted in a very loving way until I realized after six months of conversation that she was right in pretty much everything, and I was wrong in pretty much everything.

That’s when I made a promise that I will never use my talents again for anything that will compromise me, anything that will off end my Latino community, anything that will off end God. And I knew [it might mean] I would never work again, and I was at peace with that, because I realized that I was not born to be a big movie star, I wasn’t born to be famous: I was born to know, to love, and to serve Jesus Christ, and that’s my goal. Now if, by being faithful to God, success comes, thanks be to God. If it doesn’t come, thanks be to
God. I realized that sometimes our own dreams can be our worst enemies if those dreams are not in line with God’s will. I realized that you have to be willing to die to yourself so Christ can reign in your heart and guide your life.

CD: You’ve talked about your mother having an impact on your conversion as well.

VERÁSTEGUI: I believe there is nothing more powerful than the prayers of a mother. My mother told my father, “Our son is lost. He doesn’t listen to us anymore. I’m afraid we’re going to receive a call in the middle of the night with bad news. And if my words don’t touch his heart, my prayers will touch his heart one day.” And I believe this young lady (my English teacher) was the answer to her prayers.

CD: Another factor in your conversion was not wanting to keep portraying the stereotypical Latin lover.

VERÁSTEGUI: Latinos have been stereotyped in a very negative way, from the ’40s until today — always the criminal, the thief, the liar. And if you’re good-looking, you’re the Latin lover. Very few times did I see films where Latinos
were heroes. I want to show how Latinos come to this country with a spirit of gratitude to work, bringing our values, our faith, our flavor, our culture, our food, our music. So we put this company together, Metanoia Films — “metanoia” means in Greek “turn to God” — with the mission of making films that will have the potential not only to entertain but to make a difference.

CD: You’ve said you were concerned about your image of the Latin lover negatively affecting your plans to one day marry and have a family.

VERÁSTEGUI: One of the promises that I made when I had this strong experience with God was, “I will never be with any woman until I marry.” I
recognized that sex is sacred, that it’s a gift from God, and that’s when I decided to live a chaste life. I didn’t even know what chastity was [before] that time.