In the Apple TV+ show “Acapulco,” Máximo Gallardo was first introduced to viewers as the symbol of the American dream — a young, working-class hotel worker in Mexico who ultimately becomes a multimillionaire with a big mansion in Malibu, California.
But Eugenio Derbez — star and executive producer of the bilingual hit series — wants viewers to remember Máximo in the show’s fourth and final season as a dreamer who also represents the moxie and creativity of hardworking Mexicans.
“I want ‘Acapulco’ to be remembered as a vibrant, bilingual series that celebrated Mexican culture with warmth, humor, and authenticity,” Derbez said via email in an interview with NBC News. “For American audiences, I hope it reshapes perceptions: that Mexico is more than headlines — it’s rich in identity, beauty, resilience, and heart.”
“He’s not modeled after one real figure,” Derbez said about Máximo, adding that his character’s ambition and business instincts resonate with many self-made entrepreneurs in Mexico — people who work tirelessly to build something lasting.”
Viewers first met Máximo in season one as he started to tell the story of himself as a young, energetic pool boy at the glamorous resort of Las Colinas in Acapulco, Mexico. (The young Máximo is played by Enrique Arrizón).
Now in season four, Máximo is poised to reopen the hotel as its new owner, and restore the legacy that made Acapulco an international destination for the rich and famous.
Hollywood legends Rita Hayworth, Errol Flynn and Orson Welles first made Acapulco popular for Americans in the 1940s. Elvis Presley and even the Flintstones expanded that Riviera fame in the 1960s. It wasn’t just Americans who put Acapulco on the map — but Mexican icons such as comedic genius Cantinflas and Grammy-winning pop singer Luis Miguel also made the city a household name for Spanish speakers all over the world.
Off screen, Máximo can mirror the tenacity and ambition of Derbez, who established himself as a one-man-show — writing, producing, directing and acting — in multiple series for Mexican television before moving to Hollywood.
In the U.S., Derbez transitioned successfully to the big screen, starring in 2011 with Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes and Al Pacino in the comedy “Jack and Jill.” In 2012, he was featured with Eva Mendes, Matthew Modine and Patricia Arquette in “Girl in Progress.”
But his big break happened in 2013 with “Instructions Not Included,” in which Derbez demonstrated some of that Máximo moxie: The comedy about a Mexican playboy forced to raise his small daughter that he wrote, produced, directed and starred in became the highest Spanish-language box office hit of all time—grossing over $100 million worldwide.
Since then, Derbez has had other successes with “How to Be a Latin Lover” and “Overboard.” And in 2021, he played a music teacher in “CODA,” which won the Oscar for best picture.
In 2023, Derbez challenged viewers with another heartfelt story about Mexico. He produced and starred in the Spanish-language comedy-drama movie “Radical.” The film was inspired by a 12-year-old Mexican girl who was featured on the cover of Wired magazine in 2013 as “The Next Steve Jobs.”
Now, with “Acapulco” kicking off its last season Wednesday, Derbez is looking for other ways to tell authentic dreamer stories.
“Going forward, I’d love to explore more stories from Mexico—and even stories from other Latin American countries that deserve global representation,” he said.
Derbez is proud of “Acapulco” because it represents Mexican culture “without stereotypes.” And while Hollywood has made progress telling diverse stories, he calls on the industry for more work to be done.
“I think we need to go beyond token gestures. Putting a Latino actor in a supporting role doesn’t automatically make a project inclusive,” he said. “True inclusion begins when we tell stories about Latinos — stories that are authentic, layered, and compelling. Stories that don’t just resonate with Latino audiences, but with the entire world.”
And this, Derbez says, is what viewers can see in “Acapulco.”
“It’s not a show for Latinos—it’s a show where Latinos are at the center, but the themes — love, ambition, family, failure — are universal,” he said. “We just happen to be speaking Spanglish and wearing guayaberas.”
